According to a recently published Global Trends benchmark on the evolution of 5G around the world, although 5G availability is still gaining traction, governments continue to push industry to expand network deployments, including by allocating government funding and establishing ambitious coverage targets.

All countries surveyed have launched 5G services, with the exception of Brazil, India, and a few European Union member states.

Where 5G services are available, operators usually offer both 5G mobile plans and fixed wireless services to residential customers. Mainland China reports the highest 5G service take-up. South Korea and Hong Kong (CN) also have reached a share of 5G subscriptions that is close to 10% of the total mobile customer base.

A few significant 5G spectrum awards are planned in 2021, including in Australia, Brazil, and Hong Kong, amongst other countries. Other awards are pending approval and might be confirmed throughout the year.

5G standalone (SA) networks were launched or are under development, by telecom operators in several countries, opening the door to network slicing and innovative 5G use cases. In some countries, governments have promoted the development of private 5G networks also by assigning local spectrum licences to industry.

Cullen International’s Global Trends benchmark on 5G covers Australia, Brazil, China, the European Union, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States.

For more information on the full 5G research, please click on “Access the full content” or on “Request Access”, in case you are not subscribed to our Global Trends service.