5G networks live in 2,497 cities globally, mmWave spectrum attracts interest from diverse countries: Viavi

5G has become a global phenomenon with the commercial fifth-generation mobile networks now being available in 2,497 cities across 92 countries, according to the latest report released by network testing solutions provider, Viavi Solutions, on Wednesday.

A further 23 countries have pre-commercial 5G trials underway and 32 countries have announced their 5G intentions, said Viavi in the report, adding that the balance 48 countries majorly comprise smaller island nations that have not publicly announced plans for 5G.

However, the firm also said in the report that 5G connectivity has reached “a tipping point globally” as 5G networks are now active in 47 of the world’s 70 largest economies by GDP.

A total of 18 countries, including India and Mexico, announced their first 5G deployments in 2022. India’s top two telcos Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel both aim to complete their 5G network roll outs by December 2023 and March 2024, respectively.

Interestingly, the United States has overtaken China for the first time in terms of coverage of cities with 5G network.

In the US, the number of cities with 5G networks has grown significantly to 503, compared with just 297 in May 2022, a 69% increase, as per the report. In contrast, the number of 5G cities in China has remained static at 356 since June 2021.

“The United States’ breadth of 5G coverage contrasts with China’s depth of 5G coverage, with China remaining ahead in data speeds, 5G subscribers and base stations deployed,” the report mentioned.

In terms of industry trends, the report found that the manufacturing sector has emerged as the “clear leader” for private 5G networks globally, with 44% of the publicly announced deployments, followed by logistics, education, transport, sports, utilities, and mining.

Furthermore, as of January 2023, there were 45 5G SA networks in place, across 23 countries. This contrasts with January of 2022, when there were just 24 NSA networks globally.

Viavi, in the report, also mentioned that spectrum for 5G in the millimeter wave (mmWave), generally considered to be 24GHz and above, has attracted interest from various countries. In India also, airwaves in the mmWave band were bought by all Indian telcos, including Vodafone Idea and Adani Data Networks, in the country’s first 5G spectrum auction in 2022.

“Several of the largest mobile markets in the world, including China, India, and the United States have made mmWave available as well as those with tiny populations such as Seychelles and Guam,” as per the report. The same pattern is observed across developed markets such as Germany and Japan through to emerging economies like Indonesia and Vietnam.

Viavi said that the diversity of countries licensing mmWave shows that there is a clear appeal from the regulators combined with a natural interest from spectrum-hungry operators.

“Nonetheless, with clear benefits and drawbacks, the mmWave story is likely to have many twists and turns over the coming years,” it said.

“2022 was 5G’s graduation year,” commented Sameh Yamany, CTO at Viavi Solutions. “It evolved from being a developed markets phenomenon into a global phenomenon. On a technical level too, with a near doubling of Standalone 5G networks, the capabilities of 5G have expanded significantly and we can look forward to more sophisticated network and business capabilities from operators.”

According to Yamany, in the coming year, the telecom industry’s clear focus will be on network quality and further development of the Open RAN technologies.