5G-enabled phones already account for more than half of global sales
5G is the latest mobile technology to be launched on the market and it is already reaping its rewards. Its deployment is an improvement in the mobile network, since its launch it has multiplied the capacity and the way we communicate as well as improving connectivity with objects such as turning on a light bulb with your voice or with a simple touch of your phone. So we are already talking about a real new technological revolution.
The latest data shows that smartphones with this technology already account for more than half of global sales, according to reports in January. A new study by Counterpoint Research, a company that analyses the global phone market, says this is thanks to Apple. Sales of the IPhone 12, one of its latest models, have helped the 5G network reach record sales in both Europe and North America, but it points out that in China more than 84% of the population already enjoy this line.
"After Apple switched to 5G in October 2020 with the IPhone 12 series, North America and Western Europe saw a natural increase in the penetration of 5G smartphone sales. These regions are expected to continue to contribute substantially to 5G sales globally," the report states. In the case of these areas, sales are expected to continue to grow as 57% of people own an iPhone and are typically replaced as a new model is born.
In addition, this increase means that 4G, its predecessor, is increasingly out of use and 5G is emerging as the first and most widely used mobile network. In comparison, 5G offers speeds up to 20 times faster than its predecessor and can take advantage of the improvements offered by new technologies. These include the use of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality and blockchain, the service that allows Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies to be explored. Even in other sectors, the incorporation of this new telephony has caused a stir, as in the case of Qualcomm and MediaTek, which have created cheaper chips and, therefore, their mobiles with 5G are more affordable for citizens.
"5G promises to unleash faster communications speeds, as well as an increasing number of cyber-physical systems that connect with each other in all aspects of our daily lives," Katell Thielemann, vice president analyst at Gartner, a research firm, told The National newspaper in the UAE,
The price of smartphones initially posed the main problem for the spread of 5G. High-end handsets, which are the ones that incorporate this new technology, are often unaffordable, so companies have had to settle on their more "low-cost" phones. Counterpoint says that introducing 5G in handsets between $150 and $400 will make a significant contribution to the rollout of 5G.
Allied Market Research, a market research group, also says that the market introduction of 5G in 2020 was set to reach $5.13 billion in 2020. But this is set to increase, and is expected to reach $798 billion by 2030. Statista, meanwhile, confirms that, this year, 5G will grow considerably and reach a 21% share of mobile technology.
Although China, Europe and North America are among the main markets for this new mobile network, experts are planning an extension to other areas where its use has not yet been established in the majority of the population. Areas in Latin America, the Middle East and in some countries in Asia and Oceania are attracting the interest of carriers, as they are still mainly dominated by 4G.