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5G: The Next Generation of Mobile Connectivity

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Just before the smartphone revolution, Nokia was by far the world’s most popular mobile handset manufacturer.

However, despite selling 250 million units of its two most popular block-shaped models in the mid-2000s, the Finnish company ended up being woefully late to the smartphone party. Not only was the company ill-equipped to match the iPhone and Blackberry in terms of technology and design features, but Nokia also failed to foresee how exponential advances in mobile connectivity would change how people ultimately used their devices.

As true broadband connectivity shaped the mobile experience, the phone was no longer just a phone – it was transformed into a seamless hub for any and all digital activity.

The 5G Experience

In the coming years, the newest generation of mobile connectivity – 5G – will roll out and change what is possible again. With maximum speeds up to 1,000x faster than 4G, this new technology will again shift consumer behavior, as well as how we view smartphones, communications, IoT, gaming, and AR/VR.

Today’s infographic comes to us from Cradlepoint, and it highlights how the switch to 5G is unfolding, and what it could mean to you.

5G: The Next Generation of Mobile Connectivity

The switch to 5G is already well underway, with countries like China and the United States spending billions of dollars since 2015 to get infrastructure in place.

And by 2035, it’s estimated that 5G will enable $12.3 trillion of global economic output, according to a recent report from IHS Markit.

What 5G Will Mean

Here are some of the key differentiators that 5G will provide to future wireless connectivity:

10x decrease in latency
Latency will be as low as 1ms.

10x increase in connection density
This will enable more efficient signaling for IoT connectivity.

3x spectrum efficiency
More bits per Hz will be achieved with advanced antenna techniques.

100x traffic capacity
This will drive network hyper-densification with more small cells everywhere.

10x experienced throughput
Multi-Gbps peak rates will be achieved with uniformity.

100x network efficiency
Network energy consumption will be optimized through more efficient processing.

The switch to 5G will mean longer battery life for devices, lower costs, enhanced cellular footprints, higher throughput, enhanced capacity, low latency, and virtually no packets dropped.

More importantly, as a result of these changes, how mobile connectivity looks in 10 years may be as unrecognizable as the Nokia block phone era does to us today.

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Mapped: Internet Download Speeds by Region

North America and East Asia have the speediest internet.

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Map illustrating median download speeds in each global region.

Mapped: Internet Download Speeds by Region

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

In today’s fast-paced world, internet speed isn’t just a convenience—it’s the driving force behind how we work, play, and connect.

In this map, we illustrate median download speeds in each global region, based on data from the World Bank’s Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023.

North America and East Asia Have the Speediest Internet

According to the World Bank, download speeds in high-income countries increased significantly between 2019 and 2023, while speeds in lower-income countries stagnated.

As of 2022, North America and East Asia have the speediest internet.

RegionMedian mobile download speed (Mb/sec)Median fixed broadband download speed (Mb/sec)
East Asia & Pacific90171
Europe & Central Asia4485
Latin America & the Caribbean2674
Middle East & North Africa3636
North America83193
South Asia2743
Sub-Saharan Africa1615

This difference in broadband speeds can mainly be attributed to investment.

In 2020, nearly 90% of global telecommunication investment came from East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and North America. These regions not only concentrate the highest-income population but also the top technology hubs.

Meanwhile, low- and middle-income regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for less than 10% of total investment.

Most of the investment is directed towards fiber optic and 5G mobile networks. According to the mobile industry association GSMA, mobile operators alone are projected to invest more than $600 billion between 2022 and 2025, with 85% of the total allocated for 5G.

In 2023, broadband speeds in high-income countries were 10x faster for fixed connections, and 5x faster for mobile connections compared to those in low-income countries.

Fixed broadband connections, which provide high-speed internet to residences or businesses, reached 38% of the population in high-income countries. In comparison, fixed broadband penetration was only 4% of the population in lower-middle-income countries and almost zero in low-income countries.

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