Is 5G continuing to progress considering the impact of Covid-19?
Data suggests the pace of 5G connections and deployments is continuing in spite of COVID-19. According to Chris Pearson, President of 5G Americas, a wi-fi business commerce association, “Globally, 5G remains the fast-growing generation of wireless cellular technology ever, even as the world is gripped with a pandemic”.
5G Americas recent research and analysis from various telecom firms highlights there are over 63.6 million 5G connections globally, which hosts over a 300% increase in only one quarter according to data collected from Omdia. Additionally, more than 100 industrial 5G systems are now accessible globally, which was drawn from statistics documented by Ericsson Mobility June 2020 Report, plus 82 5G business networks were reported in figures concluded from TeleGeography.
Chris Pearson reports, “In North America, we are seeing consistent, strong uptake of new 5G subscribers as new devices have been released that can take advantage of low-band and millimetre wave frequencies. At the same time, new network capabilities are being added.”
However, research emerging is indicating a current financial downturn. Despite 5G increase in rollouts, regional variations are starting to emerge attributable to the localized impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of areas experiencing lockdowns.
In keeping with Jose Otero, Vp of Latin America and Caribbean, 5G Americas, “The influence of COVID-19 is lastly being felt Latin America’s and Caribbean’s telecom industry. The lower in remittances arriving from Europe and North America along with the requisite lockdowns imposed by several regional governments declined the buying energy of a big proportion of the population.”
However, despite a notable decline in consumerism of 5G, related to regional lockdowns and impacts of Covid-19, the general expectation is as localised restriction are lifted, the telecom industry will inevitably see continued progress. In line with expert Kristin Paulin, Senior Analyst at Omdia, “We expect growth to pick up in the second half of the year, following the easing of lockdowns as well as continued 5G network expansion and the availability of more 5G devices.”
Reference:
“5G Progresses Despite COVID-19, Data Says” by Ken Briodagh – Editorial Director at IOT Evolution World