Petroc Taylor
Research expert covering global developments in the use of data
Mobile broadband access has become a vital service for consumers across the globe, with rapid digitization driving daily tasks online. Mobile broadband is a term used to describe wireless technologies providing access to the internet via mobile devices. Mobile broadband can be accessed via a range of devices, including a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or portable modem. Successive mobile technology standards have enabled improved download and upload speeds, with fifth-generation (5G) networks currently offering the fastest service while 6G technology remains under development.
Europe and the Americas lead in mobile broadband penetration
The number of mobile broadband subscriptions has exploded over the past decade. There were an estimated 6.9 billion mobile broadband subscriptions in use worldwide in 2022, more than twice as many as in 2015. The Asia Pacific region has the highest number of mobile broadband subscriptions, while Europe and the Americas have the highest number of mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. There has also been steady growth in Africa, where the popularity of mobile money services has made mobile internet access vital for consumers across the continent.Older networks remain dominant
2G, 3G, and 4G networks currently account for the greatest share of global mobile data traffic. These older networks transferred 74.8 exabytes per month in 2022, while newer 5G technology accounted for only 15.2 exabytes. 5G traffic is set to overtake that of previous generations by 2027 when the number of 5G subscriptions is forecast to exceed 4.3 billion worldwide. This growth in subscriptions is dependent on the expansion of 5G infrastructure, with disparities between global regions in the speed of network rollouts.5G coverage and speed varies across the globe
5G networks covered a quarter of the global population in 2022, up from 17 percent the previous year. Coverage stood at 92 percent in North America, by far the highest of any global region, while coverage remained low in Africa, Latin America, and large parts of Asia. Meanwhile, there remains variation in real-world download speeds. South Korea offered by far the fastest average speeds as of 2022, with an average download speed of 432.7 Mbps. Malaysia ranked second with an average speed of 382.2 Mbps.
