Global 5G competition is increasing. Who are the main players at present?

Since South Korea took the lead in launching 5G commercial use in 2019, China has closely to promote 5G development as a national strategy. At the same time, the United States has also taken the millimeter wave route uniquely. Many European countries have begun to actively deploy. The fear of falling behind, the 5G boom has continued to heat up. Has swept the world.

As a new generation of communication technology, the importance of 5G is reflected in the important promotion of the transformation of traditional industries and social and economic development. At the same time, with the characteristics of low latency, large capacity and high efficiency, it can also play the role of key infrastructure and integrate cutting-edge technology to create commercial value.

According to relevant data, by 2030, the global 5G new industry digital opportunity is expected to reach 1.5 trillion US dollars, and the development prospects are very broad. So far, what's the specific situation of 5G development in various countries? Let's take a look at the current situation of the main players!

Korea

As the first country in the world to start 5G commercial use, according to data from the Ministry of Science Technology, Information and Communication of Korea, as of the end of November 2020, its 5G users have reached 10.9 million, accounting for 15.5% of the total number of mobile users. At the same time, according to the latest data from Opensignal, South Korea's 5G download rate is 351.2Mbps, which is the fastest 5G rate in the world. At present, South Korean operators have enabled 5G networks to cover 90% of the country's population.

China

As a country that entered 5G development not long after South Korea, according to the data of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as of the end of 2020, China has built more than 700,000 5G base stations, basically achieving 5G coverage in major provinces and cities. At the same time, data from the Institute of Information and Communications Technology show that in 2020, the cumulative shipments of 5G mobile phones nationwide will be 163 million, accounting for 52.9%. The number of 5G terminal connections has exceeded 180 million, and the number of 5G users has exceeded 120 million.

United States

The United States also began to deploy 5G around 2019, and its main telecom operator AT&T has already launched 5G deployment pilots in 12 cities to build 5G base stations. In addition, the operator Verizon also officially opened commercial 5G network services in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis. However, the current 5G rate in the United States is relatively low, and the millimeter wave route has malpractices. The spectrum has been auctioned again before.

United Kingdom

In 2019, the four major mobile operators in the UK have all launched 5G commercial plans. For example, EE has launched 5G services in 6 densely populated cities, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Edinburgh. And Vodafone subsequently opened 5G services for individuals and institutions in 7 relatively large cities. However, due to its rejection of Huawei equipment in 2020, it is currently turning to Japanese companies to participate in the construction.

Summary

Here, the author only selected the four most representative countries to understand the current situation, but in fact, there are many countries participating in the development of 5G, such as Germany, Italy, Japan, Middle East/Southeast Asian countries and so on. However, most countries are still in the planning and preparation stage. In 2021, with the continuous improvement and popularization of 5G construction and technology, it is believed that more and more countries will participate in 5G commercial use, and then the global 5G development will also usher in a new stage.