North America to Dominate 5G Connections in 2019

North American telecommunication operators will account for nearly half of worldwide 5G connections by the end of next year, according to industry trade group 5G Americas. Using insight from analyst firm Ovum, 5G Americas predicts that there will be 336,000 5G connections in North America by the end of 2019. That number will account for 47 percent of global 5G connections. The trade group backed its forecast by touting the already deep penetration of 4G LTE connections in the market that will be the basis for initial 5G deployments. It also noted that all four nationwide operators in the U.S. have announced plans to have commercial 5G networks deployed by mid-2019. Verizon was the first to launch a 5G network, though its initial offering is based on a proprietary standard. The carrier plans to update that network next year with standards-based equipment. AT&T more recently was the first operator to launch a standards-based mobile 5G network. Both operators are relying on millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum for their initial deployments, which limits the initial reach of those networks.