Global 5G subscriptions cross 3 billion mark as uplink traffic surges

Ericsson's June 2026 Mobility Report finds 162 million new connections in Q1, with the Philippines among the fastest-growing markets.

Courtesy: Ericsson

Uplink data now outpacing downlink

Global 5G mobile subscriptions passed three billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to the June 2026 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report.

The report says 162 million new 5G subscriptions were added worldwide during the quarter, pushing the global total to 3.1 billion. Ericsson forecasts the number will more than double to 6.4 billion by the end of 2031.

As of the report's cutoff, 390 service providers had launched commercial 5G services, more than 90 of them offering 5G Standalone (SA). 5G networks carried 48 percent of all mobile data traffic at the end of 2025, a share Ericsson expects to reach 85 percent by 2031.

Western Europe, North America, North East Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are projected to reach 5G subscription adoption near or above 90 percent by 2031.

In South East Asia and Oceania, subscriptions are forecast to grow from about 160 million in 2025 to roughly 670 million by 2031. The report singles out the Philippines as having one of the region's largest increases in 5G subscription growth.

Commercial connectivity offerings built on 5G SA network slicing rose from 65 in the November 2025 report to 84 in the June edition, spanning all regions.

Erik Ekudden, the report's publisher and Ericsson's CTO, linked the trend to a broader shift in how networks are used.

Mobile networks are no longer only about providing best-effort connectivity; they are becoming critical, intelligent infrastructure that meets diverse application needs, he said, pointing to the rise in 5G SA network slicing offerings and the growing number of carriers deploying 5G SA.

Fixed wireless access (FWA) continues to be a monetization strategy for service providers. The share of FWA providers offering the service over 5G reached 71 percent, up from 57 percent in June 2025—the largest annual increase in four years. Speed-based tariff plans are now used by 57 percent of FWA providers, up from 51 percent a year earlier.

5G FWA uptake is strongest in North America, the Nordics, the GCC countries and parts of Asia. In the Philippines, the report says 5G FWA is emerging as a monetization opportunity, helping connect areas that lack fiber infrastructure.

Daniel Ode, Ericsson's head for Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines, said global operators have demonstrated that "5G can be both a growth engine and a monetization opportunity," adding that Philippine operators can draw confidence from that experience by combining FWA and 5G Standalone.

The report notes that FWA appeal spans markets with more than 95 percent fiber-connected homes as well as low-ARPU markets such as India, while growth in Latin America, Africa and parts of South East Asia remains limited despite long-term potential.

The report also documents a shift in traffic patterns: uplink data is growing faster than downlink for most service providers, driven by messaging and collaboration apps, user-generated content sharing, and cloud storage.

Ericsson's network measurements found 43 of 55 service providers saw higher uplink than downlink growth, and 17 of 55 saw uplink growth more than 1.5 times higher than downlink. Ericsson's modeling suggests added AI traffic could push uplink volumes to three times 2025 levels by 2031.

Combined mobile and FWA network data traffic grew 22 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, a figure Ericsson says exceeded expectations, driven largely by growth in India and North America.

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