Some recent surveys have pointed to the slower-than-expected commercial growth of 5G mobile networks over the five years they have been available, but a study from global mobile trade association 5G Americas, using data from Omdia, has identified what it calls a historic milestone for 5G at the end of 2024, with 5G connections reaching 2.25 billion worldwide, highlighting 5G’s rapid adoption, far outpacing previous wireless generations.
The data shows that the 5G industry has expanded four times faster than 4G LTE did in a comparable period – when LTE had just surpassed 500 million connections at the end of 2014. The global mobile ecosystem continues to expand, with the data showing that there were 1.5 wireless connections per person worldwide by the end of 2024, up from one connection per person in 2014.
The Omdia figures also show that this momentum is expected to continue, with forecasts indicating 8.3 billion 5G connections by 2029, representing 59% of all global wireless technologies. In addition, it found that the internet of things (IoT) arena saw unprecedented expansion, adding 438 million new connections in 2024, bringing the global total to 3.6 billion.
Investigating uptake on a regional basis, the study identified North America as the first region in the world to reach parity between the number of commercial 5G and 4G LTE networks, reflecting the maturity and pace of next-generation network deployment. This leadership, said the analysis, had been fuelled by “robust” industry investment, collaborative innovation and a regulatory environment that continued to foster cutting-edge applications in areas such as industrial automation, telehealth, smart infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered connectivity.
As of 17 March 2025, 5G Americas identified 354 commercial 5G networks globally, with North America having 18. Europe followed, where 5G deployments have reached 72% of LTE networks. Latin America and Caribbean had 53 5G networks. For global 4G LTE at the same time, there was a total of 706 networks – 18 in North America and 134 across Latin America and the Caribbean.
In all, North America ended 2024 with 289 million 5G connections, representing a 67% year-on-year increase from 196 million connections at the end of 2023. North America also had 77% of the region covered by 5G. By comparison, 4G LTE adoption in North America had only reached 47% regional coverage by the equivalent point in 2014.
Latin America also witnessed a significant surge in 5G adoption, according to the research, doubling its 5G connections in one year to 76 million by the end of 2024, up from 38.5 million in 2023. Yet while 5G expansion accelerates, 4G LTE remained the dominant technology, with 593 million users, accounting for almost three-quarters of all wireless connections in the region.
Remarking on the trends revealed in the survey, 5G Americas president Viet Nguyen observed that reaching 2.25 billion 5G connections globally was a powerful indicator of how rapidly the technology was “transforming the world” and a reminder of North America’s leadership in shaping the future.
“With 5G now reaching 77% of our population, the region continues to set the pace for innovation, network deployment and advanced use cases,” he said. “This momentum speaks to the strength of our ecosystem – industry collaboration, investment and forward-looking policy – all working together to make next-generation connectivity a reality.”
Omdia principal analyst Kristin Paulin added: “North America continues to showcase rapid 5G growth, outpacing previous generations and setting the benchmark for global adoption.”