Analysts Give Realistic 5G, IoX Forecast

July 19, 2016

By Ernest Worthman

Executive Editor
AGL Small Cell Magazine

More and more data is coming out from a number of sources that see the fog of the IoX and 5G lifting. Just recently, Ovum has come out with some numbers that seem pretty realistic, based on the state of the wireless industry and what is emerging, technically.

Ovum predicts that 5G networks will be commercially available in more than 20 markets by the end of 2021. They estimate that the majority of 5G subscriptions will be concentrated in the United States, Japan, China and South Korea, where major operators have revealed aggressive timelines for launching 5G services.

According to Ovum, “The main use case for 5G through 2021 will be enhanced mobile broadband services, although fixed broadband services will also be supported, especially in the US.”

While much of what they say sounds realistic, that most services will be mobile broadband with some support for fixed broadband may be missing the mark. Most 5G experts see fixed broadband as the first platform for 5G, with mobile broadband coming along a bit later, and IoX and mission critical communications behind that.