RESEARCH
Global 5G Subscriptions for 2025 Split Between 2.7 Billion and Just Over 3 Billion
Global 5G subscriptions passed a widely cited 3-billion milestone around the end of 2025 -- but major trackers do not agree on exactly when, or whether it happened in 2025 at all. Omdia's telecom connectivity analysis puts 2025 5G connections at just over 3 billion, up 34% year-over-year. Ericsson's own November 2025 Mobility Report forecast the year-end total at 2.9 billion -- a hair under the round-number threshold -- while Statista's 5G connections tracker lists roughly 2.7 billion for 2025, about 10% below Omdia's figure. All three track the same underlying metric; none of them agree on the precise number.
Findings
- Omdia's May 2026 telecom connectivity report states global 5G connections "surpassed 3bn" during 2025, growing 34% year-over-year, with Asia accounting for 69% of the global total.
- Ericsson's Mobility Report, published November 2025, forecast 5G subscriptions would "top 2.9 billion" by the end of 2025 -- about one-third of all mobile subscriptions worldwide and roughly 600 million net additions during the year.
- Statista's 5G connections tracker lists approximately 2.7 billion global 5G connections for 2025, about 10% lower than Omdia's figure and roughly 200 million below Ericsson's forecast.
- By Q1 2026, Ericsson's own updated tracking showed 5G subscriptions at 3.1 billion after 162 million net additions in the quarter -- suggesting its retrospective 2025 year-end figure sits closer to 2.9-3.0 billion, within range of Omdia but still above Statista's count.
Delta Engine result
↔ Divergence Detected — Δ 0.4533 (threshold 0.05)
- Omdia T0 92
- Ericsson Mobility Report T0 78
- Statista T0 58
Evidence quality
avg 25 · min 25 · max 25 · spread 0