Telecom equipment make Ericsson is predicting that the number of smart devices in use will quintuple over the next 5 years, thanks to the availability of 5G networks that will be able to handle the demands of so many devices. There are currently 700 million IoT devices in use, and Ericsson’s 2018 mobility report released today predicts 3.5 billion units by 2023, with 1 billion of those being operated over a 5G connection. The report also estimates that by that time, 20% of all mobile data traffic worldwide will be handled by 5G networks.
With the first city-wide 5G launches due this year, a dash to launch 5G-capable devices is sure to follow. Ericsson’s 5 year estimate may seem extreme, but their prediction of an explosion of smart devices is almost sure to come true!