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5G Install Growth Stalled by COVID-19
May 04, 2020
5G installs took a breather in March but seems to have resumed momentum this month as China begins to shake off the effects of COVID-19. Device manufacturers registered 11.9% sequential growth in the number of offerings released, although not all are immediately available and two from Verizon are not fully compliant. Of the new 5G devices announced or released, all were smartphones or modules that adapt existing 4G devices to 5G. Sub6 continues to be the 5G frequency band of choice as it requires less base stations for equivalent coverage, albeit with slower network speeds, while mmWave lost a bit of share as did the number of devices that come equipped for both bands. At over 2x the share of mmWave, at least for the time being, Sub6 is the frequency band winner.
Figure 1: 5G Ecosystem p Primary Indicators
May 04, 2020
5G installs took a breather in March but seems to have resumed momentum this month as China begins to shake off the effects of COVID-19. Device manufacturers registered 11.9% sequential growth in the number of offerings released, although not all are immediately available and two from Verizon are not fully compliant. Of the new 5G devices announced or released, all were smartphones or modules that adapt existing 4G devices to 5G. Sub6 continues to be the 5G frequency band of choice as it requires less base stations for equivalent coverage, albeit with slower network speeds, while mmWave lost a bit of share as did the number of devices that come equipped for both bands. At over 2x the share of mmWave, at least for the time being, Sub6 is the frequency band winner.
Figure 1: 5G Ecosystem p Primary Indicators
Source: SCMR LLC, GSA
Figure 2: Selected 5G Devices - Device Offerings
Source: SCMR LLC, CMSA
Figure 3: 5G Device Frequency Bands
Source: SCMR LLC, GSA