Ericsson highlights emerging market 5G potential

Ericsson underlined the role of 5G to the economic growth of 15 emerging markets, touting the potential of mid-band coverage to advance services and operation of smart national infrastructures.

The vendor commissioned research company Analysys Mason to study the impact of 5G in a wide range of sectors including commercial, industrial, logistics, rural and public services.

It also focused on how multiple 5G spectrum deployments have improved the delivery of mobile broadband and fixed wireless access services in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The countries observed in the study included Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.

Among the key headlines, the research found the deployment of 5G across the business and industrial sectors could trigger a GDP growth of between 0.3 per cent and 0.5 per cent in the years to 2035, noting network-enabled infrastructure including smart industry and rural clusters accounted for “85 [per cent] to 90 per cent” of the total economic benefits in each market.

Sectors
Ericsson identified mid-band 5G coverage as a key enabler of the gains in economic infrastructure, with its high capacity and bandwidth making it suitable for services in manufacturing, industry, automation and agriculture.

Agriculture was identified as a thriving sector in all 15 countries, accounting for up to 10 per cent of GDP “in some markets”, with enhanced rural 5G connectivity potentially delivering a further 1.8 per cent growth in GDP.

Ericsson stated the research highlighted enhancing 5G mobile broadband could deliver a consumer surplus of between $1 billion and $10 billion per country, along with social and environmental benefits.

Andrew Lloyd, head of government and policy advocacy at Ericsson, stated the backing of governments, regulators and governments for 5G connectivity offered many potential benefits.

“In addition to economic benefits, 5G can also reduce climate impact, increase social inclusion, wellbeing and tackle the digital divide in areas where fixed infrastructure availability is poor.”