5G in the Asia-Pacific region - statistics & facts
5G marks the fifth generation of mobile internet technology, providing users with faster and more stable connectivity than its predecessors. South Korea was the first country worldwide to launch 5G services in April 2019. Since then, adoption has increased rapidly and global 5G subscriptions are set to surpass two billion in the next few years, with East Asia accounting for the highest subscriber number by far. However, 5G penetration across the Asia-Pacific region differs greatly from country to country. By 2030, the technology is set to account for an 88 percent share of total mobile connections across China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Meanwhile, developing markets in South and Southeast Asia were forecast to reach 32 percent by then. Currently, 5G accounts for the lowest market share of mobile connections in APAC, but is projected to become the region's second most common connection type by 2030.
Apart from network providers, 5G rollout and large-scale adoption must be backed and accelerated by political bodies. Across Southeast Asian markets, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plays a huge part in the region's increasingly strong 5G performance, as the political and economic union has emphasized 5G technology as one of the core foundations for the region's digital infrastructure.
South Korea remains a 5G trailblazer
As the first country to roll out 5G technology on a large scale, South Korea continues to rank highly across different metrics. 5G users in the country spend the highest share of time connected to 5G networks in the region, followed by Singapore and Taiwan. Further, South Korea also boasts one of the highest 5G performances in APAC, exceeded only by Malaysia. The two countries are home to the leading cities in terms of 5G performance, with Seoul having the fastest download speed and Kuala Lumpur the fastest upload speed among major cities in the region.Recent adopters are catching up fast
APAC is set to become one of the largest 5G markets worldwide by 2025, largely attributable to the fast pace at which some South and Southeast Asian markets are growing. Despite having rolled out 5G technology by the end of 2022, both India and Malaysia are already outperforming longer established 5G markets in APAC and Europe. While they might still have lower 5G availability and reach, both countries rank within the top four in terms of median 5G download speed across APAC in 2023, and Delhi and Mumbai are also performing well in the urban tier. Meanwhile, Malaysia's Southeast Asian neighbor, the Philippines, has over 100 cities with 5G availability, the fourth-highest number worldwide.Apart from network providers, 5G rollout and large-scale adoption must be backed and accelerated by political bodies. Across Southeast Asian markets, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plays a huge part in the region's increasingly strong 5G performance, as the political and economic union has emphasized 5G technology as one of the core foundations for the region's digital infrastructure.
