Key Highlights
5G Global Connections: 1.5 wireless connections per person worldwide by end of 2024
North America Leads the Way: 5G connections reach 289 million, covering 77% of the region’s population.
IoT Expansion Surges: 438 million new IoT connections added in 2024, driving the global total to 3.6 billion.
The global wireless communications sector marked a significant achievement in 2024, with the total number of 5G connections soaring to 2.25 billion around the globe. This impressive surge underscores the swift acceptance of 5G technology, which is advancing at a pace substantially quicker than earlier wireless generations. Reports from 5G Americas and Omdia indicate that 5G is expanding four times faster than 4G LTE did during a similar timeframe, where LTE had only just exceeded 500 million connections by the end of 2014. The worldwide mobile landscape continues to grow, with projections suggesting that there will be 1.5 wireless connections per individual globally by the end of 2024, a rise from one connection per person in 2014. Expectations indicate that this upward trend will persist, with an estimated 8.3 billion 5G connections anticipated by 2029, which would account for 59% of all wireless technologies worldwide.
In a remarkable turn of events, the Internet of Things (IoT) has experienced extraordinary growth, adding 438 million new connections in 2024 alone, thus elevating the global total to 3.6 billion. “The achievement of 2.25 billion 5G connections globally is a strong testament to the rapid transformation brought about by this technology. It also emphasizes North America’s pivotal role in shaping this future,” stated Viet Nguyen, President of 5G Americas. “With 5G now serving 77% of our population, the region continues to lead in innovation, network rollout, and advanced applications. This progress highlights the robustness of our ecosystem—marked by industry collaboration, investment, and progressive policies—working collectively to realize next-gen connectivity.”
North America has firmly established itself as a forerunner in 5G deployment, concluding 2024 with 289 million 5G connections, which reflects a remarkable 67% increase from the 196 million connections recorded at the end of 2023. Additionally, 77% of the population in North America now has access to 5G technology. In contrast, by the same point in 2014, 4G LTE adoption in North America had only achieved 47% regional coverage. Furthermore, North America is the first global region to achieve an equal number of commercial 5G and 4G LTE networks, demonstrating the advanced pace and maturity of next-generation network installations. The region’s leadership in 5G is propelled by significant industry investments, collaborative innovations, and a regulatory environment that supports cutting-edge applications in diverse fields such as industrial automation, telehealth, smart infrastructure, and AI-enhanced connectivity. “North America continues to demonstrate swift 5G growth, surpassing previous generations and establishing a standard for global adoption,” remarked Kristin Paulin, Principal Analyst at Omdia.
Latin America also observed a remarkable rise in 5G adoption, doubling its number of connections to 76 million by the end of 2024, an increase from 38.5 million in 2023. While the expansion of 5G technology accelerates, 4G LTE still dominates the landscape, with 593 million users, making up 74% of all wireless connections in the region. The rate of 5G network rollouts is also outpacing that of 4G LTE during a comparable period in its deployment. By March 17, 2025, there were 354 commercial 5G networks established worldwide, with North America positioned as the only region where the number of 5G and LTE networks are the same. Europe follows suit, with 5G networks now accounting for 72% of LTE networks. Below is a summary of the deployment figures for both 5G and 4G LTE networks as of March 17, 2025:
5G: Global: 354, North America: 18, Latin America and Caribbean: 53
4G LTE: Global: 706, North America: 18, Latin America and Caribbean: 134
