Global 5G mobile subscriptions passed the three billion mark during the first quarter of 2026 5G Standalone SA network slicing commercial offerings from communications service providers continue to grow significantly while uplink mobile data traffic growth is already outpacing downlink for many service providers. All this and more features in the June 2026 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report EMR.
The 162 million new 5G subscriptions added globally during the first quarter of 2026 brought the total past the three billion mark, to 3.1 billion subscriptions. This figure is expected to grow rapidly and is forecast to more than double to 6.4 billion by the end of 2031. Some 390 service providers have launched commercial 5G services to date, underlining the pace of 5G adoption worldwide. Changing user behavior is also reflected in the June 2026 EMR network traffic statistics.
The Middle East and North Africa MENA region presents one of the most compelling growth trajectories in the June 2026 EMR.
