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Fibre, 5G continue to expand global footprint
Core ‘future-proof’ communications technologies are steadily expanding their reach as wireless applications gain ground in key territories
Despite the maturity of fibre broadband services in key economies and the availability of 5G networks in the same locations for over five years, the respective markets for both technologies are still growing while fixed wireless access (FWA) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications gain ground in the countries it covers, says a study from the OECD.
Assessing the overall trends revealed in the research, the global policy forum, which has 38 member countries, said the data revealed a continued shift towards high-quality connectivity.
Fibre now represents 44.6% of all fixed broadband connections across the OECD, with four countries exceeding the 80% threshold for fibre’s share of total fixed broadband connections. Namely, Iceland (91%), Korea (90%), Spain (88%) and Lithuania (80%). Total 5G subscriptions grew by 48% over the past year and now account for 33% of total mobile subscriptions across the OECD countries where data was made available to the organisation.
The research data also showed that even though it accounts for only 5.8% of all fixed broadband subscriptions in the OECD, fixed wireless access subscriptions grew by 17% from June 2023 to June 2024. Hungary (71%), the US (39%) and the UK (30.4%) recorded the highest growth in FWA connections over this period.
The OECD regards FWA as offering a practical and cost-effective alternative, particularly in underserved regions where access to high-quality connectivity can be challenging.
In some countries, it represents a larger role in the share of fixed broadband subscriptions. The OECD noted that it accounts for 39% in Czechia, 23% in the Slovak Republic, 20% in New Zealand, 18.7% in Estonia and 12% in Italy.
Moreover, several of the countries above the OECD average, such as New Zealand, face geographic challenges that make fixed wireless services more attractive. This includes large and sparsely populated countries such as Australia (10%), Canada (7%) and the US.
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In keeping with other studies showing the growing importance of the platform in communications, satellite was also seen to be gaining ground as connectivity demands in underserved areas are increasing. Satellite subscriptions grew by 22.6% in the past year alone, with the US accounting for almost three-quarters of total satellite subscriptions in the OECD where data are available.
Mobile broadband subscriptions were also found to be continuing to grow steadily. Despite already high penetration levels, subscriptions rose by another 16% between June 2021 and June 2024, reaching 1.9 billion by mid-2024 – up from 1.66 billion three years prior.
Japan and the US were seen to have maintained the highest penetration rates, with 206 and 197 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, respectively. Estonia (173) and Finland (159) follow closely. This sustained growth, said the OECD, largely reflects the continued expansion of 5G networks, now deployed in 37 of its 38 member countries.
Fixed broadband subscriptions also continue to increase. Total subscriptions across OECD countries reached 504 million by the end of June 2024, the equivalent of an average of 36.3 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. France leads in fixed broadband penetration, with 47.5 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, closely followed by Korea (47.3), Switzerland (46.8) and Norway (46.4).
The OECD also notes that as a consequence of the demand for high-quality networks expanding in its member countries, mobile data usage was growing at a rapid pace. Average monthly data consumption per mobile broadband subscription in OECD countries increased by 65% in just one year, and has more than doubled in two years, rising from 8 GB in June 2022 to 17 GB by June 2024.
This said the policy forum reflected the ongoing shift towards data-intensive mobile applications and services, and the increasing need for robust and scalable connectivity services, particularly those based on 5G and next-generation networks.
M2M connections were also found to be seeing very high growth rates. M2M SIM cards rose by 14% in just one year, continuing a strong upward trend.
Sweden and Austria remain the frontrunners, with 267 and 233 M2M SIMs per 100 inhabitants, respectively. They are followed by Iceland (109), the Netherlands (99) and Germany (96). The particularly high figures in Sweden, Austria and Iceland are mainly due to domestic operators registering M2M SIM cards for international use.
