According to a report by S&P Global, a total of 238 mobile operators serving in 94 markets worldwide were listed in Kagan’s 5G Tracker, among operators that launched 5G commercially by 2022 end.
The report also stated that 24 new operators were added in the second half of 2022, with nine launches in Africa. These included Orange in Botswana, Safaricom in Kenya, Societe Francaise de Radiotelephone (SFR) in Reunion, MTN Group in Nigeria and Zambia, Telkom in South Africa , Vodacom Group in Tanzania and Unitel in Angola. The launches in African markets were done so with tremendous support from the government, especially in the release of spectrum and fostering a clear, forward-looking regulatory environment. The launches for the succeeding months is expected from Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
As per the report, Vodafone Group remain the leading 5G operator worldwide as its recent launch in Tanzania brought its worldwide 5G footprint to 15 markets. Vodafone, together with other multinational operators such as CK Hutchison Holdings and Orange SA, is shifting gears from initial non-standalone (NSA) to standalone (SA) deployments. The report notes that at least 48 operators in 30 markets worldwide had launched commercial SA 5G networks as of year-end 2022. Major operators in the US – AT&T, DISH Network, T-Mobile US and Verizon Communications – and in China – China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom Corp – have already launched SA 5G. Other markets where major operators have deployed SA 5G include Brazil, Canada, Italy, Japan and Singapore.
