5G service now reaches 1 662 cities worldwide, says Report

As smartphone brands are continuously working to provide better 5G-enabled devices, a new report on Monday revealed that the 5G service has now reached 1,662 cities globally.

According to VIAVI, which offers lab-based network test solutions, the new total — 1,662 cities across 65 countries — represents an increase of more than 20 per cent during 2021 to date.

“Although we are seeing a significant jump in the number of networks being rolled out, not all 5G technologies are created equal,” Sameh Yamany, Chief Technology Officer, VIAVI, said in a statement.

The latest edition of the report “The State of 5G” states that the top three countries that have the most cities with 5G coverage are China at 376, the US at 284 and the Philippines with 95, overtaking South Korea which is now in fourth position with 85 cities.

The APAC region remains in the lead with 641 cities, closely followed by EMEA at 623. The Americas region lags at 398 cities.

With the launch of commercial 5G services in four additional countries — Cyprus, Peru, Russia and Uzbekistan — well over a third of the world’s countries now have at least one live 5G network.

However, the quality and speed of connectivity can vary significantly from region to region depending on the available spectrum.

“Networks operating in lower, mid and upper band frequencies perform very differently in terms of reach and throughput, increasing the importance of network assurance and optimisation to consistently fulfill the promise of 5G,” said Yamany.

The report said that the data was compiled from publicly available sources for information purposes only, as part of the VIAVI practice of tracking trends to enable cutting-edge technology development that allows communications service providers to command the 5G network.

This week during the MWC in Barcelona, VIAVI is contributing to a demonstration of eMBB end-to-end testing.

VIAVI is a global provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for communications service providers, enterprises, network equipment manufacturers, government and avionics.