Global 5G subscriptions have surpassed the three-billion mark, with expectations that they will reach 6.4-billion by the end of 2031, comprising two-thirds of all mobile subscriptions.

The latest ‘Ericsson Mobility’ report shows that the addition of 162-million new subscribers in the first quarter of 2026 has pushed the total to 3.1-billion.

This followed the addition of 660-million 5G subscriptions in 2025, with the total accounting for one-third of all mobile subscriptions at the end of the year.

By the end of 2027, the number of 5G subscriptions is expected to have increased by 1.2-billion compared with the end of 2025 and to have overtaken 4G as the dominant mobile access technology by subscription – nine years after its launch.

As subscribers migrate to 5G, the number of 4G and 3G subscriptions continues to decline.

During the first quarter of 2026, 4G subscriptions declined by 77-million to just below 4.6- billion, while 3G subscriptions declined by 18-million and 2G subscriptions by 23-million, as 2G and 3G network sunsetting continued around the world.

The phasing out of 3G networks is predicted to happen more quickly than that of 2G networks in the coming years, but the timeline for this transition varies, based on country and service provider.

By the end of 2025, a total of 80 service providers had completely finished shutting down their 3G networks, while 46 service providers had fully turned off all 2G services.

Around 390 service providers have now launched commercial 5G services, with more than 90 of them having launched 5G standalone.

In 2031, eight out of ten regions will have more than 50% 5G subscription penetration, according to the report.

In sub-Saharan Africa, ongoing 4G rollouts and early 5G deployments are expected to gradually phase out legacy technologies, with 3G networks sunsetting sooner than 2G, as 3G subscriptions decline 8% each year to reach 90-million in 2031.

2G subscriptions are projected to fall by about 7% a year to 245-million in the same period.