Press And Media

5G Developments in Q4 2021 (source telecomspricing)

Examples

Operators launch 5G

Ice in Norway, the third mobile network operator, launched 5G following the award of a  3600MHz national spectrum licence in September.
At the beginning of December 2021, Vodafone in Portugal launched its 5G network with free access until 31 January 2022.
Launch of a 5G home Internet service by A1 in Croatia.

Expansion of 5G coverage / roll out of standalone service/ increase in speed

Telekom (Germany) has just announced it has built up 5G capacities at 958 mobile sites nationwide in the past six weeks.
"We are continuing to push the pace of mobile phone expansion," says Walter Goldenits, Managing Director Technology at Telekom Deutschland. "There are currently more than 32,000 locations on Deutsche Telekom's network. In addition, we put more than 1,500 new locations into operation every year. In addition, there are LTE and 5G extensions at thousands of existing locations. As part of our massive expansion activities, 5G will become the new standard in Telekom's mobile network.“

Vodafone in Germany rolled out 5G on a stand-alone network to 10 million of the population.

More 5G devices on the market, lower prices

According to GSMA’s latest report released in January 2021, the number has significantly increased and is at 1,257 5G devices. Our survey reveals that 5G devices are now available from below USD 300. One such offer is from T-Mobile with its T-Mobile REVVL V+ 5G available from  Starting at USD 8.34 per month for 24 months  with a zero down payment.

Increase in the 5G subscriber base

Bezeq (Israel)  reported ½ million on 5G packages, 15 month after launch (end of Sept. 2021)

Increase in ARPU

SK Telecom (Korea) which added nearly 1 million 5G subscribers in Q3 to end September 2021 with 8.65 million reported it helped  to record a fifth straight quarter of ARPU gains. ARPU increased 2.9% to KRW 28,600 (US 23.88).

5G made available to prepaid customers

Since November 2021,  Optus' "Flex" prepaid plans have 5G access. No matter which Flex opted for the charge is AUD 2 per day and 7-, 14-, and 30 days options are available too.
Zain in Kuwait only makes 5G available to Flex prepaid customers but not those on standard prepaid plans.

5G available to sub-brands/MVNOs

Yallo, Sunrise sub-brand, offers 5G as either an add-on option priced at CHF 4.50 per month (the standard price is CHF 9) , or included in two of its higher priced plans.

5G Roaming

A number of operators have announced 5G roaming, for example Orange in France announced 5G roaming in 3 countries.

Price Comparison

Q4 report features over 700 price plans from 161 operators across 151 countries reveals:
There are 177  include 100 GB and more, the highest inclusive allowance (excluding those offering unlimited plan with no FUP) available in Kuwait.
There are  55  include less than 10 GB of data with the entry plan including 0.5 GB.
5G pricing various to 4G pricing,  with some operators
- charging an add-on
- launched new 5G plans
- Makes 5G available across the entire portfolio
- 5G available to top priced plans only – example
- 5G more expensive than 4G