Today, mobile broadband networks cover 96% of the population of Asia Pacific, with 1.2 billion people accessing mobile internet services. 5G momentum continues to accelerate across the region with commercial 5G services now available across 14 markets, and several others including India and Vietnam expected to come on board in the coming years. By 2025 there will be 400 million 5G connections across the region – just over 14% of the population.

The mobile ecosystem continues to contribute strongly to the economy across Asia Pacific, generating 5% of GDP across the region, which is equivalent to $770 billion of economic value added. The mobile ecosystem also support 8.8 million jobs both directly and indirectly.

As 5G network deployments continue, 5G’s ability to support next generation offerings such as cloud services, AI, IoT and edge computing, will drive digital economic growth and innovation. However, unleashing the full benefits of 5G will require policymakers to make positive decisions that help drive spectrum availability in 5G bands, and ensure that necessary spectrum resources are available at the right time, at the right place and under the right conditions.