5G has already yielded 12 phones and five chipset vendors – GSA

The Global (mobile) Suppliers Association has launched what it claims is the first global database of commercial 5G devices.

Here’s what they’ve spotted so far:

“Commercial services need commercial devices, so the momentum behind 5G devices represents an important benchmark for the worldwide roll-out of live 5G services,” said Joe Barrett, GSA President. “While early 4G devices were modems and dongles, with 5G we’re seeing smartphones lead the way with early commercial availability. This gives an early indication of where the industry is expecting to see the first 5G opportunities.”

This is the latest component of the GSA Analyser for Mobile Broadband Devices (GAMBoD) database, a tool designed to help industry stakeholders keep track of all this stuff. By pure coincidence, or maybe not, its launch comes on the same day at the publication of the latest 5G Market Reality Check from Hadden Telecoms.

The eponymous Alan Hadden was for some time the VP of Research at the GSA, before deciding to go it alone with a similar set of analytical services. His company’s latest publication lists the 211 operators around the world known to be investing in 5G, but earlier this month it too was alking devices, as you can see in the slide below.

“Operators globally are preparing for the large-scale introduction of 5G, the first services have launched, and the devices ecosystem is rapidly building and poised for the imminent scale availability of a range of smartphone models,” said Hadden. “Dozens more operators are expected to launch their respective 5G services in the coming 12 months.”