The number of commercial 5G devices almost tripled in Q2 - GSA

By Jack Bicheno

The latest data from the Global mobile Suppliers Association show the number of 5G devices being launched worldwide is accelerating rapidly.

If you take at look at the GSA data from the end of March only 19 vendors had announced forthcoming 5G devices, with 33 models officially confirmed. These numbers have now significantly increased, with the latest data showing 39 vendors have now announced upcoming devices and the number of officially confirmed devices has now nearly tripled, standing around 90.

Looking in depth at the recent data also provided by GSA, 28% of the 90 officially confirmed devices are phones (the number standing at 25). On top of that GSA found 23 CPR devices, 23 modules, seven hotspots with assorted dongles, routers and drones comprising the chasing pack. The devices contained 5G chipsets from just four vendors – Qualcomm, Mediatek, Samsung and Huawei, with Intel no longer in the game.

As expected, smartphone vendors have jumped on 5G for various marketing campaigns. The most conspicuous of these is Samsung, which released  the Galaxy S10 5G first in Korea on earlier this year and then in the UK on June the 7^th . The S10, due to its 5G compatibility, has a wider array of VR and AR functions than other 4G phones. This new way to experience VR and AR is critical as it will reach further out towards the younger generations who enjoy mobile gaming or more specifically games like Pokémon GO and the more recent Harry Potter: Wizards Unite that heavily rely on the use of AR.

This latest batch of data from the GSA indicates the device ecosystem is fully ramping up its 5G output. How much of this is purely speculative rather than responding to specific demand is still unclear, but we should get the first lots of 5G device sales data before long, which will clarify things.