The GSMA has published its latest Mobile Economy Asia Pacific 2022 report, which delivers a detailed picture of the region’s adoption of mobile internet. At present, mobile broadband networks cover around 96% of the population, a testament to operators’ investment in 3G, 4G and, increasingly, 5G infrastructure. However, just 44% of the population is using mobile internet services. The reasons for this discrepancy include lack of digital skills, affordability and online safety concerns.
Mobile technologies and services continue to make a significant contribution to Asia Pacific’s economy, generating 5% of GDP in the region in 2021, which equates to around $770 billion of economic value. 5G adoption is set to accelerate across the Asia Pacific region as the technology’s footprint expands. It is commercially available in 14 markets including India and Vietnam, going live in the coming months. According to the report, by 2025, there will be more than 400 million 5G connections, progress is more advanced in countries like Australia, Japan and South Korea and in Singapore 5G is expected to account for 55% of the country’s connections by 2025.
The report also explores the advent of the metaverse and highlights various 5G use cases and other related activities in the region. South Korea has plans to spend $186.7 million to create its metaverse ecosystem and Thailand’s Tourism Authority leveraged the technology to boost tourism in the country. Policymakers and regulators can fuel growth and innovation by establishing a flexible forward-looking regulatory regime to support mobile network deployment and operations. APAC’s adoption of 5G will be centre stage at the GSMA’s Mobile 360 Asia Pacific conference on 2-3 August 2022 at the JW Marriott South Beach Hotel in Singapore.
