Qualcomm Forecasts Strong 5G Growth

Qualcomm today said that it expects 5G handset sales to grow from 450 million units in 2021 to 750 million units in 2022.

The prediction came at Qualcomm’s annual analyst day, which was held today in New York City. Qualcomm had previously said that it expected sales of 5G handset to hit 200 million units in 2020.

But today’s prediction puts 5G on an even faster growth curve than previously expected, Qualcomm said. And part of the reason for the optimism is the strong interest its seen in 5G infrastructure from major metropolitan areas and developing countries alike. And thanks to rapid commercialization in China, Qualcomm now believes that 5G will roll out faster than 4G did, and will be more pervasive.

Qualcomm also noted that Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, and Vietnam will all roll out the mid-band (sub-6 GHz) type of 5G networking in 2020, while Japan, Russia, and South Korea will deploy the faster but shorter-distance millimeter wave 5G that year. U.S. carriers, meanwhile, are of course rolling out a mix of the 5G networking types, and the top three carriers have each committed to supporting both.

By 2021, mid-band 5G should be deployed in Nigeria and Peru, plus 22 smaller European markets and many developing countries in Asia. Millimeter-wave 5G will head to Brazil, Chile, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Singapore that year, Qualcomm says.