With the adoption of 5G gaining steam across the globe, more smartphone users are getting access to low-latency cellular data connections. Mobile analytics company OpenSignal reports that this has led to an increase in average data speeds since late 2019. iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 users stand to benefit from the rollout as these models support the new technology.

Increase in 5G Speeds Worldwide

The report studied around 100 global markets to understand the impact of 5G around the world. It revealed that download speeds have nearly doubled in such markets. In South Korea, for instance, average download speeds were 129.7 Mbps at the end of 2021, up from 52.4 Mbps at the beginning of 2019, before the adoption of 5G. Download speeds in Germany rose from 22.6 to 48.7 Mbps and Saudi Arabia saw speeds rise from 13.6 to 31.1 Mbps. On the other hand, US saw a modest increase from 21.3 to 37 Mbps, which could be attributed to a slower adoption of the technology compared to other countries.

The study observes that South Korea’s aggressive adoption of 5G has catapulted the country to the top-most position in the ‘Games Experience’ list, which ranks the best countries to play online games based on network speed.

Moreover, the report notes that data speeds could see a further boost in the future with updated 5G tech.

Current 5G networks mostly use Release 15, but there are new standards coming. More wireless spectrum will arrive which should boost speeds considerably, even in markets that already offer 5G. Responsiveness will improve with updated 5G technology, e.g. Release 17.

The iPhone 12, launched in October 2020, was the first Apple device to support 5G. The iPhone 13, 12.9-inch iPad Pro (fifth-generation), 11-inch iPad Pro (third-generation), and sixth-generation iPad mini also feature 5G support. Moreover, the iPhone maker is expected to refresh the iPhone SE with 5G next month.