Europe is trailing far behind the US and Asia in the rollout of 5G networks in spite of growing investment from the continent’s leading operators, according to a study from Analysys Mason for telecom industry group ETNO. The 2021 “State of Digital Communications” report said market fragmentation and high levels of regulatory restraints have prevented quicker growth even though the number of European citizens covered by at least one 5G network grew from 12.9 percent in 2019 to 24.4 percent at the end of September.
However, the figure is less than a third of coverage in the US, where 76 percent of the population is able to connect to 5G, while the rates in Asian countries are even higher, with South Koreans enjoying 93 percent coverage. The report adds that the average mass market telecom spend per capita in Europe is EUR 34.7, compared to EUR 76.1 in the US or EUR 52.5 in Japan. The Average Mobile Revenue Per User (ARPU) is also far lower in Europe (EUR 14.9) than the US (EUR 36.9) and Japan (EUR 28.1).
According to the report, total telecom investment in Europe reached EUR 51.7 billion in 2019, up from EUR 48.6 billion the previous year, including 70 percent from ETNO members such as Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Telecom Italia and BT, but average investment per capita in new networks was EUR 94.8 in Europe compared to EUR 147.9 in the US and EUR 233 in Japan.
Additional findings include the fact that Europe’s average usage per capita stands at 6.08 GB, well below the 11.05 GB consumed in the US and 8.54 GB in South Korea.
