5G Now Reaches 1,662 Cities Worldwide, China Leads with 376: Viavi

Viavi Solutions, in its report, "The State of 5G", reported that there are over 1,600 cities in the world now with 5G connectivity. In the report, the testing solutions provider said that China leads the pack, with 376 cities on 5G. The US, and surprisingly, the Philippines, come in second and third, with 284 and 95 cities on 5G, respectively.

Rapid Adoption of 5G Continues - Viavi

Now, there are 1,662 cities across 65 countries that can boast a 5G network. In 2021 alone, this figure has seen an increase by a fifth. Region-wise, the APAC region remains in the lead with 641 cities, closely followed by EMEA at 623. The Americas region lags behind at 398 cities. Also, 3 out of the top 5 countries are in APAC, namely, China, the Philippines, and South Korea.

This year, Cyprus, Peru, Russia and Uzbekistan have already rolled out commercial 5G networks. These additions means that over a third of the world now has 5G connectivity. However, the network quality and speed can vary from country to country.

Sameh Yamany, Chief Technology Officer, VIAVI, said, "although we are seeing a significant jump in the number of networks being rolled out, not all 5G technologies are created equal".

He added, "networks operating in lower, mid and upper band frequencies perform very differently in terms of reach and throughput, increasing the importance of network assurance and optimization to consistently fulfill the promise of 5G."

The report comes in at a time when India figures out how to go ahead with its commercial rollout. The major telcos are running 5G trials to develop India-relevant use cases. Also, telcos like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel already have 5G-ready networks, with massive MIMO installed to accommodate increased network load.

The government is yet to schedule a 5G spectrum auction, however.