Security News > 2021 > December > The 5G market is about to take off: What to expect in 2022 and beyond?
Digging further into what frequency is most used - based on IDTechEx's study - it is sub-6 GHz. This frequency band is used in over half of 5G commercial deployments and trails, with just a tiny percentage using mmWave.
Only 9 countries have commercialized 5G mmWave.
Looking at telecom operators' deployment strategies, we can see that low-frequency bands are used for national coverage, whereas sub-6 GHz bands are utilized for city coverage, and mmWave is used for megacity hotspots.
Three key performance indicators have been identified: Increase 5G user penetration to more than 40%, raise 5G network access traffic to more than 50%, and push 5G penetration in big enterprises to more than 35%. The MIIT has not yet released the mmWave spectrum, although it is expected to do so soon as the Chinese are preparing to use 2022 Winter Olympics as a test bed for mmWave rollout.
There are still some years to go before seeing mmWave market take off.
For many years to come, sub-6 GHz will be the main frequency for deployment, whereas mmWave will require further technological advancement as well as a killer app to gain market, which will take years.