“Future-proof” technologies like fibre and 5G are steadily expanding their footprint in OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries.
Fibre now represents 44.6% of all fixed broadband connections across the OECD, with four countries exceeding the 80% threshold for fibre’s share of total fixed broadband connections: Iceland (91%), Korea (90%), Spain (88%) and Lithuania (80%).
Total 5G subscriptions grew by 48% over the last year and now account for 33% of total mobile subscriptions across the OECD (in countries where data is available).
These trends highlight a continued shift toward high-quality connectivity.
According to the latest OECD data, fixed wireless access (FWA) subscriptions grew by 17% from June 2023 to June 2024. Hungary (71%), the US (39%) and the UK (30,4%) recorded the highest growth in FWA connections over this period.
While FWA accounts for only 5,8% of all fixed broadband subscriptions in the OECD, it offers a practical and cost-effective alternative, particularly in underserved regions where access to high-quality connectivity can be challenging.
In some countries, FWA represents a larger role in the share of fixed broadband subscriptions. For example, it accounts for 39% in Czechia, 23% in the Slovak Republic, 20% in New Zealand, 18,7% in Estonia and 12% in Italy.
Several of the countries above the OECD average, such as New Zealand, face geographic challenges that make fixed wireless solutions more attractive. This includes large and sparsely populated countries such as Australia (10%), Canada (7%) and the US (6,8%).
Satellite is also gaining ground as connectivity demands in underserved areas are increasing. Satellite subscriptions grew by 22,6% in the past year alone, with the US accounting for 74% of total satellite subscriptions in the OECD where data are available.
Mobile broadband subscriptions continue to grow steadily. Despite already high penetration levels, subscriptions rose by another 16% between June 2021 and June 2024, reaching 1,9-billion by mid-2024 – up from 1,66-billion three years prior.
Japan and the US maintain the highest penetration rates, with 206 and 197 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, respectively. Estonia (173) and Finland (159) follow closely. This sustained growth largely reflects the continued expansion of 5G networks, now deployed in 37 of the 38 OECD countries.
Fixed broadband subscriptions also continue to increase. Total subscriptions across OECD countries reached 504-million by June 2024, translating to an average of 36,3 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. France leads in fixed broadband penetration with 47,5 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, closely followed by Korea (47,3), Switzerland (46,8), and Norway (46,4).
As the demand for high-quality networks expands in OECD countries, consequently, mobile data usage continues to grow at a rapid pace. Average monthly data consumption per mobile broadband subscription in OECD countries increased by 65% in just one year and has more than doubled in two years, rising from 8 GB in June 2022 to 17 GB by June 2024.
This reflects the ongoing shift toward data-intensive mobile applications and services and the increasing need for robust and scalable connectivity solutions, particularly those leveraging 5G and next-generation networks.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) connections are once again seeing very high growth rates. M2M SIM cards rose by 14% in just one year, continuing a strong upward trend. Sweden and Austria remain the frontrunners, with 267 and 233 M2M SIMs per 100 inhabitants, respectively. They are followed by Iceland (109), the Netherlands (99), and Germany (96). The particularly high figures in Sweden, Austria and Iceland are mainly due to domestic operators registering M2M SIM cards for international use.