5G Trends in 2024

This IDC Market Perspective examines the key trends and drivers impacting 5G at the midpoint of the typical 10-year cycle for cellular generations. The 5G of recent years continues to evolve and mature, with the most talked about 5G features - ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLCs) in particular - becoming closer to a commercial reality in 2024."5G came out of the gate with tremendous hype and transformative potential, but the two-tiered deployment (NSA and SA), combined with a lagging device ecosystem, has tempered much of the enthusiasm for 5G, particularly as network deployments become more commonplace and AI takes over the technology spotlight," says Jason Leigh, research manager, 5G and Mobile Services at IDC. "The trends IDC expects in 2024 represent an opportunity for the 5G ecosystem to reenergize the conversation with 5G SA deployments and robust, collaborative partnerships enabling the most innovative use cases to emerge from the labs to commercial reality."