"There are three major factors that are expected to lead to a significant increase in 5G smartphones in 2020. First is the availability of 5G SoC solutions which cover a wide range of product lines from flagship to mid-range and high-end products. Second is the 5G commercialization in China and Japan. And third is the Apple-Qualcomm settlement which means the chance of Apple launching its 5G iPhones is high,” said Eddie Han, senior industry analyst at MIC.

“The increasing demand for 5G will unleash the vertical application demand for enterprise networks thus contribute to a boost in global mobile network market from the current US$14.8 billion to US$37.2 billion in 2025, with a 18.5% CAGR for the period 2018-2025. And demand from European brands will be the major growth factor,” said Chien-hsun Lee, Research Director at MIC.