At least 47 5G devices now are available, with 152 more on the way from a total of 76 vendors, according to the GSA’s Analyser for Mobile Broadband Data (GAMBoD) database. That number has grown from 20 in June. 5G device availability accelerated during the year as more 5G projects launched worldwide, according to the organization.

As of mid-December 2019 vendors had announced phones, head-mounted displays, indoor/outdoor CPEs, laptops, notebooks, modules, snap on dongles/adaptors, routers, drones, robots, tablets and TVs.

5G Device Availability Growing Fast

More devices are coming, as at least 199 have been announced. The GSA arrived at this number by including regional variants and phones that can be upgraded using a separate adapter. However, the number doesn’t include prototypes not expected to be commercialized and operator-branded devices that essentially are rebadged version of other phones, GSM said.

There are 63 phones on tap, with at least 29 commercially available, including three that can be 5G-enabled with an adapter. There are 13 hotspots including variants, with seven commercially available now. More than 60 indoor and outdoor CPE devices have been announced or released, including two Verizon spec-compliant that do not meet 3GPP standards. Nine CPE devices are believed to be commercially available currently.

Other devices on tap include 34 modules, seven routers, three robots, three televisions, two snap on dongles/adapters, three tables, two drones, two head-mounted displays, two laptops/notebooks, one switch, two USB terminals/dongles, and one vending machine.

The 50-announced device mark was crossed in June and the 100-device threshold in August. Investments in 5G devices are, of course, a vital topic as carriers make their plans There are two pieces of good news for these companies and those who have business plans that rely on 5G. One is that the number of new devices shows no signs of slowing and the other is that the types of devices being introduced are extremely broad.