5G is the next big thing in wireless technology and when it’s fully implemented it really will be a big thing. With speeds in the neighborhood of five times faster than 4G LTE, applications that are unimaginable with today’s bandwidth limitations will become commonplace. Think persistent AR blanketing the world around us or 4K video and games that download in seconds or stream without buffering.
But that’s all in the future, isn’t it? Full-scale implementation certainly is, but there are more than a few 5G networks already up and running around the world. Yesterday, Ookla launched an interactive map that shows 303 5G networks currently deployed in 293 locations.
Ookla’s map shows the number of 5G networks in a city or area, the network provider, and what kind of service is available on each network. The map will be updated weekly. Updates will be also posted to Ookla’s 5G Twitter feed and the 10 most recent tweets can be scrolled on the map’s sidebar.
The networks shown on the map are categorized as being commercially available or having limited availability. Limited availability networks are only open to select users. This usually means the network is being tested before it’s opened to the wider public.
Switzerland is the unquestionable worldwide leader in 5G at the moment. Two operators, Swisscom and Sunrise, are offering commercially available 5G networks in 225 cities. The United States, by contrast, lags far behind. Twenty-one US cities have 5G networks but 19 of them are run by AT&T with limited availability. The only commercially available 5G networks in the US are Verizon’s deployments in Chicago and Minneapolis.
Here are the current world leaders in 5G network deployment.
| Country | 5G networks | Commercially available | Limited availability |
| Switzerland | 229 | 229 | 0 |
| United States | 21 | 2 | 19 |
| South Korea | 18 | 2 | 16 |
| Australia | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| China | 7 | 7 | 0 |
5G is rolling out rapidly and new networks can appear at any moment. For example, Ookla sent an email alerting me to the upcoming launch of its 5G map. Thirty-two minutes later it sent another email with the news it had updated the map with 17 additional networks.
5G is coming, and if you’re lucky, it will be coming soon to where you live. You can stay in touch with the availability of 5G in your area with Ookla’s 5G map. Just check back frequently because 5G is rolling out fast.
