Mobile data uplink traffic is growing faster than downlink as content creation on smartphones and use of cloud services increase. Network slicing services based on 5G standalone (SA) mode are also entering the commercialization stage.

In the June 2026 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report released on Tuesday, uplink traffic growth was higher than downlink at 43 of the 55 telecom operators surveyed. Among them, 17 saw uplink growth exceed 1.5 times the downlink rate.

Uplink traffic is data transmitted from user devices to the network. The rise in uplink traffic is expected to steepen further as artificial intelligence (AI) services spread. Ericsson projected that if additional AI traffic occurs, uplink traffic in 2031 could rise by more than three times from 2025.

Eric Ekudden (에릭 에쿠덴), Ericsson's chief technology officer, said, "As we transition to the era of physical AI, we will move from a centralized model centered on data centers to one centered on autonomous AI agents distributed across devices, vehicles and cities." He added, "Traffic patterns will also fundamentally change."

5G subscriptions and data use are also increasing. Global 5G subscriptions in the first quarter of this year rose by 162 million from the previous quarter to 3.1 billion. Ericsson forecast 5G subscriptions would reach 6.4 billion by the end of 2031.

As of the end of 2025, 5G accounted for 48 percent of total mobile data traffic. That share is expected to expand to 85 percent by the end of 2031. Total network data traffic, including mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA), rose 22 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier.

Commercial network slicing services based on 5G standalone (SA) are also expanding. The number of related services rose to 84 in June from 65 in November last year. Network slicing is a technology that divides a single communications network into multiple independent virtual networks to guarantee service-specific quality such as speed, latency and stability. About 390 telecom operators worldwide have commercialized 5G services, and more than 90 of them have adopted 5G SA.

5G-based FWA services also showed growth. The share of telecom operators offering 5G FWA rose to 71 percent this year from 57 percent in June last year. It marked the largest annual increase in the past four years. The share of operators offering FWA products with tiered pricing by speed also rose to 57 percent from 51 percent over the same period. Ericsson said telecom operators are shifting FWA into a monetization service by market.