Competition is fierce on the 5G global stage. International 5G activity is growing at a fever pitch, as vendors and service providers in technology-focused countries work on early 5G network trials and test 5G with friendly users.
The following are the four countries most likely to have the earliest and biggest 5G debuts. Although 2019 to 2020 is a likely timeframe for the first commercial 5G network, some countries are looking to jump off the starting block early as early as 2018.