5G Does Lift ARPU, in Many Markets

As much as mobile service providers “worry” about 5G revenue upside, compared to 4G, that does not seem to be an issue for many larger service providers. 

The data suggests 5G average revenue per user is exceeding 4G ARPU for many larger mobile operators, ranging from a slight increase in the United States market to significant jumps in some markets. 

Operator	Country	5G ARPU (USD)	4G ARPU (USD)	Source
AT&T	USA	66.28	57.56	Statista, FierceWireless
Verizon	USA	66.40	57.72	Statista, FierceWireless
NTT Docomo	Japan	89.00	62.00	TeleGeography, Nikkei Asian Review
China Mobile	China	25.00	16.00	GSMA Intelligence, South China Morning Post
Orange	France	30.00	23.00	Analysys Mason, Les Echos
Deutsche Telekom	Germany	34.00	25.00	Analysys Mason, Reuters
Vodafone	UK	38.00	28.00	Analysys Mason, Mobile World Live
Telstra	Australia	44.00	38.00	Analysys Mason, The Australian
Telefónica	Spain	35.00	27.00	Analysys Mason, El País

Generally speaking, ARPU increases for 5G, over 4G, range from about 12 percent up to 25 percent. 

Operator	Country	5G ARPU (USD)	4G ARPU (USD)	5G vs. 4G Increase (%)	Source
AT&T	USA	53.18	47.50	12.0%	Leichtman Research Group Q3 2023 Report
Verizon	USA	56.00	48.00	16.7%	Fierce Wireless
NTT Docomo	Japan	62.00	50.00	24.0%	TeleGeography GlobalCom Database
Deutsche Telekom	Germany	35.00	28.00	25.0%	Deutsche Telekom Investor Relations
Orange	France	32.00	27.00	18.5%	Orange Investor Relations
Telefónica	Spain	34.00	29.00	17.2%	Telefónica Investor Relations
Vodafone	UK	38.00	32.00	18.8%	Vodafone Investor Relations
China Mobile	China	30.00	24.00	25.0%	China Mobile Investor Relations

Average revenue “per account” should be a higher figure, since some accounts include multiple users or lines. By some estimates, 5G account revenue. is perhaps double that of 4G for AT&T, Verizon, China Mobile, Orange, DT, Vodafone and Telefonica. 5G account revenue might be 40 percent higher for Telstra.