Demand for 5G smartphones has been growing with shipments of 19 million units last year, the latest report by research firm Strategy Analytics shows.

“Fierce vendor competition in China and heavy carrier subsidies across South Korea have been the main drivers of 5G demand,” according to the report. Other regions, like the US and Europe, are lagging behind Asia, but “we expect them to close the gap later this year.”

Chinese telecom giant Huawei topped the list of suppliers, shipping 6.9 million 5G smartphones worldwide in 2019. The company captured an impressive 37 percent market share. It was followed by South Korea’s Samsung with 6.7 million 5G smartphones shipped. Two other Chinese companies Vivo and Xiaomi, as well as South Korea’s LG, were also named among the top five global suppliers.

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“Almost all Huawei’s 5G smartphones were shipped in China, where US sanctions have made relatively less impact. Popular 5G models for Huawei include the Mate 20 X 5G and Mate 30 Pro 5G,” Strategy Analytics said.

READ MORE: EU defies US’ calls to ban Huawei, granting Chinese tech firm limited role in 5G rollout

This week, the Chinese tech titan was granted limited permission to supply equipment for 5G network infrastructure in the United Kingdom and the European Union. The decisions came despite US calls to ban the company which has been repeatedly labeled a security risk by the Trump administration.

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