With these developments, operators can unlock greater potential through network slicing, 5G reduced capability (RedCap) and voice over New Radio (VoNR). Meanwhile, devices and chipsets continue to play a crucial role in the development of 5G, with the ecosystem of compatible devices expanding from the most-premium smartphones to drones, outdoor customer premises equipment (CPE), modules and asset trackers.

Join the GSA Research team to access the latest market data on the status of:

• 5G networks deploying 5G non-standalone and 5G SS
• 5G-Advanced network launches
• 5G RedCap, VoNR and network slicing
• Commercially available 5G devices, including form factors, chipsets and spectrum support
• 5G Private Mobile Networks
• 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN)

All of the detail behind this data shared in this webinar is available exclusively to GSA Members and Associates in GAMBoD, GSA’s suite of databases, covering devices, public networks, private networks, chipsets, spectrum assignments, spectrum pricing and a global database of mobile operator technology and spectrum profiles.

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As of December 2025, GSA had catalogued 4,058 announced 5G devices, with 3,658 (90.1%) commercially available — reflecting a 27.7% increase over the past year. The ecosystem spans over 40 device form factors from 330 manufacturers.

Key highlights from the December 2025 update include:

1. Phones continue to dominate, with 2,165 models (at least 2,076 commercially available).
2. Industrial routers or modems (391) retain second place, followed by modules (380), fixed wireless access CPE (359) and hot spots (114).
3. At least 260 fixed wireless access devices for indoor and outdoor use are now commercially available.
4. GSA identified 1,092 devices supporting standalone 5G in sub-6 GHz bands; 898 are commercially available.
5. Regarding spectrum, 81.7% of devices support sub-6 GHz, but only 5.2% support millimetre wave. Dual support is found in just 3.3% of devices. Band n78 remains the most widely supported, followed by n41, n1 and n77.

GSA expects continued growth and increasing detail as more devices reach the market and become available in its GAMBoD database.

© GSA 2025

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GSA Research

Mobile industry research is the backbone of GSA activity and covers topics from devices, chipsets and technology, to networks, features and spectrum.

The GSA research team is constantly following market dynamics and activity to ensure the latest data is available to GSA users via the GSA website.

Data is updated monthly and quarterly and can be referenced by users who register for free on the GSA website and download multiple reports, charts and videos of webinars. GSA welcomes any contributions on industry data from mobile operators, vendors and suppliers what want to ensure accurate industry data is shared globally.

GSA GAMBoD Database

GSA reports are based on extensive data contained in the GSA GAMBoD databases, which is a resource available to GSA members and associates. Companies and policy makers can subscribe, as a GSA associate, to gain access to GSA databases and member reports for additional insights into the source data behind reports, which can be used for their own research purposes.

Discounted annual subscription are available to regulators, government agencies and licensed mobile operators.

Please email info@gsacom.com for more information.

5G-Ecosystem December 2025

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As of December 2025, GSA had catalogued 4,058 announced 5G devices, with 3,658 (90.1%) commercially available — reflecting a 27.7% increase over the past year. The ecosystem spans over 40 device form factors from 330 manufacturers.

Key highlights from the December 2025 update include:

• Phones continue to dominate, with 2,165 models (at least 2,076 commercially available).
• Industrial routers or modems (391) retain second place, followed by modules (380), fixed wireless access CPE (359) and hot spots (114).
• At least 260 fixed wireless access devices for indoor and outdoor use are now commercially available.
• GSA identified 1,092 devices supporting standalone 5G in sub-6 GHz bands; 898 are commercially available.
• Regarding spectrum, 81.7% of devices support sub-6 GHz, but only 5.2% support millimetre wave. Dual support is found in just 3.3% of devices. Band n78 remains the most widely supported, followed by n41, n1 and n77.

GSA expects continued growth and increasing detail as more devices reach the market and become available in its GAMBoD database.

© GSA 2025

The post 5G-Ecosystem – Annex for Members December 2025 appeared first on GSA.

The proportion of mobile subscriptions that are 5G increased from one-quarter at the end of 2024 to one-third in 2025. 5G mid-band is ideal for providing both capacity and coverage, and therefore enhancing user experience, with population coverage expected to reach 45 percent globally outside mainland China during 2025.Mobile network data traffic grew 20 percent between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025, slightly more than expected. Looking to the next generation, the 6G standardisation process has already begun. We expect the first commercial launches to be driven by leading service providers in front-runner markets. AI-native 6G networks, together with new capabilities such as integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), will enable entirely new use cases and classes of devices. These advances will unlock new business opportunities for service providers.

5G to account for one-third of mobile subscriptions in 2025.

During the third quarter of 2025, 162 million 5G subscriptions were added, bringing the total to almost 2.8 billion.

5G subscription uptake continues apace and the total is expected to reach 2.9 billion at the end of 2025, accounting for one-third of all mobile subscriptions. The highest 5G subscription penetration is expected to be in North America with 79 percent, followed by North East Asia at 61 percent and Western Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, both at 55 percent. Globally, 5G is anticipated to overtake 4G as the dominant mobile access technology by subscription by the end of 2027, nine years after launch.

Around 360 service providers have now launched commercial 5G services, and more than 90 of those have launched or soft-launched 5G standalone (SA).

As subscribers migrate to 5G, the number of 4G subscriptions continues to decline. During the third quarter, 4G subscriptions declined by 65 million, bringing the total below 4.8 billion. 3G subscriptions declined by 22 million during the same period, while 2G subscriptions dropped by 29 million.

2G and 3G network sunsetting continues around the world. The phasing out of 3G networks is anticipated to happen more quickly than that of 2G in the coming years, but the timeline for this transition varies based on country and service provider.

© Ericsson 2025

Ericsson Mobility Report November 2025

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Our August 2025 update on the deployment and adoption of 5G standalone (SA) networks. The 5G SA ecosystem is evolving, with growth in network deployments, device availability and chipset innovation. Both public mobile network operators and private network players are accelerating their investments, supporting a range of uses and business models.

GSA expects further advances in carrier aggregation, ultrareliable low-latency communications and spectrum expansion in the year ahead. We continue to monitor the evolving 5G SA ecosystem, including chipset and device development, to track future trends and innovations.

Highlights from the April 2025 report:

• 173 operators in 70 countries are now investing in public 5G SA networks, up from 154 in 4Q24, with 77 operators in 43 countries having launched or soft-launched services.
• The Europe, Middle East and Africa region continues to beat out Asia–Pacific in the number of commercial 5G SA network launches, driven largely by increased activity in Europe.
• The number of 5G SA-capable devices rose to 2,437 announced, up 27.9% since June 2024, with 2,205 commercially available  —  phones make up over half of this total.
• Carrier aggregation and millimetre-wave support are emerging focus areas, alongside continued growth in support for sub-6 GHz spectrum bands like C-band, 2.6 GHz, and 700 MHz.

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GSA Research

Mobile industry research is the backbone of GSA activity and covers topics from devices, chipsets and technology, to networks, features and spectrum.

The GSA research team is constantly following market dynamics and activity to ensure the latest data is available to GSA users via the GSA website.

Data is updated monthly and quarterly and can be referenced by users who register for free on the GSA website and download multiple reports, charts and videos of webinars. GSA welcomes any contributions on industry data from mobile operators, vendors and suppliers what want to ensure accurate industry data is shared globally.

GSA GAMBoD Database

GSA reports are based on extensive data contained in the GSA GAMBoD databases, which is a resource available to GSA members and associates. Companies and policy makers can subscribe, as a GSA associate, to gain access to GSA databases and member reports for additional insights into the source data behind reports, which can be used for their own research purposes.

Discounted annual subscription are available to regulators, government agencies and licensed mobile operators.

Please email info@gsacom.com for more information.

5G Standalone August 2025

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As Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) becomes a key solution for expanding wireless broadband coverage, uplink performance is gaining critical importance. This Industry Insight article from MediaTek highlights how 5G-Advanced enhances FWA use cases with key technologies such as Uplink Transmit Switching (UL Tx Switching), Uplink 3-Transmit Antenna Transmission (3Tx), and Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput (L4S). These 5G-Advanced innovations address common challenges like limited capacity and low latency, significantly improving uplink reliability and throughput. Together, FWA can deliver a more responsive and fiber-like broadband experience, supporting the growing demand for real-time applications such as video calls, cloud gaming, and remote work.

Link to the GSA Insight Article here.

Powering the Future of FWA with 5G-Advanced

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GSA Research

Mobile industry research is the backbone of GSA activity and covers topics from devices, chipsets and technology, to networks, features and spectrum.

The GSA research team is constantly following market dynamics and activity to ensure the latest data is available to GSA users via the GSA website.

Data is updated monthly and quarterly and can be referenced by users who register for free on the GSA website and download multiple reports, charts and videos of webinars. GSA welcomes any contributions on industry data from mobile operators, vendors and suppliers what want to ensure accurate industry data is shared globally.

GSA GAMBoD Database

GSA reports are based on extensive data contained in the GSA GAMBoD databases, which is a resource available to GSA members and associates. Companies and policy makers can subscribe, as a GSA associate, to gain access to GSA databases and member reports for additional insights into the source data behind reports, which can be used for their own research purposes.

Discounted annual subscription are available to regulators, government agencies and licensed mobile operators.

Please email info@gsacom.com for more information.

The post Powering the Future of FWA with 5G-Advanced appeared first on GSA.

5G-Advanced technologies enable FWA to deliver fiber-like user experience, particularly through advances in uplink performance. This is achieved by introduction of Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput (L4S) to counter buffer congestion on the uplink bottleneck of the 5G system and mitigating general constraint of maximum 2 transmission paths in the User Equipment (UE) with Uplink Transmit Switching (UL Tx Switching) and Uplink 3-Transmit Antenna Transmission (3Tx). These evolving and emerging techniques are transforming the overall FWA experience.

Uplink Transmit Switching: Smarter, Adaptive Connections

The Uplink Transmit Switching (UL Tx Switching) concept was introduced by 3GPP to address the limitation of two transmission paths in UE, which restricts uplink configurations to either two-layer MIMO on a single carrier or two-carrier aggregation with a single layer on each band. UL Tx Switching enables dynamic switching of the uplink transmission between carriers while maintaining the same number of transmit paths. For example, when a TDD carrier is occupied with downlink transmission, uplink data can be sent on a single-layer FDD carrier. The transmission then switches back to the TDD carrier when uplink slots are available, allowing the use of two MIMO layers. This approach provides the coverage benefits of adding an FDD carrier while maintaining 2×2 MIMO on the bandwidth-rich TDD bands.

5G-Advanced further enhances UL Tx switching by enabling switching across up to four frequency bands, adding the possibility of using 2 MIMO layers on the FDD component carrier as well and adding a TDD to TDD switching option. Even more improvement is possible if an operator is fortunate to acquire two contiguous carriers in the TDD band. That would allow switching between two uplink layers in FDD and, effectively, four layers in TDD by including UL contiguous carrier aggregation with 2×2 MIMO into the picture.

5G-Advanced enhancements bring a substantial boost in uplink throughput which has been a traditional bottleneck in the cellular systems due to UE limitations.

Uplink 3-Transmit (3Tx) Antenna Transmission: Boosting Capacity from the User Side

UL 3Tx is another technology aimed at overcoming UE transmit paths limitation. Unlike UL Tx Switching, it allows simultaneous transmission on both carriers by hardware modifications that facilitate a third Tx path in the UE. 3Tx implementation utilizes UL carrier aggregation concept where one carrier is configured with two MIMO layers while another one is limited to one. 3Tx applicability is focused on FWA due to hardware design specifics.
Similar to UL Tx Switching changes, 3Tx in 5G-Advanced is complemented with an opportunity to transmit over total five layers by combining one-layer FDD transmission with four layers available on contiguous TDD component carriers.

L4S: Revolutionizing Uplink Latency and Reliability

While increasing transmission speed and coverage is important, latency and reliability are just as crucial for modern applications like video conferencing, AR/VR, and interactive gaming. That is where L4S comes in as part of 5G-Advanced networks.

L4S is a new congestion control framework that allows networks and devices to operate with lower latency and higher reliability, without sacrificing bandwidth. Unlike traditional congestion control mechanisms (which rely on packet drops to signal congestion), L4S uses more refined signals to manage network traffic proactively.

Key benefits of L4S include low latency under congestion conditions, seamless and consistent performance for latency sensitive applications, and minimal impact on throughput achieved by flexible rate adaptation.

L4S relies on Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) for packet marking, which is adopted in 5G-Advanced. For FWA use cases, this means users can experience real-time interactivity on par with fiber-based connections even in challenging wireless environments.

Looking forward

5G-Advanced is more than just an upgrade. It is an enabler for next-generation broadband wireless connectivity that is both reliable and dynamic. By addressing uplink limitations, technologies like enhanced uplink transmit switching, improved 3Tx, and L4S are empowering FWA to evolve from a potentially temporary solution to a true broadband alternative.

As operators and device ecosystem are starting to support these features, users can expect faster uploads, smoother video calls, and more responsive cloud-based services. In short, the future of fixed wireless is fast, stable, and finally, truly two-way broadband connectivity.

According to the GSA’s 5G-Advanced report from May 2025, the mobile ecosystem has initiated the investments in 5G-Advanced where 26 operators have started to evaluate related technologies. With its recent announcement of the T930 chipset for FWA, MediaTek is one of just two 5G chipset vendors that have solutions supporting 3GPP Release 18, which includes 5G-Advanced innovations such as uplink transmit switching, 3Tx, and L4S.

For additional technical details in these 5G-Advance technologies, you can also refer to related MediaTek’s technical blogs about 5G uplink enhancement techniques and L4S.

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