5G Revenue Growth Stalls Globally Despite Rapid Coverage Expansion — GSMA Report
The GSM Association says widespread deployment of 5G networks has yet to translate into significant revenue growth for mobile operators globally.
The association disclosed this in its latest GSMA Intelligence report on Friday.
It said revenue growth from 5G has remained below five per cent and been largely flat since the technology was launched.
According to the report, while 5G coverage has expanded rapidly and device affordability improved, operators are still struggling to unlock new income streams.
The GSMA stated that future growth would depend largely on targeting enterprise customers and preparing networks for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven applications.
It noted that a 2025 survey of enterprises showed strong planned spending on digital transformation between 2025 and 2030.
The report added that markets with high enterprise digital adoption including Qatar, South Korea, the United States, the UAE and China are also leading in 5G performance.
It said South Korea led developed markets with 10.5 per cent of revenues linked to advanced services, followed by Saudi Arabia at 10.4 per cent and the United States at 9.8 per cent.
On the consumer side, the GSMA said affordability had improved significantly, with entry-level 5G devices now costing less than five per cent of monthly income in nearly half of the markets studied.
It added that consumers in competitive markets such as Finland, the United States, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are willing to pay more for premium services, including guaranteed high-speed connectivity.
The report identified Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) as a key growth area, enabling operators to compete with traditional home broadband services using existing 5G infrastructure.
However, it warned of a widening performance gap between advanced and emerging markets.
According to the GSMA, regions such as the Gulf countries, Nordic markets, developed Asia-Pacific, China and the United States already have strong 5G Standalone coverage and early adoption of 5G-Advanced technologies.
It said many other countries still operated basic 5G networks without these advanced capabilities.
The report further highlighted the growing role of AI in shaping network demand, noting that enterprise applications such as real-time video analytics, industrial automation and robotics require stronger and more stable uplink speeds.
It explained that many of these applications needed sustained uplink speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to over 100 Mbps, far beyond typical consumer requirements.
The GSMA described 5G-Advanced as the next phase of network evolution, offering improved uplink performance, reliability and additional capabilities such as sensing and positioning.
It noted that commercial deployment remained limited, with only a few countries, including Kuwait, the UAE and Malaysia, having launched early services.
The GSMA called for coordinated efforts across the industry to unlock 5G’s full economic potential.
The report added that industry collaboration would be essential to convert 5G connectivity into practical solutions across sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and public services.
It emphasised that sustainable growth in the 5G era would depend on innovative pricing models, enterprise-focused services and continued improvements in affordability, rather than network expansion alone. (NAN