GSA: More 5G SA devices, but commercial 5G SA deployments lag
Findings from the latest GSA report on the 5G standalone (SA) ecosystem include:
- 1,764 announced devices with claimed support for 5G SA, up 43.7% from 1,227 at the end of 2022.
- Devices with support for 5G SA account for 68.1% of all 5G devices, as of the end of March 2024, up from 43.3% in December 2019.
- 97 modems or mobile processors/platform chipsets state support for 5G SA, 93 of which are understood to be commercially available.
5G mobile Communications Mast
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Other Estimates of deployed 5G SA core networks:
According to a recent LinkedIn post by Kaneshwaran Govindasamy, at least 49 network 29 have launched or deployed public 5 , one of which has only soft-launched their 5G SA networks.
A February 2024 report from Counterpoint Research in February 2024 states that only 55 operators have commercially implemented 5G SA, with many more in testing and trial stages.
As of January 2024, Dell’Oro Group has identified 50 5G SA enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMMB) networks that have been deployed worldwide. Dell’Oro Group’s Research Director, Dave Bolan, stated that the build-out of 5G SA networks is slower than expected, and that the number of new 5G SA networks deployed in 2023 (12) was lower than in 2022 (18). However, Bolan predicts that 2024 will see more 5G SA launches than 2022, and that 5G SA launches will occur in almost all global markets except Africa.
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It should be noted that there is only one 5G SA network deployed in the U.S. from T-Mobile. AT&T and Verizon have promised 5G SA for years but it’s not commercially deployed by either operator at this time.
5G SA networks support higher-density device deployments and improved network performance. Without a 5G SA network, there are no 3GPP defined 5G features available, such as 5G Security, Network Slicing, MEC, etc.
References:
GSA 5G SA Core Network Update Report – Technology Blog
Building and Operating a Cloud Native 5G SA Core Network
Mobile Core Market Stagnant Due to Lack of 5G Standalone Deployments, According to Dell’Oro Group
https://www.ericsson.com/en/5g/5g-sa