5G-Standalone April 2025
Our April 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:
- 163 operators across 65 countries are now investing in public 5G SA networks, up from 154 in 4Q24, with 73 operators in 39 countries having launched or soft-launched services.
- The Europe, Middle East and Africa region has overtaken Asia–Pacific in the number of commercial 5G SA network launches, driven largely by increased activity in Europe.
- GSA has identified 101 organisations globally piloting or deploying private 5G SA networks, spanning sectors such as manufacturing, research and transportation.
- The number of 5G SA-capable devices rose to 2,334 announced, up 34% since March 2024, with 2,102 commercially available — phones make up over 60% 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 2025
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5G-Standalone April 2025
