Key Data

5G Standalone

Last Updated - April 2026

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5G Standalone is becoming the clearest marker of market maturity.

While most launched 5G services still rely on non-standalone architecture, standalone is steadily taking a larger share and giving operators the platform they need for more advanced capabilities. The recent rise in launches, together with growing 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) activity, suggests that the market is moving beyond first-phase 5G deployment and into a stage where architectural choices will increasingly define commercial opportunity.

Launched in late 2024, the GSA RedCap Special Interest Group (SIG) is driven by GSA Executive & Ordinary Members and GSA Associates. Members of the 5G RedCap SIG include Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, MediaTek, NEXA, Qualcomm and VIAVI Solutions.

To join the 5G RedCap SIG, companies currently need to be a GSA Member or Associate Subscriber, benefits of which also include unlimited access for every employee to GSA’s unique GAMBoD databases.

5G Standalone

Key Industry Data – as of 20th April 2026

29 % of 5G services were 5G Standalone.
71 % of 5G services were Non- Standalone.
95 operators have launched a 5G Standalone service, highlighting a growth of 42% since 1Q25.

In March 2025, 5G Standalone’s market share stood at 26%.

In 4Q25, 11 operators were investing in 5G SA services, with Sweden and Telia Lietuva having launched a 5G SA service in December 2025. Similarly, UCOM in Armenia, Altice (SFR) in France and YTL Communications (Yes) in Malaysia have also launched a 5G SA service during the quarter.

Since the beginning of 2026, only Wind Tre in Italy has launched a 5G SA service but GSA anticipates this upward trend to continue throughout the rest of the year.

There are 43 chipsets capable of supporting 5G Standalone, from vendors such as MediaTek, Qualcomm, Samsung and Tsinghua Unigroup (UNISOC, formerly Spreadtrum).

As a result, the global adoption of 5G RedCap is also starting to see traction as operators are implementing 5G RedCap services on 5G Standalone networks. Currently, 14 operators have launched a 5G RedCap service with another operator in the process of deploying a 5G RedCap service. Operators in Asia Pacific and the Middle East have dominated the 5G RedCap sector. However, the focus has now shifted to Europe.

In September 2025, Deutsche Telekom was the first operator to launch a 5G RedCap service in Europe, in line with the latest smartwatch release from Apple.

In November 2025, VodafoneThree in the United Kingdom started the trial process for a 5G RedCap service.

In January 2026, Telefonica Deutschland (O2) launched a 5G RedCap service as part of its existing 5G Plus Pack offer. MasOrange launched a 5G RedCap service alongside the announcement of its latest 5G-Advanced network.

Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Status of 5G Standalone networks

Figure 2

Figure 2

Status of 5G RedCap investments

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This page covers the top-level data for this topic, explore our GAMBoD databases for further data.

The six GAMBoD databases cover devices, spectrum assignments, public & private networks, chipsets and details on mobile operators globally. The databases are updated by our focused research team, monthly or quarterly, and summary and member industry reports are published based on this data.

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