2,003 organisations worldwide now deploying one or more private mobile networks, exclusive GSA data reveals
Reported customer references have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 37% since 2019, underlining sustained market momentum
GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) today published its latest Private Mobile Networks report, showing continued growth in enterprise LTE and 5G customer deployments. By the end of 1Q26, GSA had identified 2,003 organisations worldwide deploying private mobile networks with a contract value above €100,000, spanning 88 countries.
Customer references have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 37% since 2019, with on average 76% of these references being non-public and unique, submitted by members of the GSA Private Mobile Networks Special Interest Group (SIG). This number is higher for some industries, with more than 80% of references in sectors such as military and defence, maritime and power plants not accessible in the public domain.
Manufacturing continues to be the leading sector by number of deployments, followed by education and academic research and mining, reflecting the importance of private networks in industrial automation, testing and mission-critical applications. 5G adoption is increasing, accounting for more than half of deployments announced since 2022.
Geographically, deployments are concentrated in high- and upper-middle-income markets, with the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom leading. A strong correlation persists between private network adoption and the availability of dedicated or shared spectrum, reinforcing the role of regulatory frameworks in shaping market development.
Joe Barrett, President of Global mobile Suppliers Association, commented: “GSA has collated information about 2,003 organisations known to be deploying LTE or 5G private mobile networks, passing 2,000 for the first time. As the report clearly shows, a large number and varied range of market participants are actively engaged in developing and delivering solutions for private mobile networks. With so much opportunity, and so many regulators planning initiatives to make spectrum available for LTE and 5G private usage, we expect significant market developments over the next couple of years. Crucially, over three-quarters of the references included in the GSA database underpinning this report have been provided by members of the Private Mobile Networks SIG on the basis of anonymity, and information for these references will generally not be found in the public domain. We believe this makes this global data the most comprehensive, independent and verifiable available to the industry today.”
GSA Members and Associates can find full details of allocation of dedicated private network spectrum and a list of organisations deploying or piloting private mobile networks in an annex, provided as an Excel attachment. GSA will be publishing further statistical updates covering the private mobile sector during the rest of 2026.
Full and unlimited access to the detailed data behind this report is available to all employees of GSA Member and GSA Associate organisations subscribing to the GAMBoD database, plus members of the GSA Private Mobile Networks SIG. Both the full report, and free executive summary, can be downloaded here: https://gsacom.com/paper/private-mobile-networks-june-2026/
The GSA Private Mobile Networks Special Interest Group now represents 17 companies, including 450Alliance, 5G-ACIA, AiLink, Airspan, Celona, Dell, Ericsson, GSMA, JMA Wireless, Keysight Technologies, Mavenir, Monogoto, Nokia, OnGo Alliance, OneLayer, PrivateLTEand5G.com and TCCA. Membership of GSA’s Private Mobile Networks SIG is £500 per annum and includes unlimited access to the Private Networks database in GAMBoD. Signing up as a GSA Associate also includes Membership of one of the GSA SIGs or Partner status in the FWA Forum. Additional SIGs can be joined for a discounted fee. To enquire about joining, simply email membership@gsacom.com
Full and unlimited access to the detailed data behind this report is available to all employees of GSA Member and GSA Associate organisations subscribing to the GAMBoD database. To understand more about the full benefits of becoming a GSA Associate and the breadth and depth of data in the GSA’s 7 GAMBoD databases, please visit: https://members.gsacom.com
About the data
The definition of a private mobile network used in this report is a 3GPP-based 4G LTE or 5G network intended for the sole use of private entities, such as enterprises, industries and governments. It can utilise only physical elements (RAN and Core) or a combination of physical and virtual elements (for example, hosted by a Public Land Mobile Network) but as a minimum a dedicated network core needs to have been implemented. The definition includes MulteFire or Future Railway Mobile Communication System. The network must use spectrum defined in 3GPP/ETSI, be generally intended for business-critical or mission-critical operational needs.
GSA counts customer references as unique organisations or government entities deploying one or more 3GPP-based 4G LTE or 5G networks in a given country that are worth more than €100,000. From May 2024, GSA also counts customer references that are worth between €50,000 and €100,000, some of which may include trials. Data for references worth between €50,000 and €100,000 is relevant only from 2024. The GSA Private Mobile Networks GAMBoD database includes contracts worth more than €100,000 and between €50,000 and €100,000 to filter out small demonstration network deployments.
On average, 76% of references included in the database are non-public and unique, submitted by members of the GSA Private Mobile Networks SIG. This number is higher for some industries, with more than 80% of references in sectors such as military and defence, maritime and power plants not accessible in the public domain.
GSA would like to thank contributing members 450Alliance, Airspan, Celona, Ericsson, Mavenir and Nokia for sharing complete or partial information about their network deployments, which enabled the production of this data set and report. The GSA Private Mobile Networks SIG started in 2022 with contributions from Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei. Airspan, Keysight Technologies, OneLayer and Mavenir started contributing in 2023, and Celona and 450Alliance joined in 2024.