Our latest Global Trends benchmark covers policies and regulations supporting deployments of 5G networks and availability of 5G services across 18 jurisdictions: Australia, Brazil, mainland China, the EU, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria (new) Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, the UK (new) and the US.

The research addresses, for each jurisdiction:

• the status of 5G network deployments, including on availability of 5G standalone (SA) networks;
• an overview of mobile and fixed-wireless access (FWA) 5G commercial offers;
• government strategies and actions that promote the deployment of 5G networks as well as and their evolution towards 6G; and
• 5G spectrum assignments, including the main terms and conditions in 5G licences.

Early 5G adopters include mobile network operators (MNOs) in Asia-Pacific and the US. Among all jurisdictions surveyed in this benchmark, India and Nigeria were the last to launch 5G services.

In most jurisdictions analysed, 5G deployments have been carried out gradually, as an evolution of 4G networks. However, 5G SA deployments are currently gaining traction almost everywhere.

Where 5G networks are available, operators usually choose to offer both 5G mobile plans and 5G-based FWA services to maximise commercial opportunities bound to their 5G network deployments.

Governments in all surveyed jurisdictions supported 5G network deployments by assigning spectrum and revising infrastructure policies. A few new 5G spectrum assignments were carried out in 2024, and more are planned by end 2024 and beyond, in several jurisdictions.

Last but not least, this benchmark also shows that some governments are already preparing for 6G.  

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