Ookla has released its latest analysis on the global rollout and commercialization of 5G Standalone (SA) networks, focusing on key regions such as Asia, North America, and Europe.
According to the report, the global expansion of 5G SA is progressing after a slow start due to its technical complexity and the high capital investment required. Despite these challenges, operators continue to advance with a cautious approach as they seek monetization strategies to generate revenue from both consumer and enterprise markets.
The Strategic Importance of 5G SA for Governments
Governments recognize that 5G SA is a crucial component in strengthening digital competitiveness. The low-latency and high-reliability features of 5G SA are expected to drive industrial applications, attract foreign investment, and enhance national infrastructure, as highlighted in the Ookla report.
As mobile networks become a critical part of a country’s economic strategy, governments are prioritizing 5G SA to maintain a competitive edge in the global digital economy.
Europe’s Struggle with 5G SA Rollout
Despite ambitious infrastructure targets, Europe lags significantly behind other major regions in terms of 5G SA performance and availability. The European Commission has positioned 5G SA at the center of its pro-growth industrial strategy, reinforced by the “Competitiveness Compass” initiative.
However, as per the report, Europe’s progress remains slow compared to the U.S. and China. In Q4 2024:
- China (80%), India (52%), and the United States (24%) led the world in 5G SA availability based on Speedtest sample share, markedly ahead of Europe (1%).
- Europe’s 5G SA availability was at only 2%, far behind China (80%), India (52%), and the United States (24%).
- Europe also ranked lower in 5G SA download speeds, with a median speed of 221.17 Mbps, compared to 384.42 Mbps in the Americas, 237.04 Mbps in Developed Asia Pacific, and 259.73 Mbps in Emerging Asia Pacific.
The delayed rollout in Europe is attributed to a lack of early deployments, an inconsistent multi-band spectrum strategy, and limited operator investment in the 5G core.
India’s Position in 5G SA Expansion
India has emerged as a leader in 5G SA deployment, with an availability rate of 52% in Q4 2024, surpassing many advanced markets. As per Ookla’s findings, India’s rapid 5G SA rollout is driven by aggressive investments from leading telecom operators.
- Reliance Jio’s strategy of bypassing the Non-Standalone (NSA) phase and directly deploying a nationwide 5G SA network has given India a competitive edge.
- India recorded median 5G SA download speeds of 260.71 Mbps in Q4 2024, ahead of China (224.82 Mbps), Japan (254.18 Mbps), and Europe (221.17 Mbps).
- While India led these countries in download speed on 5G SA, its median latency (52.24 ms) and upload speed (15.69 Mbps) performance was relatively less competitive.
- In Q4 2024, median download speeds on 5G SA were 31% higher than standard 5G NSA networks in India.
Disparities in 5G SA Deployment Across Europe
The report noted that while Europe’s 5G SA rollout varies across nations, some countries have made notable progress. Germany, the UK, and Spain lead the continent due to targeted fiscal incentives and coverage obligations.
Greece stands out with the highest median 5G SA download speed of 547.52 Mbps in Q4 2024, thanks to its 3.5 GHz spectrum usage. Spain and Austria have also excelled in rural 5G SA coverage through their intensive deployment of 700 MHz spectrum.
Performance and Latency Improvements with 5G SA
As per the report, globally, 5G SA networks are significantly outperforming NSA networks in key metrics:
- Latency: Median latency on 5G SA networks was nearly 20% lower in Europe and China and over 25% lower in the U.S. and Japan compared to NSA networks.
- Download Speeds: In Q4 2024, 5G SA median download speeds were 57% higher in Europe and 84% higher in China than on NSA networks.
- Globally, 5G SA networks are delivering significantly improved performance across key metrics compared to the non-standalone architecture.
Despite these improvements, the full potential of 5G SA remains untapped in Europe. Advanced uplink features like higher-order MIMO and carrier aggregation are still limited to select operators, mainly in the U.S.
5G SA Monetization: Europe’s Challenges and Global Trends
The report highlighted that monetization remains a major challenge for European operators. While other regions have successfully leveraged 5G SA’s capabilities to develop innovative pricing strategies, European operators are yet to unlock significant revenue growth.
Operators in the U.S. and Asia are capitalizing on performance-based tariff models and enterprise-focused network slicing solutions. In contrast, European operators must refine their business models to cater to new verticals.
Leading operators like BT’s EE (UK), Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Elisa (Finland), and 3 (Austria) are actively leveraging 5G SA to consolidate their premium market positions and drive average revenue per user (ARPU) growth.
Outlook by Ookla
As per Ookla’s report, while the global expansion of 5G SA is accelerating, Europe faces significant challenges in keeping pace with its global counterparts. India, China, and the U.S. are leading the way in both availability and performance, while Europe struggles with inconsistent rollout progress and lower investment levels.
To maintain competitiveness, Ookla reports that European operators urgently need to refine strategies, invest in the 5G core, and actively explore new monetization opportunities.