GSA report says 5G market enters more selective phase

GSA has published a new State of the Market report on the global 5G sector, tracking networks, spectrum, devices and services.

The study found that 392 operators have launched 5G networks worldwide, up 14% from March 2025. That represents 44% of all LTE and 5G networks, suggesting roll-outs are still expanding even as the market moves beyond its initial phase of launch activity.

It also points to a more selective phase for operators, with attention shifting to network quality, architecture and service models rather than simple coverage announcements. One sign of that is 5G Standalone: 95 operators have launched a service, up 42% since the first quarter of 2025.

Joe Barrett, president of the Global Mobile Suppliers Association, described the change in emphasis. "The global 5G market is entering a more selective and strategic phase of development. While the first years of 5G were defined by launch momentum and a race to switch on services, the State of the Market report shows an industry moving into a period shaped less by headline launches and more by network quality, architectural maturity and service differentiation.

"This shift is most clearly visible in 5G Standalone, which now underpins much of the industry's next wave of innovation, including 5G RedCap, network slicing and more advanced enterprise offers. As this edition of the GSA State of the Market report confirms, these trends point to a market no longer defined simply by how many 5G networks exist, but by what those networks are becoming. 5G in 2026 will be shaped by standalone adoption, ecosystem readiness and the ability of operators to translate technical capability into commercial value," Barrett said.

Spectrum Trends

Spectrum remains central to network expansion and upgrade plans. Over the past year, 11 5G spectrum auctions have been completed globally, with an average price of USD $663.4 million.

The figures underline the continuing financial weight of airwaves in mobile strategy, particularly as operators prepare not only for broader 5G deployment but also for later development paths that will inform 6G planning. They also suggest that while network launches remain important, access to spectrum is still the practical foundation for service growth.

Device Market

On the hardware side, GSA counted 4,256 announced 5G devices, up 24% from a year earlier. By comparison, total LTE devices stood at 29,024.

That gap shows the scale still enjoyed by the more established LTE ecosystem, but the pace of 5G device growth suggests the market is continuing to broaden across form factors and use cases. The report places less emphasis on raw volume alone and more on how the device base is diversifying as networks mature.

Advanced Services

The next stage of 5G development is also visible in 5G-Advanced. GSA found that 35 operators are investing in the technology, up 71% from last year, while 11 have already launched a service.

Although those numbers remain modest compared with broader 5G deployment, the rate of growth makes 5G-Advanced an early indicator of operator priorities. It suggests parts of the market are already preparing for a shift toward more specialised services and upgraded network functions.

Outside public mobile services, private networks continue to feature strongly in industrial and institutional settings. Manufacturing is the leading vertical, with 374 identified customer deployments, followed by education and academic research with 169.

These figures point to continued demand for dedicated mobile connectivity in sectors where control, coverage and specific operational requirements can outweigh the appeal of public network services. The data covers deployments or pilots based on LTE, 5G or GSM-R.

Satellite And FWA

Satellite-enabled mobile connectivity is also moving forward, according to the report. It found that 97 operators are investing in satellite-to-cellphone connectivity and that eight available chipsets are compatible with the technology.

The combination of operator investment and chipset support suggests the market is moving beyond trial activity into an early commercial stage. It remains a small segment of the wider mobile sector, but it is one of the clearest examples of operators testing ways to extend coverage and resilience.

Fixed Wireless Access remains one of the largest commercial 5G segments in the data set. GSA found that 394 operators have launched a 5G fixed wireless service, while another 29 are investing in the technology, an increase of 59% since June 2025.

The report is based on data compiled to the end of March 2026 and draws on GSA's GAMBoD databases, which track devices, public networks, private networks, chipsets, spectrum assignments, spectrum pricing and operator technology profiles. The figures suggest that while 5G expansion continues, the market's direction is increasingly defined by Standalone adoption, industrial use cases, new service layers and access to spectrum rather than by launch counts alone.