DIGITAL LIFE

The next evolution of 5G is beginning to gain ground and investment

Telecommunications operators are increasingly directing their investments towards the next evolution of mobile technology, 5G Advanced or 5.5G. The latest report from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) states that operator investments are progressively shifting towards the technology, which must be based on pure 5G networks and version 18 of the 3GPP standards.

For now, progress is still slow, in an ecosystem that is still in its infancy, but the association believes that the launch of more devices compatible with the 5G-Advanced and 3GPP Release 18 standards scheduled for this year will bring more momentum to the evolution.

“Operators are investing in technology and some have already launched it, and greater adoption in chipsets, modems and devices will encourage investment in 5G-Advanced and 5G standalone technology, which is a prerequisite,” argues the report.

The GSA has identified 26 operators in 15 countries that are investing in this technology, with Asia leading the way in this field. Countries such as India, Uzbekistan and Taiwan are already investing, while China and Macau have already launched. In North and Latin America, activity in this area is residual, in Africa it does not exist and in Europe it is progressing slowly. The GSA highlights investments in Turkey and Finland.

In terms of hardware, only one chipset fully compatible with release 18 of the 3GPP standard (in terms of hardware and software) has been launched, as well as five modems and 75 devices with compatible hardware.

Since the last update from the GSA in April 2025, the association has identified 163 operators in 65 countries investing in standalone 5G networks and 73 operators in 40 countries that have launched, or are launching, standalone 5G networks and that have the next step in their network development strategies to advance to 5G Advanced. As we have already mentioned, 5.5G can only be developed on pure 5G networks, which are not an evolution of the previous technology (4G). The association is also monitoring 101 pilot projects with private standalone 5G networks.

5G Advanced opens the door to the potential of emerging technologies in network management such as artificial intelligence, namely machine learning, which will help automate various tasks. It allows optimizations in terms of MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) antennas and network energy efficiency. For example, the technology supports a sleep mode that allows some components to be temporarily turned off when demand is low. It has improved signal quality, less interference and allows for more detailed and optimized management of the available bandwidth, compared to previous versions.

Consumers will benefit from faster broadband services and technology with improved capacity to maintain service levels in dense environments, such as stadiums or festivals. It will also become easier to access mobile services in remote areas, because 5G Advanced supports satellite communications and high-altitude platforms.

In the business domain, 5G Advanced is better equipped than previous versions to support innovative services such as IoT or autonomous driving. It gains a wider coverage spectrum (which now includes frequency bands below 5 MHz) and better location accuracy. The latter, as explained by the GSA, is a “vital capability for applications such as autonomous vehicles, drone operations, asset tracking in logistics and augmented reality navigation”.

Another report presented by the association at the end of May reveals that 633 operators in 188 countries were operating 5G networks or preparing to do so. It also shows, however, that LTE (4G) continues to be the dominant technology, with 6.6 billion subscribers worldwide.

mundophone