Ookla and Omdia Joint Report: Global 5G SA Network Deployment Progress Varies

As global telecom operators accelerate next-generation infrastructure strategies, the race toward 5G Standalone (SA) commercialization is entering a new and decisive phase. According to the latest joint study by Ookla and Omdia, titled “5G SA vs. 5G Advanced: A Global Reality Test in 2026,” worldwide deployment continues to expand—but stark regional disparities remain in both adoption and performance.

Global 5G SA Availability Reaches 17.6%, But Regional Gaps Persist

The report reveals that global 5G SA availability—measured via data from Speedtest—rose to 17.6% in Q4 2025, compared to 16.2% one year earlier. Median global 5G SA download speeds reached 269.51 Mbps, approximately 52% faster than non-standalone (NSA) networks.

However, these averages mask considerable regional differences.

Europe’s 5G SA sample share more than doubled year-on-year, increasing from 1.1% to 2.8%, driven by accelerated rollouts in Austria (8.7%), Spain (8.3%), the UK (7.0%), and France (5.9%). Despite this progress, Europe still trails North America by 27 percentage points and emerging Asia by 30 points. Moreover, Europe’s median SA download speed stands at 205 Mbps—the lowest among major developed markets.

North America Accelerates, Asia Dominates, GCC Leads in Performance

North America has demonstrated strong momentum, with 5G SA share surging from 8.2% in Q1 2023 to 29.9% in Q4 2025. Meanwhile, Asia continues to dominate overall 5G availability. China alone reports an 80.9% 5G SA sample share and more than 10 million 5G Advanced users, underscoring its leadership in ecosystem readiness.

In terms of raw performance, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region has emerged as a global frontrunner. Median 5G SA download speeds reached an impressive 1.13 Gbps—the highest worldwide—highlighting the benefits of spectrum strategy alignment and aggressive infrastructure investment.

From Coverage Gap to Capability Gap

By the end of 2025, the global 5G narrative shifted. While the “coverage gap” among major economies has narrowed, a deeper “capability gap” has widened. This divergence reflects varying national readiness levels in cloud-native core deployment, ecosystem maturity, and monetization of advanced 5G services.

Ookla analyst Luke Kehoe emphasized that SA success extends beyond enabling a standalone core. True performance gains require comprehensive end-to-end network optimization. Device fragmentation and limited SA-compatible terminals in some markets have also slowed real-world usage.

Roberto Kompany, Principal Analyst at Omdia, noted that many smaller operators face significant challenges transitioning to cloud-native 5G cores. Budget constraints (55% of surveyed operators) and complex multi-cloud integration (52%) remain primary barriers. Multi-vendor interoperability issues further complicate deployment strategies.

Spectrum strategy is equally critical. Operators must combine C-band with low-band frequencies for effective carrier aggregation, ensuring both capacity and nationwide coverage.

Policy, Investment Incentives, and Regulatory Reform

Regulatory frameworks also play a decisive role. Financial Times recently reported comments from Orange CEO Christel Heydemann criticizing Europe’s limited investment incentives and restrictive competition policies.

Countries with clear SA coverage mandates (Brazil), investment incentives (Japan, Spain), or infrastructure consolidation approvals—such as the UK’s Vodafone-Three merger—demonstrate significantly higher SA adoption and performance levels compared to markets with fragmented policy approaches.

Enabling the Next Phase of 5G Infrastructure

For technology solution providers, this evolving landscape presents both challenges and opportunities. At Lanao Communication Technology Limited, we recognize that advanced 5G SA ecosystems depend heavily on high-performance optical transmission, data center interconnect (DCI), and industrial Ethernet infrastructure. Our certified, carrier-grade networking solutions are engineered to support scalable, energy-efficient, and cloud-ready 5G architectures worldwide.

As the industry transitions from coverage expansion to capability optimization, strategic investment in optical backbone networks, edge computing, and cloud-native transport infrastructure will define the leaders of the 5G Advanced era.

By Lanbras

Lanbras specializes in translating cutting-edge optical and Ethernet transmission technologies into clear, valuable insights that help our customers stay ahead in a fast-evolving digital world.

By turning complex technical concepts into practical, business-driven content, we aim to empower decision-makers with the knowledge they need to make confident, future-ready choices.