Global 5G infrastructure Market 2025 – 2034

Reports Description

As per the 5G Infrastructure Market analysis conducted by the CMI Team, the global 5G infrastructure market is expected to record a CAGR of 41.7% from 2025 to 2034. In 2025, the market size is projected to reach a valuation of USD 43.50 Billion. By 2034, the valuation is anticipated to reach USD 675.9 Billion.

5G infrastructure Market Overview

5G infrastructure is the physical and virtual networks that facilitate the deployment and operation of fifth-generation mobile networks. It encompasses the most important elements such as base stations, small cells, antennas, fiber optic cables, and network core systems to provide ultra-high-speed data speeds, low latency, and massive connectivity of devices.

Compared to previous generations, 5G is developed heavily based on technologies like massive MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output), millimeter wave spectrum, and network slicing to accommodate the growing needs of data-intensive applications, IoT, and real-time communication. The design also features edge computing to bring processing capabilities nearer to the end user to enable quick data analysis and response.

Global uptake of 5G infrastructure is picking up speed, driven by major investments from governments, telecommunication operators, and technology companies. China, the United States, South Korea, and members of the European Union are leading large-scale rollouts, driven by smart city demand, autonomous vehicles, and digital industrial ecosystems.

Players like Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia Networks, and Samsung are leading the way with turnkey solutions and innovation in both hardware and software. With growing demand for high-performance, agile connectivity, 5G infrastructure is set to become the digital economy’s backbone, powering everything from healthcare and education to manufacturing and entertainment.

5G infrastructure market Key Growth Drivers

The 5G infrastructure market Trends has tremendous growth opportunities due to several reasons:

• Exploding Mobile Data Demand: The sheer increase in mobile data usage, driven by applications such as video streaming, online gaming, and working remotely, necessitates the deployment of next-generation 5G networks. With increased data speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity, 5G networks are required to handle this sky-rocketing demand. For example, in March 2025, Nokia’s new MBiT report reveals three times year-over-year growth in 5G data traffic in India during 2024, fueled by fast network growth, increased adoption of affordable 5G smartphones, and healthy growth in Category B and C circles. 5G now accounts for 35.5% of mobile data traffic, having grown from 14.8% in 2023, and will surpass 4G by mid-2026. While 5G subscribers are projected to grow from 290 million in 2024 to 770 million by 2028, and fixed wireless access is gathering momentum, India is emerging as a global leader in data usage, with average monthly usage per 5G subscriber reaching 40 GB.

• IoT Device Expansion: The Internet of Things (IoT) is booming exponentially and is transforming industries by connecting many types of devices, from home appliances to advanced industrial machinery, to the internet. The expansion requires high-performance networks that can accommodate the massive number of IoT devices without compromising efficiency and reliability. 5G networks, with their ability to accommodate huge device bases, ultra-low latency, and energy efficiency, are poised to enable this IoT revolution. Through enabling faster communication and better network management, 5G simplifies the integration of IoT applications across industries such as healthcare, automotive, manufacturing, and smart cities and thus accelerate the digital transformation process across industries.

• Medical Innovations: 5G is transforming medicine through applications including remote surgery, telemedicine, and live patient monitoring. Its high-speed, low-latency, and assured connectivity are essential for these innovations to succeed, enhancing patient outcomes and care access. For instance, in February 2024, Huawei launched its Medical Technology Digitalization Solution at MWC Barcelona 2024 to drive healthcare digitalization with an emphasis on pathology and medical imaging innovation such as SmartCache for speeding up image retrieval and a tailor-made compression algorithm to reduce storage. The solution also facilitates smooth remote diagnosis via video-network synergy and has already improved hospital efficiency in countries like Ruijin Hospital and Shenzhen. Huawei also launched enhanced smart ward, campus, and multi-branch hospital management solutions based on cloud, network, edge, and device technologies. It has so far supported more than 5,000 medical institutions in 110+ countries and regions.

5G infrastructure Market Key Threats

The 5G infrastructure market has a number of primary threats that will influence its profitability and future development. Some of the threats are:

• Exorbitant Infrastructure Expenses: Installation of 5G infrastructure comes with huge capital expenses, such as spectrum procurement, network hardware, and site development. Such enormous expenses can act as a barrier to the mass adoption of 5G, particularly in emerging economies. For example, in July 2024, the Indian government’s plan to increase the basic customs duty on PCBAs on certain telecom equipment from 10% to 15% in the 2024-25 budget has met negative industry responses.Though COAI, representing big telcos, warns that it would raise the price of services and jeopardize 5G rollout, indigenous players and bodies like DIPA and VoICE embrace it as a boost to ‘Make in India’. COAI calls for zero duties until domestic manufacturing matures, while the industry also calls for abolition of the USOF cess and lowering the licence fee to lighten the financial load.

• Slow ROI for Operators: The investments in 5G infrastructure could prove to be expensive and may not yield quick returns, thus inducing fear about the return on investment (ROI) of telecom operators.It will be required to effectively monetize 5G services to fund such investment. For instance, in February 2025, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Parliament that the recent 10% hike in mobile tariffs is because telecoms have made massive 5G investments of around Rs 4.5 lakh crore.He also stated that 5G now provides coverage to 98% of districts and 82% of the population in merely 22 months of service. In spite of tariff hikes in July 2024 up to 25% by traditional telcos, India is the global bottom for voice and data tariff prices, and mobile tariffs have fallen by 94% since 2014 and 1GB data priced as low as Rs 9.70 in 2025 against Rs 270 in 2014.

5G infrastructure Market Opportunities

• Inter-Industry Collaboration: 5G flexibility provides support for inter-industry collaboration by establishing new innovative use cases and services. Inter-industry collaboration is likely to boost digital transformation and offer new sources of revenue. In February 2025, for instance, Ericsson and Telia have announced the NorthStar 5G innovation program that is likely to expedite 5G growth in Sweden’s industrial sector starting with transport and automotive. The program provides companies with advanced solutions like network slicing and precise positioning, together with secure and stable connectivity for trial of new digital solutions. Participating companies can set up private networks that are connected to Telia’s nationwide 5G network. AstaZero is the first to take part using NorthStar for research on autonomous vehicle applications. The project seeks to make Sweden more competitive in the global market by leading smart, sustainable industrial innovation with new innovative 5G technology.

• Smart Agriculture: Smart agriculture is ensured by 5G technology due to real-time data gathering and examination, actionable precision agriculture, and automation. This results in increased efficiency, reduced resources, and enhanced yield of crops. For example, Ericsson worked with the United States. National Science Foundation’s PAWR project and Iowa State University launched in September 2023 a 5G stand-alone network to enable rural ag research with ISU’s ARA wireless living lab.The network spans from Ames to local farms and supports precision agriculture applications such as PhenoBots for crop inspection, animal tracking, and automation through ultra-low latency, high-speed networking up to 3Gbps, and network slicing. The program is aimed at bridging academia and industry initiatives by collecting real-time data for the underserved communities and further assists U.S. objectives for the rural broadband expansion and smart farming.

5G infrastructure Market Category Wise Insights

By Communication Infrastructure

• Small Cell: Small cells are low-power radio transmission technology operating over short distances and are employed to increase network capacity and coverage, particularly in urban areas and indoors. They are an important component of 5G networks to provide high data rate and low-latency services. For example, in June 2023, Ericsson and Ooredoo Qatar renewed their five-year deal to increase 5G coverage everywhere in Qatar. The agreement involves the deployment of next-generation 5G RAN solutions, including millimeter wave technology, to enable faster speeds, greater capacity, and more mobile broadband. The deal also supports new 5G use cases, IoT growth, and network optimization through AI. Ericsson will provide indoor small cells, improved network management, and around-the-clock support to meet Qatar National Vision 2030.

• Macro Cell: Macro cells are traditional cellular base stations with several-kilometer-wide-area coverage. They form the backbone of mobile networks with wide coverage and high mobility users. For instance, in November 2024, Forrest Beach now has a Telstra macro tower, which significantly improves connectivity for tourists and residents. Backed by MPs Nick Dametto and Bob Katter, the project started in 2021 and was aided by $785,350 worth of federal funding. The new tower fills long-standing blackspots and brings reliable telecommunications to a retirement village of young families. MPs stress the need for similar upgrades across North Queensland.

• Radio Access Network (RAN): Radio Access Network (RAN) connects standalone devices to the rest of a network through radio links. Antennas and base stations consist of it to control radio communication with end devices. For instance, Ericsson entered into a multi-year, multi-billion USD deal with Bharti Airtel to supply 4G and 5G RAN products in India in December 2024. The deal is to introduce centralised and Open RAN-ready solutions, refarming live 4G radios, and boosting network speed, coverage, and reliability. The growth is based on a 25+ year collaboration, enabling Airtel’s 5G expansion and India’s broader digital expansion, while Ericsson utilizes its knowledge to drive 170 live 5G networks across more than 70 markets.

• Distributed Antenna System (DAS): Distributed Antenna System (DAS) is a system utilizing several low-power antennas placed strategically inside a building or zone in an effort to increase wireless capacity and coverage. All the antennas are linked to a central source, spreading the signal adequately to the whole area of coverage. DAS proves very effective in airports, stadiums, hospitals, and office spaces where traditional macro cell signals have a difficult time penetrating or providing quality service. DAS is blended with numerous technologies such as 4G and 5G, which enable carriers to provide quality service and user experience in challenging indoor or high-density conditions.

By Core Network Technology

• Software-Defined Networking (SDN): Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a network management method that allows dynamic, programmatically optimal network configuration to optimize network performance and monitoring. In 5G, SDN enables more efficient and flexible network operation. For instance, in March 2022, Vodafone selected Nokia as its single vendor for software-defined network management and control (SDN-M&C) for fixed networks. Trials on Nokia’s Altiplano platform are presently being conducted across Europe, and wider deployment awaits if the test is successful. The platform accommodates Vodafone’s network-as-a-platform (NaaP) strategy in that it streamlines, automates, and optimizes the broadband network in a single controller, open API, and third-party and legacy system support. This move is a step in the right direction for Vodafone’s network automation ambitions in Europe and Africa and facilitates collaborative innovation in open broadband and private LTE/5G solutions.

• Network Function Virtualization (NFV): Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is the virtualization of network services that are normally executed on special, proprietary hardware. NFV can provide 5G networks with greater scalability and flexibility. For instance, in June 2022, Service Function Chaining (SFC) was a networking technique that optimized and automated traffic forwarding through a programmable sequence of virtualized services like firewalls and load balancers. It relies on Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) for flexible, policy-driven routing. In 5G networks, SFC is critical for enabling network slicing so that customized, dynamic service chains can be tailored to various application performance and quality demands.

By Network Architecture

• Standalone (SA): Standalone 5G architecture is a network that is entirely separate from all existing 4G infrastructure and is controlled by a 5G core network. This one provides the entire set of 5G capabilities, from ultra-low latency to network slicing. As a case in point, in December 2023, Deutsche Telekom (DT) will expand its 5G standalone (5G SA) network to private consumers in Germany in 2024 as the fourth among Germany’s big four mobile carriers. Although already serviced by 5G SA business customers, such as in terms of its network slicing ability, the introduction will aim at extending these features to all clients. DT has deployed 10,000 5G SA antennas across the 3.6 GHz band on 800+ sites and has 96% population coverage with 5G, with a target of 99% by 2025. It is also deploying open RAN technology in collaboration with Fujitsu and Nokia. O2 and Vodafone competitors have already launched 5G SA, and 1&1 AG runs Europe’s first end-to-end virtualized 5G network. Globally, as of late 2023, only around 43 operators had rolled out 5G SA.

• Non-Standalone (NSA): Non-Standalone 5G architecture utilizes existing available 4G LTE infrastructure to introduce 5G services. Even though it supports quicker deployment, it does not offer the full benefits of 5G SA, i.e., ultra-low latency. For instance, in July 2024, Nokia and Bharti Airtel carried out India’s first 5G non-standalone (NSA) Cloud RAN trial, delivering speeds of over 1.2 Gbps with commercial devices on Airtel’s live network. The trial on 3.5 GHz and 2100 MHz radio spectrum used Nokia virtualized RAN software and L1 acceleration to deliver enhanced efficiency. It demonstrated Nokia’s anyRAN solution that brings together Cloud RAN and purpose-built RAN to offer adaptable, high-capacity networks. The accomplishment highlights Airtel’s vision of creation of scalable, agile, and automated 5G infrastructure in India to the next level.

5G Infrastructure Market Impact of Latest Tariff Policies

Tariff announcements in the recent past have significantly impacted the global 5G world infrastructure market. Government customs duty on printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) in telecommunication equipment in India has been raised from 10% to 15%, increasing the cost of network rollout for operators such as Vodafone Idea. The climb is efficient on about 20% of the bill of materials for deploying the network, slowing the growth pace of 5G. Increases in this kind of expenditure have the ability to make the telecommunication operators change their 5G deployment timelines and plans of investment.

To recover the massive investment in 5G infrastructure, telecommunications companies around the globe have increased tariffs. India’s private telcos, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, raised tariffs 10–27% in 2024. While these increases were intended to boost average revenue per user (ARPU) and fund further 5G rollouts, they also led to losing about 2.6 crore subscribers. This subscriber churn serves to highlight operators’ thin margins between recovering investment and retaining customer bases.

Despite these challenges, the tariff increases have boosted the telecom companies’ financials so that they are now able to invest in 5G infrastructure with the much-needed funds. These hikes are estimated by analysts to accrue extra operating profits of about ₹20,000 crore for the sector. This money boost is key to driving the pace of 5G launches and maintaining telecom operators’ viability in the long run in the competitive marketplace. However, the industry must navigate these developments carefully to balance profitability with consumer affordability and market competitiveness.

Report Scope

5G infrastructure Market Regional Perspective

The 5G infrastructure market can be divided across different regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. This is a cursory overview of each region:

• North America: North America, which covers the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has been a leader in 5G rollout, fueled by massive investment in infrastructure and an aggressive focus on technology innovation. High demand in the region for advanced telecom services and an existing high-tech ecosystem have spurred the adoption of 5G services. For example, in May 2025, T-Mobile established a world uplink speed record of 550 Mbps on its live 5G network over sub-6 GHz spectrum and 5G Advanced technology, namely the 3GPP Release 17 UL Tx Switching feature. Attained with the help of Nokia and MediaTek, the test utilized 100 MHz of TDD (n41) and 35 MHz of FDD (n25) spectrum. This milestone is important because uplink innovation specifically is harder to achieve but extremely important to high-demand applications like 4K uploads and VR. The milestone doubled T-Mobile’s previous uplink record and makes it a leader in innovating next-generation 5G experiences.

• Europe: Europe’s 5G deployment is characterized by collaboration among EU member states in cross-border 5G service development and spectrum alignment. Europe aims to achieve universal 5G coverage as well as ensure security and competitiveness in the global market. For instance, in May 2025, a group of a dozen of Europe’s biggest telecommunication operators, such as Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and TIM, warned that Europe will fall behind America and China in building 6G if more radio spectrum—i.e., the best 6GHz band—is not released to mobile networks. According to them, the band is required for high-capacity, wide-area networks and required for future 5G and the new-generation 6G services. While the U.S. and China have already decided how they would use it, Europe remains in suspense. The EU Radio Spectrum Policy Group will release a draft opinion in June 2025. Commercial 6G in the 2030 is on the way.

• Asia-Pacific: The Asia-Pacific region, including countries like China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Australia, is at the forefront of the world in deploying 5G. It has been driven by urbanization, increasing smartphone penetration, and encouraging government policies across the region. For example, in May of 2025, China is deploying 5 G-Advanced (5 G-A) networks in cities at a fast pace to boost mobile coverage and provide platforms for new industries like autonomous driving and the low-altitude economy. With the second-largest computer power of 2023 and ongoing 4G/5G network investments, China is investing in enhancing network quality and enabling next-generation applications such as drones and smart mobility. This positions it as a worldwide next-generation network deployment leader and digital economic development innovator.

• LAMEA: The LAMEA geography of Latin America, with the Middle East and Africa, is proving to be an opportunity as well as a challenge for 5G infrastructure expansion differently. While some countries are advancing in 5G deployment, others are challenged by regulatory issues and insufficient investments. For instance, in January 2025, MTN, China Telecom, and Huawei inaugurated Africa’s biggest 5G-enabled smart mine in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, another important step towards the continent’s digital and industrial revolution. The continent’s first 5G private network facilitates applications like autonomous trucks, vehicle monitoring, and personnel tracking to enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability at mines. Huawei provided the customized 5G solution, MTN provided infrastructure and integration, and China Telecom provided international digital experience. The project is a demonstration of smart mining in Africa and shows the extensive use of 5G in various industries such as oil, gas, ports, manufacturing, and education.

5G infrastructure Market Key Developments

In recent years, the 5G infrastructure market has experienced several crucial changes as the players in the market strive to grow their geographical footprint and improve their product line and profits by using synergies.

• In November 2022, Ericsson’s report, based on an Analysys Mason study of 15 emerging markets, shows that 5G deployment could bring major economic, consumer, and environmental benefits, with potential GDP growth of 0.3% to 0.46% by 2035, far outweighing investment costs. Mid-band 5G expansion is crucial, expected to deliver 80% of the gains, especially through smart industry and rural applications. Rural 5G could boost agricultural GDP by up to 1.8% and support sustainable farming. With deployment costs at $3–8 billion per country, the report emphasizes the need for strong policies and spectrum strategies to unlock 5G’s full potential.

• In March 2025, Qualcomm is driving global 5G infrastructure growth by enabling large-scale Open RAN deployments with leading operators such as Vodafone, NTT Docomo, and Reliance Jio across North America, Europe, and Asia. The company’s advanced 5G platforms deliver flexible, scalable, and energy-efficient network solutions, supporting the commercial readiness and adoption of Open RAN technology. By collaborating with a broad ecosystem of operators, vendors, and cloud providers, Qualcomm is accelerating the transition to virtualized and disaggregated 5G networks, paving the way for innovation in 5G Advanced and future 6G technologies.

• In March 2025, At MWC Barcelona 2025, ZTE and China Mobile unveiled cutting-edge AI-powered 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technologies, introducing the “Communication-Sensing-Computing-Intelligence” framework and Ambient IoT solutions. Their integrated 5G-A system combines connectivity, sensing, computing, and AI to turn networks into intelligent platforms capable of real-time decision-making and smart scheduling. Targeting industrial, consumer, and emerging markets, the innovations support applications like live streaming, VR, drone deliveries, and digitalized manufacturing. The Ambient IoT solution uses zero-power IoT tags and smart platforms for real-time asset tracking and efficient digital management. These developments highlight the potential of 5G-A combined with AI as a foundation for the future digital economy.

These important changes facilitated the companies to widen their portfolios, to bolster their competitiveness, and to exploit the possibilities for growth available in the 5G infrastructure market. This phenomenon is likely to persist since most companies are struggling to outperform their rivals in the market.

5G infrastructure Market Competitive Landscape

The 5G infrastructure market is highly competitive, with a large number of product providers globally. Some of the key players in the market include:

• Huawei
• Ericsson
• Nokia Networks
• Samsung
• Cisco Systems Inc.
• CommScope
• ZTE
• NEC
• Comba Telecom Systems
• Siklu Communication
• Mavenir
• Others

These firms apply a sequence of strategies to enter the market, including innovations, mergers and acquisitions, as well as collaboration.

The 5G infrastructure market is dominated by industry titans such as Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, and Samsung, offering industry-best solutions for quick, secure networks across industries. Industry titans offer low-latency and high-speed solutions that facilitate digital transformation of manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare. Ericsson and Nokia signed major deployment deals with India’s Bharti Airtel in the last few years, while Huawei was a 5G core network leader in 2024 based on its end-to-end product portfolio.

Apart from these players, cloud competitors like AWS, Microsoft Azure, Celona, and Federated Wireless are expanding the reach of private 5G. AWS introduced its Private 5G feature in 2023 with quick deployment using automated configuration. Federated Wireless has enabled common spectrum models such as CBRS in the United States, and such access to enterprise 5G is provided with ease. These features allow mid-level companies to establish networks at minimum cost and technological effort.

Local partnerships are also defining the market. Nokia, in 2025, collaborated with TIM Brasil to extend 5G reach to 15 Brazilian states. Jumia, an African e-commerce firm, is, in turn, collaborating with telecommunications operators to extend cheap 5G solutions to agriculture and education. This intersection of global leadership and local innovation is fast-tracking global deployment of 5G infrastructure.

The 5G infrastructure Market is segmented as follows:

By Communication Infrastructure

• Small Cell
• Macro Cell
• RAN
• DAS

By Core Network Technology

• Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
• Network Function Virtualization (NFV)

By Network Architecture

• Standalone
• Non-Standalone

Regional Coverage:

North America

• U.S.
• Canada
• Mexico
• Rest of North America

Europe

• Germany
• France
• U.K.
• Russia
• Italy
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

• China
• Japan
• India
• New Zealand
• Australia
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Rest of Asia Pacific

The Middle East & Africa

• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Egypt
• Kuwait
• South Africa
• Rest of the Middle East & Africa

Latin America

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Rest of Latin America