Joint research by Omdia and Ookla found a big gap between launching SA, optimising and commercialising it: raw speed does not beat quality of experience. So far, the 5G revenue story is all about selective execution rather than a wide-scale breakthrough.

On the consumer front, as of December 2025, in 11 of the 14 European markets with available data, less than 40% of mobile subscribers used 5G in 2024 – this slow take-up is in sharp contrast to the enthusiasm with which Europeans adopted 4G a decade or so ago.

In terms of deployment, take-up and commercialisation, what is holding up progress and does it matter? Can telecoms become the new intelligence grid through AI embedded in the RAN (AI-RAN)? How will the 5G landscape change by 2030 as AI introduces new opportunities?