2025 Capex outlook: financing the 5G era
Access this insight with a Standard plan. Contact our sales team to get started.
GSMA Intelligence has expanded its coverage of operator capex, with a complete set of country-level capex projections now available from 2000 to 2025, available via our platform. The extended dataset incorporates our assumptions on the investment required to support the rollout of 5G networks, as well as continued spending on 4G, which will remain the dominant access technology globally over the forecast horizon.
We forecast that between 2019 and 2025 inclusive, mobile operators across the world will spend $1.3 trillion on capex, with more than three quarters of that 5G-related. We predict a more stable capex trend relative to previous generations across the seven-year forecast period, as operators will try to maintain the capex-to-revenue ratio below a certain threshold. 5G investment timing remains critical for those in the mobile industry. Our insight into the capex profile of each country over the next seven years, backed up by rigorous analysis of spectrum awards and planned commercial 5G launches, provides valuable insight for all those with a stake in the 5G ecosystem.
Report details
2025 Capex outlook: financing the 5G era
Report details
2025 Capex outlook: financing the 5G era
Related research
Global Mobile Forecasts, Q2 2026 Review: capturing the changes, discussing the drivers
GSMA Intelligence constantly monitors mobile markets across the world to capture the most recent trends and share the latest available data. This analysis looks at the key revisions made to the mobile connection forecasts over the previous quarter and the drivers underpinning the changes.
ASEAN enterprise survey: navigating the digital transformation of industries and the B2B opportunity
B2B has emerged as a strategic growth area for operators and the wider tech/digital ecosystem. As the digital transformation of vertical sectors accelerates, gaining insights directly from enterprises is key. GSMA Intelligence surveyed enterprises from six countries and 10 vertical sectors across the ASEAN region to gain insight into their digital transformation. The research focused on strategic objectives, investment plans, use of technology, deployment challenges, supplier decisions, technology sovereignty, and policy and regulation.
Global enterprise survey: understanding the next phase of digital transformation and the real B2B opportunities
Enterprises will spend 10% of their revenues on digital transformation through to 2032, which brings new B2B opportunities for technology suppliers, including operators. This report analyses the key findings and implications from a GSMA Intelligence survey, which surveyed 6,342 enterprises across 50 countries and 10 vertical sectors worldwide to gain insight into their digital transformation.
Authors
How to access this report
Annual subscription: Subscribe to our research modules for comprehensive access to more than 200 reports per year.
Enquire about subscriptionContact our research team
Get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis.
Contact our research teamMedia
To cite our research, please see our citation policy in our Terms of Use, or contact our Media team for more information.
Learn more- 200 reports a year
- 50 million data points
- Over 350 metrics
How can we support you?
Get in touch
Contact the GSMA Intelligence support team for help with your account, subscriptions, or access to reports and insights.
Newsletter
Subscribe to the GSMA Intelligence newsletter for the latest industry news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
