5G Next: optimising energy in the age of network complexity via integrated dashboards

Sustained cost pressures and commitments to net zero have made energy efficiency a strategic priority for telecoms operators; sustainability registered as a top network transformation priority for operators around the world in 2024. Partnering with a global set of mobile operators, GSMA Intelligence leveraged its independent position and analytical capabilities to launch its Energy Efficiency Analysis and Benchmarking project in 2020. The benchmark is based on fully anonymised, real-world data inputs, with a goal of quantifying network energy consumption, efficiency levels and fuel sources. With each successive year, operator participation in the benchmarking project has grown. The result is a unique, increasingly salient, network-level global data set on energy efficiency, alongside insights into sustainability trends, technologies and best practices.

This report analyses the state of 5G, seven years after its commercial launch, using GSMA Intelligence’s 5G Connectivity Index to benchmark 46 markets across 5G infrastructure and services. It shows broad convergence across the foundation components (coverage, affordability, adoption), but reveals a widening gap on advanced capabilities, including 5G standalone (SA), 5G‑Advanced, uplink performance, fixed wireless access (FWA), IoT and RedCap.

For the last three years, GSMA Intelligence has run a benchmarking study to analyse progress on the ESG Metrics for Mobile. With 23 mobile operators participating in the latest assessment, the report highlights industry-wide progress and offers data-driven insights into the evolving landscape of ESG reporting in the mobile sector. The 2025 study highlights improvements in reporting and performance across several areas, including GHG emissions and energy consumption. But there remains work to be done elsewhere as gaps persists in metrics related to circularity, digital skills and supply chain assessments.