5G standalone core: enabling edge deployments and unleashing massive IoT at scale

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 more than 500 enterprises from 10 vertical sectors across the US and Canada to gain insight into their digital transformation. The research focused on strategic objectives, investment plans, use of technology, deployment challenges, supplier decisions, tech sovereignty, and policy and regulation.

This edition of the Industry Checkpoint series focuses on IoT, highlighting how the market has changed in the last six months and its implications. The report considers four developments: IoT connectivity providers advancing commercial deployment of NTN services; IoT semiconductor vendors expanding device ecosystem support for NTN-IoT solutions, Qualcomm accelerating edge AI launches targeting industrial IoT; and eSIM SGP.32 momentum building across regional telco alliances and ecosystem initiatives.

This quarterly review of global 5G developments provides a concise, tracker-style deliverable, presenting key metrics and forecasts in an easy-to-access and engaging way. GSMA Intelligence has aggregated the latest data on 5G connections, adoption and coverage, as well as information on network trials/launches and spectrum assignments.