A three-way showdown in 2023: 5G standalone, 5G-Advanced and 6G

Access this insight with a Standard plan. Contact our sales team to get started.
Or
6G marketing and promotion efforts were on the rise in 2022, but this comes against a backdrop of 5G scaling past 1 billion connections in the near term and 5G-Advanced’s arrival in the medium term. On its face, this is a straightforward narrative: today’s 5G will pave the way for 5G-Advanced in the coming years, giving way to 6G in 2030 and beyond. But this means that operators will be managing multiple existing technology generations while planning for and rolling out future ones.
It is well understood that running multiple network generations is a burden on operators. Add to that a future focus on diverse technology evolutions and the problem could be exponentially worse, even if some are still years away. While this might have been a theoretical concern in the past, it’s likely to come to the fore in 2023 as 5G standalone (SA), 5G-Advanced and 6G all clamour for attention.
Report details
A three-way showdown in 2023: 5G standalone, 5G-Advanced and 6G
More info
This report is one of more than 140 published annually as part of the GSMA Intelligence data and research subscription, which is designed for organisations that require regular access to our insights. Contact our sales team for details.
Contact usReport details
A three-way showdown in 2023: 5G standalone, 5G-Advanced and 6G
More info
This report is one of more than 140 published annually as part of the GSMA Intelligence data and research subscription, which is designed for organisations that require regular access to our insights. Contact our sales team for details.
Contact usRelated research
Mobile investment needs in Europe
Many European markets are lagging behind in terms of network quality and the deployment of advanced mobile networks. To quantify the investment required for Europe to meet its 5G goals and regain its global leadership in mobile connectivity, GSMA Intelligence conducted a detailed economic modelling exercise.
Assessing operator scale in the mobile data era in Latin America
Latin America’s mobile markets are transitioning deeper into the data era, where rising data demand, high investment requirements and declining mobile prices have made operator scale increasingly important. This report examines how market structure, consolidation and entry have affected investment, network quality and consumer outcomes across Latin America since 2010.
Mobile Data Deck, Q1 2026
The GSMA Intelligence Mobile Data Deck offers a fast track to all the essential data you need to know, with key mobile metrics in one easy-to-use deck of charts. The forecasts to 2030 include connections by region and technology generation, smartphone connections and adoption, and mobile operator revenue.
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.
