- Early 6G deployments & growing 5G traffic set to reshape connectivity through 2031
- 5G Standalone adoption surges with over 90 CSPs now live, driving commercial network slicing
5G Standalone (5G SA) deployments have triggered notable growth in 2025 in the number of communications service providers (CSPs) offering differentiated connectivity commercial models based on 5G SA Network Slicing – where CSPs guarantee quality of service for customer use cases through the allocation of slices of the network. The November 2025 Ericsson Mobility Report (EMR) indicates that this statistic forms part of in-depth reporting, analysis, and forecasting.
More than 90 CSPs have now launched or soft-launched 5G SA networks – an increase of about 30 CSPs from the same period last year and 20 from the June 2025 EMR report. The report highlights that EMR researchers identified 118 cases – across 56 CSPs – where network slicing is used to provide differentiated connectivity services.
Of the 118 cases, 65 have moved beyond proof of concept and into commercial services across 33 CSPs. These are either subscription services or add-on packages for consumer or enterprise customers. Twenty-one of the 65 commercial offerings – almost one third – were launched during 2025 alone. According to the report, these figures demonstrate the growing momentum of 5G SA commercialisation.
“We see that service providers around the world are keen to embrace and deploy 5G SA to offer differentiated connectivity based on value services and not just data volume packages,” EMR publisher and Ericsson CTO, Erik Ekudden, said. “As reflected in the report’s case studies, 5G SA is already enabling differentiated connectivity opportunities. We’ve seen many service providers go from proof-of-concept to commercial deployment in 2025 alone, and we expect to see that trend continuing,” he added.
The November 2025 EMR covers a new forecast timeframe, from 2025 through the end of 2031, and also includes the first expected deployments of commercial 6G. The report notes that, based on previous mobile generation cycles’ subscription uptake, EMR researchers expect the first commercial launches to be driven by leading service providers in front-runner markets such as the U.S., Japan, South Korea, China, India, and some Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Global 6G subscriptions are forecast to reach 180 million by the end of 2031, not including the early uptake of AI-enabled Internet of Things devices. The report highlights that this number could increase significantly if 6G launches earlier than previous cycles indicate. Commercial 6G is expected to launch about a year later in Europe compared to other countries, primarily due to comparatively later deployments of 5G SA.
As an ongoing major 5G use case, enhanced mobile broadband is forecast to reach 6.4 billion 5G subscriptions by the end of 2031, comprising about two-thirds of all mobile subscriptions at the time. Some 4.1 billion of these subscriptions – about 65 percent – are forecast to be 5G SA. The report highlights that in 2025 alone, 5G subscriptions are expected to top 2.9 billion – equating to about one third of all current mobile subscriptions – an increase of some 600 million year-on-year.
In geographical coverage terms, 2025 saw an increase of 400 million people worldwide being able to access 5G. About 50 percent of the global population beyond mainland China is expected to have 5G coverage by the end of 2025. According to the EMR, mobile network data traffic grew 20 percent between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025, slightly higher than expected, driven by mainland China and India. Continued growth is forecast at an annual average of 16 percent through 2031.
Meanwhile, 5G networks are expected to manage 43 percent of all mobile data by the close of 2025 – up from 34 percent for the corresponding period last year – with EMR experts forecasting this to increase to 83 percent by 2031.
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband continues to grow as a 5G use case. The report forecasts that about 1.4 billion people globally will access FWA broadband by the end of 2031 – 90 percent via 5G. Additionally, EMR researchers have identified 159 providers currently offering FWA services via 5G, roughly 65 percent of all FWA providers. The number of providers offering speed-based tariffs – a common monetisation model for fixed broadband – increased from 43 percent to 54 percent since the November 2024 EMR.
The 36-page November 2025 EMR includes three co-written use-case articles:
- Singtel: 5G SA providing tailored experiences
- Softbank: modernising enterprise IT with 5G
- SailGP: enhancing operations and viewer experiences with 5G
Based on the report and unique Ericsson and partner network insights, the EMR has served as the key industry reference for network data, performance,
