5G Standalone (SA) networks are built from the get-go with 5G in mind. Non-standalone 5G networks are built with a 4G LTE core and add 5G radio access capabilities on top of the existing 4G network. 5G networks are faster, have lower latency, and are more efficient and reliable than non-SA 5G networks. In the U.S., only two carriers currently have a 5G SA network and T-Mobile is one of them. You might be surprised to learn that the other U.S. carrier with an 5G SA network is DISH Network.
According to Dell’Oro Group, 61 network operators in 34 countries have been using 5G SA networks since 2020. The research director at Dell’Oro, Dave Bolan, says that besides the U.S., countries using 5G SA include China, India, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Spain, and the U.K. This information doesn’t include fixed wireless access networks or 5G private networks.
Bolan says that he expects a dozen more 5G SA networks to launch in 2025 including ones belonging to AT&T and Verizon. Another source, Ericsson’s November 2024 Mobility Report forecast that the number of 5G SA mobile subscriptions will reach 3.6 billion at the end of 2030 which would triple the 1.2 billion subscribers using 5G SA networks at the end of last year. By 2030, 60% of 5G subscriptions will be using 5G SA Networks according to Ericsson.
Some of you might be surprised to hear that Verizon and AT&T have yet to use a nationwide 5G SA network. That’s because last year, if you had asked either carrier if they use the dedicated 5G network, they would reply in the affirmative even though it was used only in a few states. Verizonfor example, said that it had launched its 5G SA network when asked last year even though it later told Fierce Wireless that the network was running in only three states at the time.
Dell’Oro’s Bolan says that there is no set definition for network operators to meet to declare that their 5G SA service is nationwide. He says, “But generally speaking, we add MNOs that have deployed 5G SA networks across a broad geographic portion of their network, addressing major population centers.” In other words, having your 5G SA network working in only three states doesn’t count as offering it nationwide.
“Most MNOs start with their major urban centers and then extend coverage to surrounding communities and eventually to rural communities. Coverage is usually focused on outdoor and, later on, indoor coverage while also addressing venues like transportation hubs and sports/entertainment venues. No 5G SA network has matched the coverage of their 4G networks, but obviously, the ones that started first are farther along.”-Dave Bolan, research director, Dell’Oro Group
It might come as no surprise that the first carrier to deploy a Standalone 5G network was T-Mobile which launched a 5G SA network on its 600MHz band in the U.S. That band happens to deliver the carrier’s nationwide 5G service. T-Mobile has since added 5G SA coverage for its 2.5GHz band. Still, Bolan says that no carrier yet has been able to match their 4G coverage with a 5G SA network.
