5G Infrastructure Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2025 - 2030)

Global 5G Infrastructure Market Trends and Insights

Increasing Machine-to-Machine and IoT Device Density

Standalone 5G allows each cell site to handle as many as 50,000 connected devices, a prerequisite for Industry 4.0 production lines and massive sensor grids. Hyundai Motor’s RedCap-enabled factory network proved that reduced-capability devices can lower power budgets without losing coverage. Edge computing is moving compute resources closer to machines, keeping latency within millisecond windows that robotics and predictive-maintenance schemes require. Private-network proofs in automotive, healthcare, and heavy industry validate the revenue upside that comes from device-dense environments rather than consumer handsets. This driver underpins sustained spending on small cells and edge data centers over the forecast window.

Surge in Mobile Data Consumption

Monthly mobile traffic continues to set new highs as cloud gaming, extended-reality video, and AI-enhanced streaming demand consistent multi-gigabit links. Three UK boosted backbone throughput to 9 Tbit/s after end-2024 peaks surpassed 2 Tbit/s. In China, regulators expect national traffic to quadruple by 2030, moving operators toward capacity architectures that remain efficient under day-long loads. Healthcare pilots, such as real-time tele-ultrasound demonstrations, underline the value of uplink capacity for mission-critical imagery. FWA uptake in India and the United States is also redirecting traffic from smartphones to CPE units, pushing carriers to redesign backhaul for home-first video habits.

Government Spectrum Auctions Accelerating Mid-Band Rollouts

The United States 3.1-3.45 GHz and C-band clearances balanced coverage with capacity, giving carriers optimal propagation while easing urban permit hurdles.^{[1]Federal Communications Commission, “National Spectrum Strategy,” fcc.gov} Malaysia’s single-network model reached 53.4% adoption only three years after launch, confirming how coordinated awards compress deployment timelines. Europe’s harmonised mid-band grid hands Germany 96% coverage but exposes laggards that fragmented their awards. Clear timelines let equipment makers optimise radio units per band, shrinking total-cost-of-ownership and unlocking rural business cases.

Telco Capex Pivot to Cloud-Native Open RAN Architectures

O2 Telefónica switched on the first commercial cloud RAN site inside a standalone network, proving virtualised radio can meet metro-grade KPIs.^{[2]Ericsson, “o2 Telefónica launches commercial Cloud RAN,” ericsson.com} Dell and Ericsson now co-engineer turnkey Open RAN stacks that target 90% of carriers, citing network transformation as survival-critical. AT&T earmarked USD 14 billion for software-defined upgrades that replace proprietary appliances with containerised functions. Operators still weigh integration risk, yet the ability to expose network APIs and slice resources by application gives cloud-native designs a clear monetisation path that counters pure connectivity margins.

High Upfront RAN Densification and Fiber Back-Haul Costs

Small-cell bills from USD 10,000 to USD 50,000 and macro-cell outlays that reach USD 200,000 per site make dense 5G footprints capital heavy, especially where mmWave is mandated. Fiber back-haul can add 30% to project budgets, and scarce digs in suburban corridors slow trenching schedules. Global telecom CAPEX dipped in 2023, the first drop since 2017, making CFOs cautious about accelerated rollouts. Network-sharing deals deliver up to 40% savings but reduce each partner’s ability to market premium differentiation. Spectrum licence fees above USD 1 billion per operator further compress balance sheet headroom.

Delayed Standardisation for Network-Slicing Monetisation

Without mature APIs and international billing formats, network slicing remains in proof-of-concept mode even though standalone cores are live.. T-Mobile US warns that net-neutrality rules could block differentiated QoS offers, clouding ROI for slice-based services. Enterprises hesitate to commit workloads until SLAs and test regimes are harmonised, causing a loop where volume uptake and standards progress each wait on the other. Some vertically integrated vendors exploit gaps by pitching proprietary end-to-end stacks, a trend that could undermine Open RAN goals of multi-supplier freedom. 

Segment Analysis

By Communication Infrastructure: Core Networks Drive Cloud Transformation

RAN equipment generated the largest slice of the 5G infrastructure market, delivering 37% revenue in 2024 as carriers rolled out dense macro and small-cell grids. That initial hardware wave will keep RAN important, yet core networks outpace other layers with a 32.36% CAGR because software-defined control decides future monetisation. The 5G infrastructure market size for core platforms is set to increase sharply as standalone rollouts mandate dual-mode packet cores that virtualise user plane and control plane functions. Vodafone Spain and Three UK highlight how cloud-native cores let operators expose APIs for edge, security and quality-on-demand products

In the second half of the decade, operators view the converged core as the engine for private-network slices, low-latency industrial services, and real-time analytics. RAN spend will taper as coverage milestones are met, whereas lifecycle refresh and feature add-ons keep core invoices growing. Transport and xHaul budgets also rise because distributed units must feed line-rate traffic into data-centre cores. Consequently, the 5G infrastructure market will witness supplier jockeying where optical and routing vendors position themselves as strategic rather than tactical partners.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Spectrum Band: mmWave Acceleration Despite Mid-Band Dominance

Mid-band commanded 46% of 5G infrastructure market share in 2024 because it blends propagation reach with multi-hundred-MHz bandwidth that supports massive MIMO arrays. Operators from Chicago to Berlin use 3.5 GHz radios to cover suburban rings without overspending on cells. mmWave, however, shows the fastest 33.58% CAGR by serving FWA households and event venues. This trajectory means the 5G infrastructure market size linked to mmWave radios, repeaters and advanced beamforming silicon will climb quickly, especially in the United States, Japan and South Korea.

Low-band below 1 GHz stays vital for wide-area IoT coverage but struggles with gigabit targets, keeping it a supplement, not a star. mmWave deployment faces line-of-sight and foliage loss, yet high-gain antennas and AI-aided beam steering are closing some gaps. Regulators that bundle mid-band and high-band blocks in the same licence round help carriers align the spectrum mix with differentiated service tiers.

By Network Architecture: Standalone Transition Accelerates

• Non-standalone rollouts kept cash burn limited and ensured quick 5G logos on consumer devices, which explains their 73% hold on the 2024 5G infrastructure market. Yet NSA cannot support deterministic latency or isolated slices, pushing carriers toward standalone. Standalone shipments register a 35.47% CAGR, and the share of the 5G infrastructure market tied to full 5G cores is expected to tip the balance after 2027. Markets such as Malaysia leapfrogged NSA entirely, while Europe lags with only 2% SA adoption.
• Standalone migration brings security assurance, URLLC performance and vertical-grade QoS. Transition complexity involves dual-stack ops and new charging systems, but recent cloud-native advances reduce changeover downtime. Suppliers that bundle orchestration, analytics and edge compute score higher in RFPs because they accelerate monetisation.

By Core Network Technology: Software-Defined Networking Leads Innovation

Network Function Virtualisation still holds 41% share because it was the first step toward hardware-light operations. Yet Software-Defined Networking climbs at 31.23% CAGR, lifting its contribution to the 5G infrastructure market as operators seek granular programmability. SDN controllers decouple policy and forwarding, enabling automatic traffic moves that preserve SLA while cutting manual interventions. The 5G infrastructure market size for SDN-enabled gear will benefit from AT&T’s USD 14 billion programmable upgrade and from nationwide deployments in Europe and Asia that follow similar blueprints.

Edge computing and network slicing need NFV foundations, but SDN overlays unlock real-time topology changes when loads spike. Nokia’s converged core for Bharti Airtel adds generative-AI orchestration that predicts congestion and pre-allocates resources. Over 2026-2030, buyers will grade vendors on API maturity and multi-cloud alignment rather than on single-box throughput. 

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By End-User Vertical: Industrial Manufacturing Drives Enterprise Adoption

Consumer electronics applied early pressure on operators, giving the segment 28% revenue in 2024. Industrial manufacturing, however, posts the strongest 30.33% CAGR because private 5G links elevate robotics, computer-vision checks, and AGV navigation. Cummins’ neutral-host plus private-network build boosted factory efficiency and sets a benchmark many discrete manufacturers plan to copy.^{[3]Verizon, “Cummins selects Verizon Neutral Host Network,” verizon.com}Healthcare pilots such as long-distance robot-assisted gastrectomy validate ultra-reliable low-latency links in critical settings, promising bigger budgets after 2026.

Automotive programs add telematics, over-the-air firmware, and collision-avoidance functions that depend on nationwide 5G. Utilities apply cellular to smart meters and substation automation. Defence departments request standalone slices with hardened encryption, creating specialised opportunities. As verticals mature, integrators that combine spectrum leasing, device certification, and analytics will capture a larger slice of the 5G infrastructure market.

Geography Analysis

Asia Pacific held 24% of 5G infrastructure market share in 2024, driven by China’s 4.4 million base stations and India’s race to connect 30 million FWA subscribers by 2027. The region will expand at a 32.27% CAGR as South Korea sustains 97% population coverage and Japan adds suburban densification. Rural programmes in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines will lean on shared-tower models, while Australia advances with hybrid satellite-5G back-ups for remote mining operations.

North America shows coverage maturity above 80% of people yet reinvigorated spending in 2025 after a 2023 dip. Ericsson logged 54% year-over-year regional growth in Q4 2024, signalling that standalone cores, edge zones, and large enterprise deals are moving budgets again. US carriers bundle FWA with fibre to capture underserved suburbs, and Canada allocates fresh mid-band spectrum to accelerate indigenous-community connectivity.

Europe trails on standalone penetration but targets a EUR 164 billion economic boost by 2030 from harmonised regulation. Germany’s 96% coverage illustrates what cohesive awards achieve, whereas the United Kingdom must rebuild performance after vendor bans slowed equipment swaps. Latin America steps into commercial phase with 29 operators live; regional connections should reach 425 million by 2030 as spectrum fees fall and cloud players finance neutral-host towers.