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New research shows that the Asia-Pacific region is expected to lead the next wave of mobile technology.
The Global Mobile Suppliers Association predicts that Asia Pacific will lead the global deployment of 6G mobile networks over the next decade as telecom operators in the region continue to innovate and surpass some of their more conservative counterparts in other parts of the world.
However, 5G penetration remains high. GSA tracks more than 2,500 operators around the world. In a recent webinar, it was also pointed out that There will be a large number of 5G network launches in the short to medium term, and in the long term, more companies in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to achieve 5G commercial deployments.
Asia Pacific’s “innovative and aggressive” operators will become global 6G leaders
GSA research shows Global deployment of 6G It will be available by 2030, and some may be launched earlier in 2029. Ian Fogg, technology industry analyst at CCS Insight, said in the webinar that operators in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to lead the world in 6G network deployment.
“I think an interesting dynamic is that European operators are very cautious about the investment and monetary returns on new technologies,” he said. “In the Asia-Pacific region, we see more innovative, more aggressive operators. So it’s likely that we’ll see some early 6G rollouts in the Asia-Pacific region.”
look: Potential use cases for 6G
Fogg said that although the technology is still several years away from launch, he mentioned that the current global discussion on 6G spectrum is focused on the 7Ghz to 15Ghz range.
He believes that “around 7Ghz will become the focus of the 6G era.”
The Asia-Pacific region is vigorously promoting 5G technology
quantity 5G Network According to GSA data, the size of the 5G market in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. This trend reflects the accelerated adoption and investment in 5G by mobile network operators around the world. GSA pointed out that the size of the 5G market has increased significantly since the end of 2020.

GSA data on 5G in Asia Pacific also shows:
- 92 operators in 27 countries are investing in 5G mobile or fixed wireless access networks, covering most countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific region.
- Currently, 47 operators in 17 countries have launched the technology.
- Currently, seven operators in seven countries are deploying 5G technology, which means that the number of 5G deployments will increase in the short to medium term.
- Thirteen operators in eight countries are in the planning stage for 5G deployment.
- The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 14% of operators investing in and launching 5G networks worldwide.
look: Difference between 5G and 6G
With ongoing and planned 5G deployments by operators, “this could potentially bring commercial 5G networks to much of the Asia-Pacific region in the long term,” GSA researcher Jordan Cox said during a GSA webinar.
Standalone 5G “hotspots” announced in Asia Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region accounted for a “particularly strong” 27% of global 5G standalone network investment.
5G standalone is considered the “next step” in 5G technology because it does not rely on a core network and offers potential benefits such as increased reliability, lower latency, improved coverage, stronger indoor signals and more advanced security software.
However, its adoption has been slow, which the GSA believes may be due to its relatively slow upload and download speeds compared to non-standalone 5G.
According to GSA, in the Asia Pacific region:
- Forty operators in 14 countries are investing in 5G standalone networks, and 22 operators in nine countries have already launched the technology; these include China’s three major operators – China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, as well as Globe Telecom in the Philippines and Telstra in Australia.
- Ten operators in eight countries are currently testing the technology, including Cellcard in Cambodia and Spark in New Zealand.
Asia Pacific operators are discussing 5G-Advanced networks
Some operators in the region are already talking about the launch of 5G-Advanced or 5.5G, including the timing and packages they might offer, especially those in China. Operators with 5G standalone networks are expected to roll out 5G-Advanced offerings quickly.
“The flagship smartphones that are currently on the market are using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (mobile platform), which is a Qualcomm chipset for smartphones that was introduced late last year, so the hardware for these products supports 5G-Advanced,” Fogg noted. “So once the carriers start using 5G-Advanced, we should see a fairly rapid increase in flagship smartphone purchases in the near term.”
Other trends in communications networks in Asia Pacific
LTE deployments are tapering off in the Asia Pacific telecom market as 5G developments, private network expansion and low levels of 5G RedCap and mmWave activity continue.
LTE declines, 5G rises
According to GSA data, only 6 operators in Asia Pacific are deploying LTE networks (usually associated with 4G), while 12 operators have plans to launch LTE networks. A total of 116 operators in Asia Pacific have launched LTE technology, and 2015 was the peak year for LTE worldwide.
“This suggests that Asia Pacific, like other regions such as North America, Western Europe and even Latin America, has already peaked in terms of LTE and is now transitioning to 5G,” Cox said.
GSA said there are multiple market drivers supporting this trend, including the increase in the number of consumer 5G devices and users, and the reduction in operators’ 5G network operating costs and improvement in efficiency.
Deployment of dedicated networks led by the manufacturing industry
Asia Pacific accounts for 22% of global enterprise private networks. GSA’s database contains 314 unique customer references in the region, primarily in Australia, China and Japan. South Korea, India and Thailand have fewer private networks.
The main industries of private networks are:
- Manufacturing, thanks to large manufacturing sectors in China, Japan, and India.
- Mining, because Australia has a large mining industry.
- Equipment testing and laboratory services.
RedCap tracks low levels of 5G activity in Asia Pacific
Only five operators in the Asia-Pacific region have invested in 5G RedCap, the latest addition to the 5G standard. They include:
- Launched twice in China.
- There are currently two RedCap networks in testing phase in Thailand and Singapore.
- Telkomsel plans to launch RedCap in Indonesia.
Early use cases include using RedCap consumer devices to enable operators to more cost-effectively access 5G spectrum as they transition from LTE networks. GSA expects that other features of 5G RedCap will come into play once 5G-Advanced is launched.
Expect more network shutdowns as 5G grows
The GSA concluded by saying that “significant progress” had been made in phasing out legacy 2G and 3G networks in favor of newer, more efficient LTE and 5G networks. As of July 2024, 24 operators in 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region have completed shutdown activities, including 2degrees in New Zealand and KDDI in Japan.
“As more consumers in Asia Pacific abandon legacy devices and operators continue to upgrade their networks, we expect to see increased switch-off activity in the region over the next two to five years,” Cox said.
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