12 Global Operators Deploy 5G-Advanced Independent Networking as Key Element

According to Dave Bolan, Research Director of Dell’Oro Group, on-demand dynamic network slicing has become a “major new service” launched by the first operators in China and globally to deploy 5G Advanced. Bolan stated that among the 72 mobile operators that have completed independent 5G deployment, 12 have officially launched 5G Advanced services. He emphasized in the statement: “We have confirmed that 12 mobile operators have achieved commercial deployment of 5G Advanced networks (not all in this quarter), taking 5G to a new level through new features and performance.”

These operators include China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, as well as Asian operators such as Macau Telecom, Hong Kong HKT, Singapore Singtel, Malaysia YTL, and Australia Telstra. Du and e&from the United Arab Emirates, as well as Zain from Kuwait, have also deployed the latest 5G standards. T-Mobile in the United States is leading in the deployment of 5G independent networks and is currently continuing to promote 5G Advanced services. In July, it launched a service to improve 5G video jitter and achieved local traffic diversion between public and private networks in October.

Independent networking becomes the cornerstone of evolution

The willingness to deploy 5G Advanced is driving more operators to build independent 5G networks. Due to the fact that many operators still use 4G core networks to control 5G wireless access networks, they will not be able to move towards 5G Advanced and ultimately 6G without upgrading to 5G independent networking first. Operators from NTT DoCoMo to Verizon have planned to use 5G independent networking cores as the foundation of 6G core networks, and have experienced significant difficulties and costs brought about by 5G independent networking upgrades.

Dell’Oro’s Bolan told Fierce, “The latest version of the 5G core network will support more features as 6G evolves, mainly for bandwidth intensive applications implemented in 6G wireless access networks. ”This analyst pointed out that the mobile core network market outside of China will grow by 14% in the third quarter of 2025, while the decline in the Chinese market during the same period is mainly due to the “exceptionally high growth” experienced in the same period last year. Bolan added that the trend towards independent networking is expected to continue in 2026, with major equipment suppliers in this field including Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, and ZTE.

Global deployment continues to advance

At present, operators promoting 5G Advanced commercial use are spread across multiple continents. In addition to the three major telecom operators in China, operators in Asia such as Macau Telecom, Hong Kong HKT, Singapore Singtel, Malaysia YTL, and Australia Telstra are also actively expanding their presence. UAE’s Du and E&, as well as Kuwait’s Zain, have also joined the latest 5G standard deployment in the Middle East region. T-Mobile in the United States maintains a leading advantage in the field of independent networking. Its two 5G Advanced services launched this year are aimed at optimizing video experience and upgrading network architecture, demonstrating the practical application direction of technology implementation.

With the gradual maturity of 5G Advanced technology, innovative features such as dynamic network slicing are creating new sources of service revenue for operators, while laying a solid foundation for the future evolution towards 6G. The continuous investment of the global mobile communication industry chain in the field of independent networking indicates that the development of the next generation of mobile communication technology has entered an accelerated track.