The 5G era:

Age of boundless connectivity

and intelligent automation

Copyright © 2017 GSM Association

 THE 5G ERA

GSMA Intelligence

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Developed by the GSMA 5G Taskforce

Main authors
Emeka Obiodu, Strategy Director and Taskforce Lead
Mark Giles, Lead Analyst, GSMA Intelligence

Contributing authors
Javier Albares, Head of Corporate Strategy
Henry Calvert, Head of Programme, Network 2020
Calum Dewar, Director of Forecasting, GSMA Intelligence
David Hutton, Head of Networks
Vikram Raval, Senior Policy Director
Brett Tarnutzer, Head of Spectrum
Michele Zarri, Technical Director

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 THE 5G ERA

Contents

Foreword2

1 Executive summary 4
Headlines from the future 6

2 Visions and goals for the 5G era 8

5G will continue the success story of the mobile industry 10
The scale of the success of 5G will be determined by  12
its impact on society
All stakeholders should collaborate to realise the vision  13
of the 5G era

3 Ten insights for the 5G era 14

The GSMA's role in helping shape the 5G era 39

 THE 5G ERA

Foreword

 2
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5G: a network of opportunity

5G is more than just a generational step; it represents a fundamental
transformation of the role that mobile technology plays in society. As
demand for continuous connectivity grows, 5G is an opportunity to
create an agile, purpose-built network tailored to the different needs
of citizens and the economy.
It is an opportunity for operators to move beyond connectivity
and collaborate across sectors such as finance, transport, retail
and health to deliver new, rich services. It is an opportunity
for industry, society and individuals to advance their digital
ambitions, with 5G a catalyst for innovation.

5G will naturally evolve from existing 4G networks, but will mark

an inflection point in the future of communications, bringing
instantaneous high-powered connectivity to billions of devices.
It will be designed specifically for the way we want to live and
provide a platform on which new digital services and business
models can thrive. It will enable machines to communicate
without human intervention in an Internet of Things capable of
driving a near-endless array of services. It will facilitate safer,
more efficient and cost-effective transport networks. It will
offer improved access to medical treatment, reliably connecting
patients and doctors all over the globe. From low-power,
sensor-driven smart parking to holographic conference calls,
5G will enable richer, smarter and more convenient living and
working. It is a giant step forward in the global race to digitise
economies and societies.

Although 5G will engage a new generation of consumers attracted by innovative services and
seamless connectivity, new demands will be placed on finite spectrum resources. We will need
greater bandwidth to meet the speed and capacity requirements of an increasingly connected
society. Operators must be prepared to meet the challenges of a network designed for people
and machines, and governments and service providers must also be ready to meet the demands
that lie ahead. The success of 5G depends on the adoption of common global standards to
ensure that all parties can begin using 5G as a platform for innovation as quickly as possible and
at the lowest possible cost.

The GSMA is working closely with its members and players across the ecosystem to help define
the technologies, identify the spectrum bands and develop the business models and policy
initiatives that will bring 5G to life. Through industry collaboration, we can ensure that 5G is an
evolutionary change with a revolutionary impact.

Mats Granryd

Director General, GSMA

 3
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1
Executive summary

Executive summary 4
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The mobile industry is developing and preparing to All stakeholders are working to define what 5G should
deploy 5G. Thanks to technology advances in many be. Technically, the aspiration for 5G is to deliver
different fields, 5G networks will be at the centre of 1 Gbps speeds and <10 ms latency. However, more
an ecosystem that powers society’s continued digital fundamentally, the 5G era will be characterised as the
transformation. age of boundless connectivity for all and intelligent
automation, enriching people's lives and transforming
Over the past 30 years, the mobile industry has industrial processes. 5G networks will integrate with
demonstrated its ability to transform society through 4G and alternative network technologies to provide
2G, 3G and 4G. 5G will build on these successes to pervasive connectivity in the 5G era. This will happen
deliver the networks and platforms to support existing as advances in computation, artificial intelligence and
and new services, with new business models and use device capabilities come to maturity.
cases that are unknown today. The GSMA expects
commercial 5G networks to be widely deployed in the
post-2020 period: the 5G era.

The 5G era will be characterised as the age of boundless

connectivity and intelligent automation.

The GSMA has five mobile industry goals for the 5G era:

• Provide boundless connectivity for all • Transform the mobile broadband experience
• Deliver future networks innovatively and with • Drive growth in new use cases for massive IoT and
optimal economics critical communications services
• Accelerate the digital transformation of industry
verticals

To achieve these goals, the mobile industry needs to overall operator revenues to grow at a CAGR of 2.5% to
unify around a common technology standard and seek reach $1.3 trillion in 2025. The GSMA’s aspiration is for
to deploy 5G networks on a set of harmonised spectrum 5G to drive annual growth to 5%.
bands. The business case is based on finding new
models to roll out 5G cost effectively and identifying Society expects 5G to deliver innovation and ultimately
incremental revenue opportunities that can be served economic growth. The expectation is that the benefits
with 5G’s superior capabilities. of 5G should be realised across society, within the
constraints of network economics and with appropriate
5G networks will primarily support an enhanced mobile reward for investment and risk. All stakeholders need to
broadband experience in early deployments. Other use recognise this, and work together to ensure their visions
cases linked to massive IoT and critical communications of the 5G era are aligned, and that the right foundations
will follow, as operators seek to unlock the incremental are in place to deliver them. Ultimately, the way 5G is
opportunity, particularly in key enterprise verticals. The developed, regulated, funded and commercialised will
GSMA expects 5G connections to reach 1.1 billion, some determine the future of the industry.
12% of total mobile connections, by 2025. We forecast

Executive summary 5
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Headlines from the future

Industrial digitisation and Scientists announce

automation drive GDP growth breakthrough in human-to-
to 5% machine communication

Final figures for 2026 show that GDP grew Scientists at the National Laboratory
by 5% and unemployment hit a 10-year low for Science Research have announced a
thanks to continued growth in industrial miniaturised computer for eye glasses
productivity. The economy is benefiting that can interpret non-verbal facial
from digitisation and automation across communication from humans. “This is a
almost all sectors as businesses embrace significant advance that paves the way
new technology to drive productivity for super-intelligent eye glasses that bring
growth. Economists predict that the trend powerful capabilities for users in their
will continue as the full scale of the 5G daily lives”, the lead researcher said. The
Internet of Things device explosion is only technology relies on advances in machine
just beginning to become clear. learning, plus biological and quantum
computing. As with other wearables, experts
 Mobile World Times (01/03/2027) expect the computers to be linked to users’
personal cloud storage via 5G networks,
enabling each user to capture, process,
upload and store their daily emotions.
Human-to-machine communication is
already widely used for ads that react to
human emotions.

 Mobile World Times (01/03/2027)

Executive summary 6
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Hackers go on shopping spree A billion postal deliveries signed

with 10 million hacked avatar for via augmented reality
assistants
Post Delivery Inc’s Away from Home service
The scale of the hacking of personal avatar has hit the 1 billion landmark four years
assistants is becoming clearer. A report since launch. The popular service, which is
from security experts AvatarSecure warns available to customers with a 5G device,
that up to 10 million avatars may have enables customers to confirm and remotely
been hacked, and the volume of illegal sign for their parcel using augmented
transactions could reach $10 billion. The reality. “We are delighted to reach the 1
hackers targeted people whose avatars billion landmark a year ahead of target,
regularly and automatically made orders for demonstrating the appetite of our customers
them, and were careful to keep within the for the innovative services we offer them”,
typical spending limits to avoid detection. a company spokeswoman said. Customers
“As people increasingly rely on their who have signed up to the service receive
avatar assistants to manage their lives, it is a video call and are able to sign for their
important that avatars are registered with parcel on their device’s augmented reality
the home 5G small cell gateway to ensure interface to acknowledge delivery. Away
that avatars are protected by the robust from Home is available for deliveries by
security features of 5G”, the report advised. postal delivery staff or post drones.

 Mobile World Times (01/03/2027)  Mobile World Times (01/03/2027)

Executive summary 7
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2
Visions and goals for
the 5G era

Visions and goals for the 5G era 8

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Technology is changing the world around us. The future will be

defined by advances in artificial intelligence, autonomous IoT, big data
analytics, machine learning and augmented/virtual reality, supported
by high-speed, low-latency, secure connectivity that is ubiquitous
and reliable. Many of these technological developments will come to
maturity in the 5G era – the period from 2020 when commercial 5G
networks are widely deployed.

The 5G era will usher in an age of boundless more than 2.5 billion individuals are connected to, and
connectivity and intelligent automation. As society benefiting from, 3G or 4G networks and services. 5G
comes to rely more and more on mobile connectivity, will build on this legacy, providing the networks and
5G will turbo-charge connectivity to deliver mobile platforms in the global race to digitise economies and
data services that are always available to customers societies.
when they need them. This pervasive connectivity
will unleash the age of intelligent automation. The Various industry stakeholders have identified several
growing sophistication of artificial intelligence and the potential use cases for 5G. Most of these can be
availability of cheap computing power will drive the grouped under three main categories: enhanced
widespread adoption of digital assistants, intelligent mobile broadband (eMBB), massive IoT and critical
IoT nodes and automated industrial processes. communications. The GSMA expects 5G to deliver
high-speed, low-latency, reliable and secure enhanced
5G will provide the underlying infrastructure to realise mobile broadband in its early deployments. This is
this vision. It will be the first mobile technology to be the primary use case that will justify the investment
developed in an era when the vision of ubiquitous in 5G and drive development and deployment of 5G
internet access is close to reality. Already 60% of the networks.
world’s population is covered by 4G networks. And

Based on the vision of the 5G era, the GSMA has five mobile industry goals:

Source: GSMA

1 Five mobile industry goals

Boundless
connectivity for all

Vertical / industrial Network economics

transformation & innovation
5G era
goals

Massive IoT & critical Enhanced

communications broadband

Visions and goals for the 5G era 9

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1 Provide boundless connectivity for all: 5G networks 4 Transform the mobile broadband experience:
will co-exist with 4G networks and alternative 5G networks will provide an enhanced broadband
network technologies to deliver a boundless, high- experience of up to 1 Gbps and <10 ms, and provide
speed, reliable and secure broadband experience, the platform for cloud- and artificial intelligence-
and support a plethora of use cases for society. based services.
2 Deliver future networks innovatively and 5 Drive growth in new use cases for massive IoT
with optimal economics: All stakeholders will and critical communications services: 5G networks
strive to cost-effectively deliver better quality will support the massive rollout of intelligent IoT
networks either independently or through sharing nodes for a multitude of scenarios, and provide a
and partnerships. Future networks will rely on competent platform to support the widespread
a combination of mainstream and alternative adoption of critical communications services.
technologies, and use both licensed and unlicensed
spectrum, across different spectrum bands.
3 Accelerate the digital transformation of industry
verticals: The mobile industry will provide the
networks and platforms to drive the digitisation and
automation of industrial practices and processes
(including the fourth industrial revolution).

5G will continue the success story of the mobile industry

The mobile industry has transformed society since Operators will continue to play a central role in
its early days. We saw this in the 2G (1990s), 3G providing connectivity in the 5G era. To realise the
(2000s) and 4G (2010s) eras. In each of these, vision of boundless connectivity, operators will deploy
technological advancement – and the commitment an agile, on-demand 5G core network to coordinate
of all stakeholders in the mobile industry to roll an ecosystem of heterogeneous, multi-access network
out networks and platforms – transformed society. infrastructure to provide connectivity in three usage
Technology and social innovation have continually scenarios:
evolved to take advantage of new networks, helping
the mobile industry to continue to drive investment in • Indoors: relying on 5G macro cells (if on low-
networks and platforms. The 5G era will be the same, frequency bands), 5G small cells (for capacity or
and will deliver significant societal benefits – both if on high-frequency bands or as a fixed wireless
direct and indirect. access unit) and integrating other heterogeneous
networks, including Wi-Fi, fibre and device-to-
There are several critical drivers needed to realise the device communication
vision of the 5G era. Connectivity is the most important
• Outdoors in dense urban areas: relying on the new
one. Within the constraints of physics and economics,
5G RAN, including 5G small cells in high-footfall
the mobile industry will drive for data speeds of up to
areas (e.g. train stations, stadia, shopping malls)
1 Gbps and latencies of <10 ms for 5G networks. This
superior technical performance, combined with the • Outdoors in economically challenging areas:
continued evolution and availability of 4G networks relying on a mix of 5G RAN (if available on low-
plus relevant alternative network technologies, will frequency bands), 4G RAN, low earth orbit
provide the underlying broadband capabilities of the (LEO) satellites and other alternative network
5G era. While 5G should help to drive down the cost technologies.
per MB, the industry will be keen for it to drive top-line
growth for operators who can capture a slice of the
new value created.

Visions and goals for the 5G era 10

 THE 5G ERA

Source: GSMA

2 5G as the centre of a heterogeneous network environment

Mall City Motorway Rural

Aerial networks

5G Small
cell

Wi-Fi 5G + 4G
zone

Fibre LPWA LPWA

Other use cases, both existing and new ones, will an industry consensus on what customer data can
build on the broadband use case to enrich the 5G be stored, how it can be used and with who it can
proposition. In particular, operators will rely on 5G to be shared. For the development of the 5G security
provide the required platform for enhanced enterprise requirements, the level of risk and vulnerabilities dictate
services which will be crucial in unlocking the a more comprehensive review of security than has
incremental 5G opportunity. occurred for previous generations of mobile networks.

But the 5G vision will not become reality without a This means the road to 5G will be different from the
clear framework on how to use – and the ethics and traditional generational step forward of the mobile
privacy of using – artificial intelligence and customer industry. It will be a story of cooperation and competition,
data. 5G networks must cope with the privacy and in a heterogeneous network environment, to deliver a
cybersecurity risks that are increasingly concerning boundless, high-speed, reliable, consistent and secure
users, organisations and governments. Operators will broadband experience that can support critical services
need to drive the conversation on privacy and create and unleash innovative solutions for society.

Visions and goals for the 5G era 11

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The scale of the success of 5G will be determined by its impact on society

5G will build on the success of previous mobile mobile broadband experience to customers. This
network technologies that have enabled the mobile will be targeted predominantly at consumers, but
industry to deliver huge benefits to society. The operators will be looking to the enterprise segment to
GSMA’s Mobile Economy 2017 report highlights that in unlock the incremental opportunity of the 5G era. As
the period to 2020, the global economic footprint of the focus shifts to the next phase with massive IoT and
the mobile sector in value-added terms will continue to critical communications services, 5G will provide an
grow, expanding from $3.3 trillion in 2016 to reach $4.2 opportunity for operators to go beyond connectivity
trillion by 2020. and partner with other service providers across
finance, transport, retail, health and other industry
From its early days, the mobile industry has segments to deliver new services.
transformed society and will continue to have
significant societal benefits – both direct and indirect. While 5G will provide faster and better connectivity,
1G (analogue) proved that mass-market mobile it is important for the industry to recognise its
telephony was technically feasible. 2G brought commitment to global digital inclusion. At the start of
global interoperability and proved that reliable 2017, after eight years of rollout, only 60% of the global
mobile telephony can be commercially deployed population have access to 4G-grade internet services.
to be affordable for all. It also brought SMS, a Accordingly, new 5G networks should combine with
message service that transformed the way society 4G and other innovative network technologies to
communicated. 3G gave us the mobile internet and deliver boundless and ubiquitous connectivity for all.
incubated the rise of online platforms and services that This is in line with the GSMA’s Industry Purpose to
benefited from the switch to packet data networks. “connect everyone and everything to a better future”
In 4G, the first truly IP network, online platforms and and its commitment to support the UN’s Sustainable
services came of age, benefiting from the availability Development Goals.
of high-speed mobile internet services for the masses.
5G will build on these. The GSMA expects 5G to scale rapidly after launch
in 2020, with coverage reaching just over a third of
In the 5G era, the broadband infrastructure will be the global population in five years, and 5G mobile
treated as critical national infrastructure for delivering broadband connections exceeding 1 billion, some
digital services. So when citizens require such services, 12% of total mobile connections, over the same
they are assured that it will work on their devices, timeframe. If operators pursue new business models to
in the same way they expect the lights to come on improve data monetisation and unlock the enterprise
whenever they flick the switch. opportunity then we anticipate that they will be able to
grow revenues globally at a CAGR of 2.5% during the
For operators, 5G in its initial phase will be, first and 5G era, to $1.3 trillion in 2025. The GSMA’s aspiration is
foremost, an opportunity to deliver a transformed for 5G to drive annual revenue growth to 5%.

Visions and goals for the 5G era 12

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All stakeholders should collaborate to realise the vision of the 5G era

All stakeholders in the industry are keen to define, develop and deploy a 5G system to
drive the next wave of growth in the industry. But there are risks and challenges that
must be managed and minimised to realise the 5G vision:

1 Business case: The 5G business case is based on 3 Technological improvements and breakthroughs:
finding new models to roll out 5G cost effectively Many of 5G’s technological improvements and
and identifying incremental revenue opportunities breakthroughs will build on ongoing evolution of
that can be served with 5G’s superior capabilities. 4G with technologies such as NFV/SDN, massive
Early commercialisation of 5G will rely on the MIMO and carrier aggregation. However, the new
business case for mobile broadband. This is the 5G radio will be challenged to deliver a much
lesson of 4G, proving that providing good quality improved spectral efficiency compared to 4G,
mobile broadband with the right business model and the push for <10 ms latency will challenge the
is profitable. The investment required for 5G laws of physics and topology of network layouts.
networks, particularly in terms of dense small Likewise, the use of millimeter wave (mmW)
cell deployments and the requisite backhaul, plus frequencies will require significant technological
the provision of reliable connectivity globally, is breakthroughs in device and network designs. 2,3
huge. The challenge for the industry is to identify
4 Fragmentation: An important lesson from 2G, 3G
new services, new market segments (especially
and 4G technologies is that the mobile industry is
enterprise) and the right business models
more successful when it avoids fragmentation in
(including a new IP interconnect model) to unlock
spectrum, technology and operator services. For
the incremental 5G opportunity while optimising
5G, the GSMA is supporting the industry to ensure
the cost of 5G network investment.
that fragmentation is minimised and that operator
2 Spectrum availability: Spectrum will remain a services are included in the standards from the
critical but scarce resource in the 5G era. This onset to achieve maximum scale benefits.
applies to both the licensed and unlicensed
5 Regulation: Given the heavy investment required
bands that will play a key role in delivering the 5G
to deliver 5G and provide reliable connectivity
era vision. 5G needs spectrum within three key
for all, it is important for policymakers to provide
frequency ranges to deliver widespread coverage
a transparent and predictable pro-investment
and support all use cases: sub-1 GHz, 1–6 GHz
and pro-innovation policy framework. The GSMA
and above 6 GHz. As the GSMA noted in its 5G
supports regulatory modernisation as a key
Spectrum Policy Position paper,1 the availability of
precursor to the 5G era. Ultimately, the way 5G is
spectrum, at what frequency bands, and at what
developed, regulated, funded and commercialised
cost, will have a major impact on the business case
will determine the future of the mobile industry.
for 5G.

1 5G Spectrum Policy Position, GSMA, February 2017

2 Understanding 5G: Perspectives on future technological advancements in mobile, GSMA Intelligence, December 2014
3 Unlocking Commercial Opportunities From 4G Evolution to 5G, GSMA, February 2016

Visions and goals for the 5G era 13

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3
Ten insights for the
5G era

Ten insights for the 5G era 14

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The GSMA seeks to focus the wider debate on 5G and align its
members around a core set of expectations for the 5G era. We
surveyed 750 operator CEOs on their expectations and plans for
the 5G era. We also interviewed 50 senior managers in the industry,
discussed 5G with selected financial analysts tracking the telecoms
sector, and engaged with university research teams. We have distilled
the findings from this extensive engagement into 10 key insights for
the 5G era

Source: GSMA

3 The 10 insights that will shape the 5G era

Basics Opportunity Market structure Sustainability

• Transform the • Unlock incremental • Balance • Advocate for

broadband enterprise competition & supportive
experience opportunity collaboration for regulation
services
• Deliver new • Provide boundless • Avoid technology
technological connectivity • Embrace new & spectrum
capabilities economically models for fragmentation
infrastructure
• Grow revenues by • Support required
2.5% CAGR services as default

These 10 insights illustrate both the concerns that mobile operators share in terms of
putting in place the foundations to support sustainable investment and innovation during
the 5G era, and the potential opportunity that 5G presents to the industry and society.
Together they form a holistic view of the key factors that will shape the debate on 5G over
the coming years and beyond.

Ten insights for the 5G era 15

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The 10 insights

1 5G will transform the mobile broadband experience in early

deployments and drive new intelligent automation use cases in
later phases.

2 5G as a technology will evolve over time and leverage a variety of

spectrum ranges, plus robust security, to support new use cases.

3 Enterprise services and solutions will drive 5G’s incremental

potential.

4 5G will start as an urban-focused technology and integrate with

4G to provide boundless connectivity for all.

5 5G will deliver revenue growth to mobile operators, with a 2.5%

CAGR in the early 5G era.

Ten insights for the 5G era 16

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The GSMA’s 10 insights

6 Competition and collaboration between operators and other

ecosystem players to provide services will intensify in the 5G era.

7 New models for infrastructure ownership, competition and

partnerships will be required for the 5G era.

8 Regulation, licensing and spectrum policy will make or break the

5G opportunity.

9 The industry should strive to avoid spectrum and technology

fragmentation for 5G.

10 Interoperable and interconnected IP communication services,

including device-to-device, should be supported as default in the
5G era.

Ten insights for the 5G era 17

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The 10 insights highlight the

collective expectations, plans
and concerns of the industry for
the 5G era.

Ten insights for the 5G era 18

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Insight

1 5G will transform the mobile broadband experience

in early deployments and drive new, intelligent
automation use cases in later phases

Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) will be the key indicating that eMBB will form the key customer
proposition in early 5G deployments and will drive proposition in early 5G deployments.
increased performance, functionality and efficiency
across society. This is the clearest potential 5G The push for eMBB in 5G is a continuation of the 4G
use case and will support the delivery of high- mobile broadband transformation. The emphasis on
definition video (e.g. TV and gaming), immersive eMBB will sustain the 5G business case, and drive
communication (e.g. video calling and augmented 5G network investment, in the absence of any new
& virtual reality) and smart city services (e.g. video mobile use cases. However, under current operator
cameras for surveillance). business models, building a ubiquitous 5G network to
support the latency that autonomous vehicles require
As the technology matures, 5G will enable new remains as unrealistic as funding the level of small cell
usage scenarios such as massive and critical Internet deployment needed to support a seamless augmented
of Things (IoT) communications, and will drive the reality experience.
proliferation of artificial intelligence-based services for
personal devices, IoT nodes and industrial processes. While massive IoT remains an attractive opportunity
for 5G, operators will rely on current cellular IoT
The phased nature of 5G rollout, coupled with standards such as NB-IoT in the early 5G era. A
concerns around the 5G business case, will impact substantive IoT business case for 5G will become
development. Mobile operators are pragmatic in clearer later in the 5G lifecycle.
their approach to 5G use cases, with a clear majority

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

4 Priority use cases in early 5G deployments

74%
Enhanced mobile broadband

21%
Massive IoT

5%
Ultra-reliable communications (VR/AR, critical services)

Question: What will be your highest priority use case in early 5G deployment?

Ten insights for the 5G era 19

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Insight

2 5G as a technology will evolve over time and

leverage a variety of spectrum ranges, plus robust
security, to support new use cases

From a technology perspective, 5G is beginning The early version of 5G standards (based on 3GPP
to crystalise. It is clear that early deployments Release 15) will offer increased performance for
will be largely evolutionary to LTE, supporting the enhanced mobile broadband and some low latency
ever-growing demand for high-bandwidth mobile applications. The next stage, based on 3GPP Release
data in dense urban and suburban areas, or used 16, will bring further enhancements to mobile data,
for specific use cases such as fixed wireless access and the rest of the commercial requirements including
(FWA) to extend the reach of fixed networks (e.g. massive IoT and critical communication services. This is
Verizon’s proposals in the US). All of this points likely to incorporate mmW bands, especially following
to the need for new business models to make the WRC-19, as well as lower frequency bands including
economics of 5G work. sub-1 GHz. The operator community recognises the
reality of this phased approach and that, as a result,
Over time 5G will see a major shift in how cellular early 5G networks will represent an evolutionary
networks are designed. Existing services will evolve technology to LTE.
and new services will emerge that can be served by
a 5G system. Mobile operators will use new network Mobile operators maintain that 5G requires a new
architectures, as well as new radio technologies, to business model in order to drive the level of investment
achieve the flexibility required to serve a diverse set required to deliver some of the early identified use
of applications. The security of networks and services cases. A concerted effort is required to frame that
will also be critical given the cybersecurity threat and agenda and identify the sustainable network operator
changing security landscape. business model(s) of the future. Otherwise, given
5G’s evolutionary nature, the industry risks ingraining
The evolution to 5G, both in terms of technology and current business models across the 5G era. This in turn
network launches, will occur via the following use cases: is likely to constrain network investment, particularly
when it comes to the deployment of small cells to
• Stage 1: FWA networks
support mmW 5G services.
• Stage 2: extensive trials at sporting events pre-2020
• Stage 3: wide commercial network rollout from
around 2020.

Ten insights for the 5G era 20

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Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

5 Perceptions of 5G

49%
Evolutionary technology and new business model

21%
Revolutionary technology and new business model

15%
Evolutionary technology and traditional business model

8%
Revolutionary technology and traditional business model

8%
Other combination

0%
Mostly a marketing activity

Question: What do you see 5G as?

Ten insights for the 5G era 21

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Ten insights for the 5G era 22

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Insight

3 Enterprise services will drive 5G’s incremental

potential

The story of mobile telecoms is the story of how capabilities. Manufacturing, healthcare, entertainment,
consumers in all countries, across all social classes, financial services, utilities and other segments of the
have been empowered to communicate and transport sector could all be targeted for growth
access the internet from a personal mobile device. opportunities in the 5G era.
While opportunities will always remain to provide
more mobile services directly to consumers, the To tap into these opportunities, operators will need to
incremental 5G opportunity will come from services address the following three critical factors:
targeted at the enterprise sector.
• Without interconnection of IP services, most of the
services that operators seek to sell to the enterprise
Providing services to enterprises uses the same
market will be subscale and unable to achieve
underlying platform as providing services to
global reach, roaming and universal continuity.
consumers. In the 5G era, operator platforms will
support massive IoT, network slices using virtualised • To adequately address the enterprise opportunity,
network functions, and common enablers and APIs. To 5G networks will need to be packaged as an open
fully address these opportunities, operators will need platform that can be used by enterprises – via APIs
to focus on business-to-business (B2B) and business- – to deliver services to their customers.
to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) business models.
• Unlike the consumer market (where operators have
relied on a direct, transactional business model for
Operators see opportunity in many industry verticals.
consumer services), the enterprise opportunity in
The automotive sector, and the progress towards
5G will require an indirect, occasionally asymmetric,
driverless cars, is a much discussed example of
business model.
an industry that could benefit from 5G’s superior

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

6 Sources of new operator revenues for 5G

69% 20% 3% 6% 3%
Enterprises (e.g. B2B, B2B2C)

23% 31% 34% 9% 3%

Consumers (e.g. B2C)

17% 17% 40% 17% 9%

Online (e.g. A2P)

14% 26% 40% 17% 3%

Governments (e.g. B2G, B2G2C)

Most important 2 3 4 Least important

Question: Where will new operator revenues in 5G come from?

Ten insights for the 5G era 23

 THE 5G ERA

Insight

4 5G will start as an urban-based technology and

integrate 4G to provide boundless connectivity for all

Early 5G networks based on 3GPP Release 15 will be As a result, capex will remain relatively flat over this
deployed in dense urban areas, as operators look period, as operators seek to maximise cash flow. We
to supplement existing mobile broadband capacity, expect operators to roll out 5G at a similar rate to the
while also providing a test-bed for 5G use cases to deployment of 4G, attaining coverage of 34% of the
emerge. This approach ensures that 5G will provide global population – 2.6 billion people – by 2025. As
additional capacity for specific use cases such as in an early-adopter market, China will add its scale to
city centres and other locations with high footfall help drive 5G adoption at a rate broadly in line with
(e.g. stadia, shopping malls and transport hubs). that of 4G. Harmonised and early access to spectrum
will help to drive the development and adoption of 5G
We expect operators initially to selectively upgrade across other big markets. By 2025 GSMA Intelligence
macro cell sites to 5G in key locations and where forecasts that 5G mobile broadband connections will
network capacity is under pressure. This will utilise reach 1.1 billion globally.
the existing 4G infrastructure as a fall-back option.

Source: GSMA Intelligence

7 Global 5G coverage and adoption

34%

29% 1.1
25%
22% 0.8
17%
0.5
0.3
8%
0.1
0.0
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
5G connections Population
(billions) coverage

Ten insights for the 5G era 24

 THE 5G ERA

The rollout profile for 5G Phase 2 (3GPP Release 16, underlying economic assumptions for cellular networks
based on small cell deployments) will be much more and embrace new business models that can achieve
varied among operators and countries. Cost is the a healthy balance between network competition and
principal concern; rolling out a dense small cell network sustainable investment in infrastructure. This also
in urban areas will require considerable amounts of means that 5G networks will complement 4G and
capex, while also adding to current network opex other alternative networks to provide connectivity
burdens. This will increase the importance of access to for all, including people and things. Regulators and
– or ownership of – dense urban fibre networks. public bodies will need to promote a supportive and
transparent climate that incentivises investment,
This all points to the importance of network economics and removes bottlenecks to network rollout and
and innovation to fully realise the potential of 5G. partnerships, particularly those linked to planning
In the 5G era, the industry will need to address the regulations.

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

8 5G rollout plans

38%
Commercial deployment between 2020 and 2025

36%
Commercial deployment before 2020

18%
Pre-commercial trials only before 2020

8%
No plan

0%
Commercial deployment after 2025

Question: What is your current plan for 5G rollout?

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

9 5G coverage in early deployments

45%
Full urban coverage

32%
Hotspot coverage (inclusive of in-building)

11%
Full geographical coverage

8%
Full population coverage

5%
Ad-hoc geographical coverage (e.g. transport networks)

Question: What level of coverage should a new 5G network aim to provide in its early deployment?

Ten insights for the 5G era 25

 THE 5G ERA

Insight

5 5G will deliver revenue growth to mobile operators,

with 2.5% CAGR in the early 5G era

With 5G rollout expected to cover 34% of the as populations grow and more unconnected
world’s population by 2025, following the launch demographics subscribe to mobile services.
of 5G cellular networks in late 2019, we expect 5G Furthermore, operators will actively pursue new
adoption to scale rapidly. Connections (excluding business models to improve data monetisation and
cellular IoT) will reach 1.1 billion, or approximately begin to unlock the enterprise opportunity. There is
12% of global connections, by 2025. potential upside to these forecasts if operators are
able to capture growth opportunities in areas such as
While revenue growth has slowed over the past five digital identity and IoT. If realised, we believe mobile
years, we forecast continued single-digit growth to operators could increase annual revenue growth to 5%
2025, at a CAGR of 2.5%. Growth will be sustained during the 5G era.
through connecting more unique subscribers

Source: GSMA Intelligence

10 Mobile operator revenues, 2015–2025

2.5%
2.0% CAGR 1,299
CAGR 1,139
1,030

2015 2020 2025

$ billion

Ten insights for the 5G era 26

 THE 5G ERA

By the time mobile operators launch 5G networks, improving EBITDA margins. However, it is not yet clear
they will have operated in a low-growth environment how 5G will alter this dynamic, particularly given the
for almost a decade. We are already witnessing the uncertainty over deployment models for the dense
impact of consolidation and cost-reduction initiatives small cell infrastructure required to support mmW
in developed markets, delivering more stable and services.

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

11 Expectations for industry revenues

23%
Increase by more than 5%

31%
Increase by less than 5%

31%
Stay flat

3%
Decrease by 5%

0%
Decrease by more than 5%

Question: How do you expect industry revenues to change in the early 5G era?

Ten insights for the 5G era 27

 THE 5G ERA

Insight

6 Competition and collaboration between operators

and other ecosystem players to provide services will
intensify in the 5G era

The 5G era will witness further disruption in the platform that provides B2B and B2B2C services. In
telecoms market, with competition intensifying the lead up to (and during) the 5G era, operators will
at the service layer. Traditional operator services, seek to compete strongly with internet companies
particularly communications and identity, will and other ecosystem players, to provide the services
continue to migrate to IP, and new services will be that customers want. This competition will be most
created natively in IP. For example, the industry intense for services that require global scale such as
is gradually rolling out the suite of operator IP communications. In addition, operators will be well
communications services (VoLTE, ViLTE, RCS and positioned to leverage local assets and knowledge to
VoWiFi); these should replace current operator deliver services that require a more localised approach.
communications services during the 5G era. These will mostly be services targeted at enterprise
customers, services for IoT, or those that require big
Many communication services are now provided data and artificial intelligence.
as over-the-top solutions, with operators now
competing with non-operator providers. This trend will To unlock these opportunities, operators will need
accelerate as network coverage continues to increase to collaborate with the ecosystem to develop new
and becomes more consistent, and if data-only technical solutions and commercial models. This will
smartphone packages become more common. include the standardisation of network interfaces and
APIs, the adoption of new universal service continuity
Mobile operators see their role in the industry as models, and the development of appropriate
extending beyond that of connectivity provider to partnership models with the ecosystem.
encompass the provision of digital services directly
to consumers and enterprises, and as an enabling

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

12 Operator role in the 5G era

44%
Platform provider (B2B & B2B2C business models)

41%
Digital services provider (including B2C & B2B)

10%
Pure connectivity provider (both retail & wholesale)

5%
Others
Question: What is the primary role of operators in the 5G era?

Ten insights for the 5G era 28

 THE 5G ERA

Ten insights for the 5G era 29

 THE 5G ERA

Insight

7 New models for infrastructure ownership, competition

and partnerships will be required for the 5G era

The mobile industry remains a capital-intensive Alternative network providers will play an important
infrastructure business. Accordingly, strategies role in expanding network coverage and capacity
regarding where and how to roll out networks across society. Wi-Fi is already pervasive in many
are fundamentally investment decisions. Mobile societies and its role and that of other alternative
infrastructure relies on the right mix of appropriate networks will continue to grow. Similarly, the industry
technological solutions, attractive economic needs to engage with third-party connectivity
incentives and a conducive policy framework to providers on how to integrate alternative networks
ensure that billions of devices and things can be (e.g. drones, balloons, satellites) to provide ubiquitous
connected to the internet. and consistently high-quality connectivity.

In the 5G era, operators will remain the primary owners Operators will use connectivity solutions provided by
and managers of telecoms infrastructure and will other players or by customers to provide services. In
continue to compete aggressively among themselves some cases, operators might form direct partnerships,
to deploy the best quality network. Operators believe but in other cases the end user could have a
that other mobile network operators will continue to relationship with a third party and reach the mobile
be their chief competitors for telecoms infrastructure services from there (as with Wi-Fi calling, for example).
and delivering connectivity.
These infrastructure realities have implications for
The challenge for all stakeholders in the industry is to collaborative industry activity and policymaking for
balance the merits of infrastructure competition with 5G. For 5G to be a success, policies and regulations
the necessity for economies of scale for infrastructure. that strengthen the investment case are essential.
While operators want to own and build their own 5G This may involve supporting innovative spectrum and
networks, key components of the 5G system such infrastructure sharing models (subject to commercial
as small cells and heterogeneous and alternative agreements), dynamic renting of infrastructure and
networks will require new deployment and commercial backhaul, or enabling capacity sharing marketplaces. A
approaches. neutral host approach could be required for small cells,
learning the lessons from femtocells. Alternatively, the
A key change to the structure of the industry will industry could embrace a bring-your-own small cell
come from network sharing. Many operators have model to lower the cost of network densification.
already embraced the model on a commercial basis,
and policymakers should do too to achieve positive
outcomes based on competition. Network sharing will
intensify in the 5G era, particularly given the level of
investment required for network densification. Indeed,
the mobile industry is beginning to realise that the
model will be required for many operators.

Ten insights for the 5G era 30

 THE 5G ERA

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

13 Industry structure for infrastructure ownership

40%
Widespread network sharing (both passive and active sharing)

40%
Each operator owns and operates its own network

11%
Hybrid network models (e.g. public funding for rural areas)

3%
Single/dual wholesale shared networks per country (both private & public owned)

3%
Single shared network per city/region

3%
Others

Question: What will be the most common industry structure for infrastructure ownership in the 5G era?

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

14 Partnership models

31%
Non-operators to partner with operators via a shared/neutral host framework

26%
Non-operators to enter into exclusive deals with individual operators

26%
Industry-level partnership with selected alternative network providers

9%
Industry-level partnership via open innovation

9%
Other partnering models

Question: H
 ow could operators partner with non-operator-owned connectivity solution providers
(e.g. small cells, Wi-Fi or drones) for coverage or for backhaul?

Ten insights for the 5G era 31

 THE 5G ERA

Insight

8 Regulation, licensing and spectrum policy will make

or break the 5G opportunity

The success of the global mobile industry can be adopted to avoid artificially high spectrum prices. The
linked to a clear policy framework, predictable rules GSMA will continue to focus its advocacy efforts on
on licensing, and transparent spectrum policies. spectrum harmonisation and regulatory activities for
These will continue to be relevant in the 5G era. the 5G era.
Both operators and policymakers will need to strike
a balance between global harmonisation (to prevent For 5G to be a success, policymakers need to embrace
fragmentation) and regionalised plans (to cater for a future-oriented, pro-innovation and investment-
localised priorities). friendly policy framework so that all players in the
digital value chain are empowered and have the
Appropriate regulatory conditions, including timely flexibility to develop and grow.
and cost-effective access to spectrum for testing and
commercial use, plus satisfactory arrangements for Failure to adapt regulation to this dynamic new
small-cell deployment and compliance, will be crucial environment can distort competition, stifle innovation
to meeting 5G deployment timelines. and negatively impact consumer welfare. Policymakers
should seize the opportunity provided by 5G and
Spectrum is a critical resource for the mobile industry. the digital revolution to reset policy and regulatory
Its availability, and at what frequency bands, will help frameworks – to make investment in connectivity a
determine the business case for 5G. Significant new, priority and build an innovative digital economy.4
widely harmonised mobile spectrum is needed (in
both low- and high-frequency bands) to ensure timely
rollout of 5G networks, maximise network investment
and deliver the full range of 5G’s potential capabilities.
Operators need clear technical and policy rules on the
use of unlicensed spectrum, other forms of spectrum
sharing, and support for long-term technology-neutral
spectrum licences to enable refarming. A spectrum
roadmap is vital, and policy measures should be

4 Resetting competition policy frameworks for the digital ecosystem, GSMA, 2016

Ten insights for the 5G era 32

 THE 5G ERA

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

15 Advocacy priorities

34% 34% 20% 6% 6%

Role of licensed and unlicensed spectrum (including spectrum sharing)

23% 29% 34% 9% 6%

Creating a supportive licensing environment

23% 31% 26% 14% 6%

Consolidation and investment-friendly competitive environment

23% 26% 31% 9% 11%

Facilitating the deployment of very dense mobile networks

17% 11% 46% 11% 14%

Network sharing

17% 20% 43% 14% 6%

Same service, same rules

14% 14% 37% 6% 29%

Net neutrality

9% 14% 66% 6% 6%
Partnerships with ecosystem companies that share operator regulatory priorities (e.g. Netflix)

3% 23% 37% 26% 11%

Wholesale market and termination/interconnection

Most important 2 3 4 Least important

Question: What do you expect to be the top advocacy priorities for your business in 5G?

Ten insights for the 5G era 33

 THE 5G ERA

Insight

9 The industry should strive to avoid spectrum and

technology fragmentation for 5G

The desire for first-mover advantage, or to play a This pressure is set to build as 2020 approaches. Many
leading role in the development of the 5G standard, of the operator CEOs we surveyed indicated that they
is seeing operators set ambitious targets for 5G are planning trials or launches of 5G services before
commercial launches. 5G is the first technology 2020. The following countries look set to host the first
cycle that the mobile industry is approaching in commercial 5G network deployments:
a state of maturity, with subscriber penetration
close to demographic ceilings in most developed • South Korea: KT has announced that it will launch
markets, and revenue growth averaging low, single commercial 5G services in 2019
digits globally. As a result, the imperative to deliver
• Japan: NTT DoCoMo has announced that it will
a new network technology with optimal network
launch commercial 5G services in 2020
economics is stronger than ever.
• China: China Mobile has announced plans to deploy
Operators of scale, particularly in the US and China, 10,000 5G base stations by 2020
are creating and driving the mobile ecosystem in a
• US: operators have been active in testing and
direction that suits their development path; they are
developing fixed-wireless access solutions using
currently among the most vocal proponents driving
mmW technologies, and are expected to be among
the 5G standard. Numerous standardisation bodies
the first to launch commercial 5G wireless networks
are expected to be involved in the 5G standardisation
work. There is a risk of technology fragmentation due • Europe: In July 2016, the major European operators
to the diverse interests of the involved parties. published a 5G manifesto, which indicated a target
of launching 5G in at least one city in each of the
Meanwhile, network equipment vendors see 5G as a EU Member States by 2020
means to drive sales, which have slowed in line with the
• Middle East: Etisalat has indicated that it will
speed of 4G deployment, while governments and other
launch a nationwide 5G network in time for Expo
public bodies see early 5G deployment as a means to
2020 in the UAE.
foster the development of national or regional digital
industries and thereby drive economic growth. By seeking to bring launch dates forward, operators
run the risk of 5G fragmentation both in terms of
With an ambitious launch timeframe of close to 2020, spectrum and technology. To avoid this the industry
the desire of the industry and public bodies to realise needs to adopt a similar approach to the development
the 5G vision early is accelerating the technology of NB-IoT, which provides a common infrastructural
roadmap compared to previous generations. base for IoT to overcome fragmentation due to
proprietary IoT networks.

All stakeholders should be vigilant that fragmentation

would create interoperability issues and undermine
efforts to scale 5G, and should therefore look wherever
possible to create consensus. The GSMA also has a role
to play in socialising the lessons learned in 5G trials
and early deployments to avoid fragmentation.

Ten insights for the 5G era 34

 THE 5G ERA

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

16 Operator risks in delivering 5G

51% 6% 23% 14% 6%

Lack of clear business case

34% 29% 23% 9% 6%

Spectrum availability & fragmentation

23% 23% 26% 14% 14%

Competition from alternative networks

20% 34% 29% 9% 9%

Regulation

6% 34% 43% 14% 3%

Technology fragmentation

Most important 2 3 4 Least important

Question: What are the risks facing operators in delivering 5G successfully?

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

17 Importance of collaboration

29% 40% 17% 9% 6%

Lessons from 5G trials and early implementations

29% 29% 34% 9%

Common enablers and APIs

26% 29% 34% 6% 9%

Global connectivity & service continuity

17% 29% 26% 17% 11%

Infrastructure sharing

14% 34% 34% 11% 6%

Advocacy activities

11% 26% 46% 17%

Intellectual property rights (IPR)

11% 34% 40% 9% 6%

New interoperable communications services (e.g. P2P and video communication)

Most important 2 3 4 Least important

Question: How important is collaboration in each of the following areas for the success of 5G?

Ten insights for the 5G era 35

 THE 5G ERA

Insight

10 Interoperable and interconnected IP communication

services, including device-to-device, should be
supported as default in 5G

The mobile phone remains the single most Operator communications services will compete
pervasive communications tool in history. Thanks with other OTT communications apps. While some
to interoperability, interconnection and roaming, of these apps have reached global scale, they are
it allows anyone anywhere to directly contact mostly non-interoperable and lack universal reach.
someone else in the world. Operators want to Accordingly, enriched/advanced communications
continue to support this universal reach for services from operators will remain the default,
communication services in the 5G era. back-up communications option for customers in all
countries. This will be especially key for governments
Mobile phones achieved universal reach because of and businesses seeking a fail-safe way to communicate
the traditional voice and messaging services that were with their citizens/customers.
integrated by default in 2G and 3G. Users did not have
to worry about whether the other party had mobile Device-to-device (D2D) communications services hold
voice and SMS enabled or had the correct version of an similar promise to revolutionise society by making it
app before attempting to contact them. possible for people and things to talk to each other
when they are close together. D2D has already been
In 4G, this native capability for communications packaged as ‘LTE proximity services’ to enable
services was originally missing. The industry is working emergency services personnel to communicate with
hard to resolve this; many operators are now launching each other in the absence of a coordinating cellular
VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWiFi and RCS services. These IP network. Other potential use cases will be in the
communications services will come to maturity and healthcare and automotive sectors, where D2D could
global reach in the next five years. 5G systems should have a profound impact.
be designed to support them by default from day
one. It is important that legacy services should be It is important for 5G systems to support D2D
included in the standard from the beginning to avoid communications services natively and by default in
interoperability issues in later stages. the same way 2G and 3G systems supported voice
and SMS. This is the right lesson to draw from the slow
take-off of VoLTE and RCS, the non-interoperability of
OTT communications apps, and the fragmentation in
the short-range communications markets (Bluetooth,
ZigBee and so on).

Ten insights for the 5G era 36

 THE 5G ERA

Source: CEO 5G survey, October 2016

18 5G service support

83%
Artificial intelligence driven services

77%
Device-to-device communication

71%
Voice & video calling (e.g. VoLTE, ViLTE)

57%
Identity services (e.g. Mobile Connect)

43%
Messaging (e.g. SMS/RCS)

Question: Which of these services should be supported in 5G?

Ten insights for the 5G era 37

 THE 5G ERA

The GSMA's role in helping shape the 5G era

The role of the GSMA is to bring together all stakeholders in the mobile industry to ensure that the visions
of the 5G era are well defined, understood and delivered. On behalf of its members, the GSMA will focus on
how to influence the development of 5G technologies and standards, support the rollout of 5G networks and
development of new business models for the 5G era, guide the development of government agenda and policies,
and moderate the messaging around 5G.

Source: GSMA

19 5G era – the GSMA’s role

Influence

Technology
and standards

Support Guide

Rollout and new GSMA’s

Policymaking
business models 5G era role

Moderate

Advocacy
and messaging

Ten insights for the 5G era 38

 THE 5G ERA

gsma.com
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