Europe Needs to Change Policies to Close 5G Gap

GSMA research indicates that 5G would reach 80% adoption in Europe and boost the continent’s economy by €164 billion by 2030. However, the industry body warned that uptake continues to lag in several other regions.

The GSMA stated that at the end of 2024, 5G accounted for 30% of Europe’s connections compared with a global average of 24%. The adoption rate was cited as being behind other advanced regions, including North America, East Asia, and Gulf Cooperation Council states. In these areas, the GSMA noted operators were already shifting attention to the next generation of networks.

The industry association said urgent policy reforms are required to drive a step-change in access to investment across Europe and maintain the region’s competitiveness. By 2026, 5G is expected to become the dominant generation of mobile technology in Europe. It already accounts for the majority of connections in Germany and Switzerland, with Denmark, Finland, Norway, and the UK all having rates above 40%.

The standalone variant of 5G had been launched by 18 European operators as of September 2024, though the GSMA noted increased proliferation of this and 5G-Advanced would be hampered unless current regulatory challenges were resolved to encourage digital infrastructure investment. “Europe is at a crossroads in its development of the digital infrastructure that its businesses and citizens will need to succeed. It is concerning to see it falling further and further behind other large markets around the world”, GSMA chief regulatory officer John Giusti said.

Highlighting the more than €1 trillion the mobile industry contributes to the economy, he argued swift reform of policies was needed to “support strong, sustained network innovation and to re-establish a leadership position in the global technology marketplace by 2030”. The GSMA urged the European Commission to complete a digital single market policy involving cross-border services, ensure fairness in the internet value chain, and review merger regulation.