5G Standalone is driving new operator service improvements throughout MENA, however how are they driving new income? Barbara Pareglio, Technical Director at GSMA, weighs in forward of MWC Doha this November.
Because the world navigates an period of worldwide financial uncertainty and mounting strain for operational effectivity, enterprise leaders are desperately looking for transformative options. The reply lies in 5G Standalone, a expertise that’s began to be deployed, however not but totally realised throughout world markets. Based on the GSMA’s newest analysis, Vacation spot Progress: The Journey to Full 5G, this represents extra than simply one other community improve, it’s a $127 billion operator income alternative that has the facility to redefine how enterprises function, compete, and develop. This determine accounts for 70% of the whole cell business’s projected income progress, making the transition from Non-Standalone (NSA) to Standalone (SA) not only a technical crucial however an existential enterprise precedence.
The worldwide telecommunications market reveals a transparent development path that many operators are nonetheless navigating. With 273 operators at the moment deploying 5G NSA networks as of July 2025, in comparison with simply 74 working 5G SA infrastructure (GSMAi August 2025), the business sits at a vital juncture. Whereas 5G NSA delivers improved speeds by layering 5G radio entry over current 4G cores, it represents solely step one towards unlocking the transformative potential provided by 5G SA.
Based on GSMA Intelligence, the MENA Area is on the forefront with 20 operators, in 9 nations, deploying SA networks. Operators like DU, e& (previously Etisalat) and Ooredoo Qatar are all rolling out SA networks to ship a variety of superior connectivity options.
Non-Standalone v Standalone Networks
The excellence issues greater than many realise. 5G NSA networks, regardless of their 5G branding, stay essentially restricted by their 4G LTE core dependencies. They can’t entry the complete spectrum of 5G capabilities that enterprises more and more demand for digital transformation initiatives. True SA networks, constructed with cloud-native architectures and service-based frameworks, allow the programmable, safe, and versatile connectivity that fashionable companies require.
The enterprise purposes driving this chance span manufacturing robotics and digital twinning, distant healthcare, clever transportation networks, and sensible grid implementations. Every requires the ultra-reliable low-latency communication, community slicing capabilities, and enhanced safety features that solely SA can ship. Personal wi-fi networks, already rising at 33% yearly with practically 12,000 deployments anticipated by 2028 (Berg Perception, 2023), present a preview of enterprise demand for these capabilities.
Main MENA operators are dedicated to Standalone
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Ooredoo Qatar has efficiently carried out 5G SA networks and lately expanded this dedication to modernise its whole core community. This implementation permits superior options together with Voice over New Radio (VoNR) for pure 5G voice and video calls, community slicing for creating hundreds of digital networks tailor-made to particular purposes, and ultra-low latency bandwidth supporting real-time industrial automation and enterprise purposes throughout sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and sensible cities.
Dubai based mostly operator, du are utilizing SA to roll out FWA to ship enhanced protection and connectivity with superior uplink efficiency for a number of interactive digital companies, with extra environment friendly spectrum utilisation whereas benefiting from offloading site visitors from congested legacy networks.
e& UAE has efficiently accomplished a Personal 5G Community trial with SA that demonstrated important technical capabilities for enterprise connectivity. The trial achieved file uplink speeds of two.04 Gbps throughout 26GHz, 4.9GHz, and 700MHz frequencies. The plug-and-play answer dramatically decreased community setup time to below 60 minutes, addressing key enterprise ache factors together with prolonged deployment timelines and complicated configurations that sometimes require specialised technical groups.
Whereas full potential 5G is usually cited because the enterprise expertise, the impression of Standalone networks extends effectively into the patron section. Operators throughout Asia Pacific and MENA are already demonstrating new monetisation fashions, from speed-tiered cell plans and immersive gaming to widespread adoption of 5G-powered Fastened Wi-fi Entry (FWA). These areas are tackling spectrum constraints and protection challenges via modern approaches similar to shared spectrum, neutral-host indoor options, and strategic mid-band refarming.
Transition technique
For operators working NSA 5G networks, the transition technique sometimes follows a ‘no-regrets’ strategy: investing in gear and structure that helps each 4G and 5G core capabilities. This reduces danger, permits gradual site visitors migration, and ensures that investments stay useful as networks evolve to Standalone 5G, fairly than turning into redundant. Operators can start with fundamental node configurations in high-demand city areas, then scale systematically as enterprise demand materialises.
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Delivering enterprise transformation and enhanced buyer experiences extends past community structure. It requires operators to evolve from connectivity suppliers to answer integrators, working with expertise companions to ship outcomes-based companies. This shift calls for new R&D investments, enterprise-focused product growth, and collaborative go-to-market methods that handle enterprise challenges fairly than simply connectivity wants.
Way forward for cell networks
Wanting forward, SA networks present the muse for 5G-Superior capabilities together with enhanced IoT help, AI integration, enhanced positioning and ambient connectivity options, to say a number of. This positions operators not only for instant enterprise alternatives however for eventual 6G evolution, which is predicated on a SA structure.
The message for business leaders is obvious: NSA 5G networks served as stepping stones, not locations. Operators who view their present NSA deployments because the completion of their 5G journey danger lacking nearly all of out there income progress and delay the long run evolution. The SA transition requires instant strategic planning, systematic implementation, and whole-of-business transformation to seize the enterprise alternative that can outline the subsequent decade of cell business progress.
Be part of the GSMA 5G Future Neighborhood at MWC Doha on Tuesday 25 November 2025 for the 5G Future Summit to find extra concerning the progress of SA and 5G-Superior applied sciences throughout the MENA area, and for the launch of the most recent analysis report in collaboration with GSMA Inteligence within the The Journey to Full 5G collection.
In regards to the creator
Barbara Pareglio is the GSMA’s technical lead for a number of areas of focus throughout the GSMA similar to 5G, IoT, automotive, aviation and extra
Vacation spot Progress: The Journey to Full 5G
