Europe is at a tipping point in the development of 5G Standalone and 5G Advanced. Whereas the early years of 5G were mainly about coverage and visible rollout, the focus is now shifting to what networks can actually deliver. It is precisely at this moment that Europe risks falling structurally behind.
This conclusion is drawn from the recent report A Global Reality Check on 5G SA and 5G Advanced, prepared by network measurement company Ookla in collaboration with market analysis firm Omdia.
According to The Register, North America and large parts of Asia are now visibly benefiting from the transition to 5G Standalone, while much of Europe remains stuck in an intermediate phase that is becoming less and less future-proof. The differences are not so much in coverage, but in actual network capabilities, response time, and the ability to roll out new services.
The timing is crucial. The mobile sector is about halfway through the 5G life cycle. At this stage, 5G Standalone is no longer seen as an optional upgrade, but as the necessary foundation for 5G Advanced and the further evolution towards 6G. Regions that already have this foundation in place can activate new network functionality more quickly. Regions that lag behind are not only falling behind, but are also accumulating a backlog that is becoming increasingly difficult to catch up on.
Limited spectrum availability
In Europe, this gap is not primarily due to technical limitations. Operators have the knowledge and infrastructure to implement standalone cores. The problem lies mainly in fragmented investment decisions, limited availability of high-quality mid-band spectrum, and a policy environment that for years has been strongly focused on low consumer prices. As a result, 5G was often rolled out as an extension of 4G, with new radios added on top of existing network cores, which largely kept the promised benefits out of reach.
That delay is now having immediate consequences. Many 5G Advanced capabilities, including improvements in uplink performance and techniques that enable simultaneous device transmission and reception to reduce latency, require a fully deployed, mature standalone core. According to The Register, this means that operators who have delayed SA are also delaying the introduction of 5G Advanced. The disadvantage affects multiple layers of the network. The backlog grows with each new standard.
Fragile balance
Nevertheless, there are clear bright spots within Europe. In countries such as Spain, Austria, and the UK, the pace of standalone rollout has increased over the past year. This aligns with the analysis from the Ookla and Omdia reports, which state that targeted policy choices and investment incentives directly affect adoption and performance. At the same time, the UK in particular illustrates how fragile that balance is. Years of uncertainty surrounding spectrum allocation and the forced replacement of network equipment have swallowed up investment opportunities. This has put pressure on network performance.
An important difference from other regions is that Europe remains relatively uncommitted to in-depth optimization. In markets where 5G Standalone is combined with far-reaching virtualization, advanced antenna techniques, and smart placement of network functions closer to the user, this translates not only into higher speeds but also into lower latency, more stable connections, and better support for business-critical applications. In Europe, this refinement often lags behind, resulting in less consistent improvements in user experience than raw speed measurements would suggest.
This gap is particularly relevant outside the consumer market. Predictability and reliability are more important than peak speeds, especially for industrial applications, logistics, healthcare, and private networks. This presents a strategic opportunity for Europe, given its strong industrial base. However, the report emphasizes that this opportunity will only be realized if 5G Standalone is treated as the foundation for new services, rather than as a silent network upgrade in the background.
Positive effect on battery life
At the consumer level, 5G Standalone is also beginning to distinguish itself more broadly. Measurements from the study show that standalone networks may improve battery life, contradicting earlier concerns about increased energy consumption from more complex radio signaling. This makes SA one of the few network innovations that can also deliver a directly noticeable benefit to end users.
The next two years will therefore be decisive. According to the researchers, policy choices regarding spectrum, consolidation, and investment obligations will shape Europe’s digital competitiveness for the coming decade. Countries that continue to view telecommunications as a cost item rather than strategic infrastructure risk falling behind structurally in terms of technology. The countries that are taking action now are showing that it is still possible to catch up, but the window of opportunity is closing fast.