The 5G roll-out in Asia Pacific (APAC) is picking up pace. As of June 2025, nine countries had 39 commercial networks, with 17 of those being 5G standalone (SA). Region-wide, the share of 5G is projected to grow from 18 per cent in 2024 to 50 per cent by 2030. Since 2019, operators have invested nearly $220 billion, boosting population coverage over 50 per cent in eight key markets and driving peak capex intensity up to 25 per cent. Outside of mobile services, 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) is filling broadband gaps: 26 out of the 39 operators are now providing FWA, and in India, 70 per cent of new Jio AirFiber connections are reaching underserved towns.
According to the GSMA’s latest report titled “The Mobile Economy Asia Pacific 2025”, these drivers are enabling APAC to roll out significant ultra-low-latency connections and lead the way in fresh monetisation models through the rest of the decade.
tele.net provides a snapshot of the key highlights from of the report…
Trend shaping the mobile industry
5G monetisation
Recent operator results show 5G capex stabilising. This is clear from Ericsson’s 39 per cent year-on-year revenue fall across Southeast Asia, Oceania and India in 2024, a drop linked to normalised network investment after rapid roll-outs. The shift highlights the need for monetisation strategies, especially around pricing and use cases, that match each market’s circumstances.
Further, deploying 5G SA is key to features such as network slicing and forms the base for 5G-Advanced. Private 5G networks will also support new enterprise use cases across many sectors. Currently, activity is strongest in Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, where digital adoption is high, while momentum is rising in India, Indonesia and Thailand. For instance, in India, Reliance Jio’s 5G SA network reached more than 60 per cent of the population as of June 2025.
Consumer 5G still centres on enhanced mobile broadband, yet GSMA Intelligence shows demand and willingness to pay remain strong, opening new ways to earn revenue. Operators bundle connectivity with digital content, cloud extras and devices. Product innovation leads to income, as seen in AIS’s AiCAM smart CCTV, which pairs 5G with artificial intelligence (AI) and paid cloud storage. Some providers use experience-based pricing, such as Singtel’s network-sliced “5G+” tier. Similarly, in low average revenue per user (ARPU) markets, operators have begun tariff increases: Airtel and Jio have lifted entry-level 5G prices by 6-10 per cent, a rise expected to boost FY 2024-25 mobile revenue by 12-14 per cent, while Indian ARPUs stay among APAC’s lowest.
Cyber threats and scam economy
The industry is introducing fresh strategies to fight ongoing scams and restore trust while complying with legal obligations that safeguard user privacy and the confidentiality of communications.
As of June 2025, 35 operators in 12 APAC markets had joined or pledged support for the GSMA Open Gateway scheme, and six of the 11 application programming interfaces (APIs) already launched in the region tackle scams, including SIM swap, device location verification, OTP validation, device swap, number verification and KYC match. Alongside open APIs, operators and partners are using AI to strengthen anti-scam tools, a necessity as attacks grow in scale and complexity, often aided by AI itself.
Further, to fight against cybersecurity threats, operators are responding with a multilayered security approach, starting with zero-trust architectures like Singtel’s AI-driven partnership with Palo Alto Networks and Airtel’s Zscaler-based Secure Digital Internet for businesses. They incorporate AI and machine learning tools for threat detection, such as Globe Telecom’s Vectra-powered XDR, slashing incident response time to three and a half hours for 80 million users. Additional steps include supply chain audits, mandatory staff cyber hygiene training and automated incident response centres. Cross-sector partnerships enable intelligence sharing and standard alignment, while regulations boost encryption.
Climate and resilience
As climate-driven disasters grow more frequent and intense, mobile networks serve as a crucial avenue for widespread notifications in such cases. In India, the Sachet public warning system now collaborates with four major operators for nationwide location-based SMS alerts, while the Centre for Development of Telematics is testing cell broadcast with these operators.
Similarly, in recent years, telcos’ climate efforts have revolved around improving network energy efficiency and integrating sustainability into business strategies, driven by escalating costs, denser 5G deployments and the push to meet net zero commitments. For instance, Robi Axiata’s 100 MW solar partnership with FloSolar and GreenPower Asia will cut 68,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, reach a 45 per cent cut by 2030 (compared to 2020) and achieve net zero by 2050.
Policy and investment enablers
APAC operators expect to spend more than $200 billion in capex by 2030, yet that sum falls short of what a truly digital future needs. The gap spans 5G networks and cloud infrastructure for virtualised services, risking a wider digital divide and limiting the APAC region’s digital economic gains. To close the region’s connectivity shortfall, fiscal incentives, targeted public funding, simplified regulations to reduce ongoing expenses and partnerships across the industry are essential.
Further, to fully harness 5G’s potential and pave the way for 6G, around 2 GHz of mid-band spectrum will be required. This means regulators need to start planning ahead, with the 6 GHz band poised to play a significant role in the equation. India illustrates this approach. It has finished refarming extra International Mobile Telecommunications spectrum and is preparing a multiband auction in 2026 that will combine all available licenses, including new 600 MHz and upper 6 GHz blocks. A review of the National Frequency Allocation Plan was completed after the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) 2023, and an updated plan is expected soon.
Additionally, the governments should price 5G spectrum to meet connectivity goals rather than maximise revenue, as costs strongly influence operators’ spending.
Conclusion
APAC governments and industry players are focusing on 6G. Realising these goals depends on future spectrum plans being shaped with governments and international bodies – each 6G network is expected to require 200-400 MHz of dedicated mid-band spectrum. The upper 6 GHz band is seen as critical for the next wave of data growth into the 2030s, while WRC-27 will also examine 4.5 GHz, 7-8 GHz and 14 GHz options, with particular interest in 7-8 GHz, just above today’s 6 GHz range. As wireless links spread from phones to factories and vehicles, spectrum policy must favour long-term investment incentives and clear, transparent rules over a race to the newest radio technology, protecting both innovation and financial sustainability for the sector.
