Asia Pacific telcos set to lead global 6G rollout

New research shows that the Asia-Pacific region is set to set the pace for the next wave of mobile technology.

The Global Mobile Suppliers Association has predicted that the Asia-Pacific region will lead the global 6G mobile network rollout over the next decade, as the region’s telecom operators innovate and outpace some of their more conservative counterparts in other parts of the world.

However, the popularity of 5G is still very high. The GSA, which monitors more than 2,500 operators worldwide, This was also indicated in a recent webinar There are multiple 5G launches scheduled in the short to medium term, and it is anticipated that a number of companies in the Asia-Pacific region will make commercial 5G deployments in the long term.

Asia Pacific’s ‘innovative, aggressive’ operators to become global 6G leaders

GSA research suggests the global rollout of 6G will take place in 2030, with some possible initial launches in 2029. Operators in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to lead globally in the rollout of 6G networks, Ian Fogg, a tech industry analyst at CCS Insight, said in the webinar.

“I think one of the interesting dynamics is that European operators are very cautious about investing in new technology and monetary returns,” he said. “In APAC, we see much more innovative, aggressive operators. So it’s likely that we’ll see some of these early 6G launches in the APAC region.”

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Stating that it will still be several years before the technology is launched, Fogg explained that current spectrum discussions for 6G are focused on the 7Ghz to 15Ghz range worldwide.

He believes that “the thinking is that 7Ghz-ish will be a major focus for the 6G era.”

5G technologies are rapidly expanding in the Asia Pacific region

According to GSA data, the number of 5G networks in the Asia Pacific region is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. This trend reflects a global acceleration in the adoption of and investment in 5G by mobile network operators, with the GSA noting a significant increase in launches since late 2020.

GSA data on Asia Pacific 5G also indicates:

• 92 operators in 27 countries are investing in 5G mobile or fixed wireless access networks, representing most countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region.
• So far, 47 operators from 17 countries have introduced this technology.
• Currently, seven operators in seven countries are in the process of implementing 5G technology, which points to an increase in launches in the short to medium term.
• 13 operators in eight countries are in the planning stage for 5G deployment.
• The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 14% of operators investing in and launching 5G networks globally.

SEE: Difference between 5G and 6G

Jordan Cox, a GSA researcher, said in a GSA webinar that with ongoing and planned 5G deployments by operators, “in the long term this could result in much of Asia-Pacific having commercialized 5G networks.”

Asia Pacific region declared 5G standalone ‘hotspot’

Asia-Pacific’s contribution to global investment in 5G standalone networks is “particularly strong” at 27%.

5G Standalone is considered a “next step” in 5G technology because it does not rely on the core network and has potential benefits such as improved reliability, lower latency, enhanced coverage, stronger indoor signals, and advanced security software.

However, adoption has been slow. The GSA suggests this may be due to relatively slow upload and download speeds compared to non-standalone 5G.

According to GSA data, in Asia Pacific:

• 40 operators in 14 countries are investing in 5G standalone, and 22 operators in nine countries have launched the technology; these include China’s three largest operators – China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom – as well as Globe Telecom in the Philippines and Australia’s Telstra.
• There are currently 10 operators in eight countries trialling the technology, including Cellcard in Cambodia and Spark in New Zealand.

Asia Pacific operators are talking about 5G-advanced networks

Some operators in the region are already talking about 5G-Advanced or 5.5G launches, including timing and packages, especially operators in China. Operators with 5G standalone networks are expected to launch 5G-Advanced offerings soon.

“The current flagship smartphones in the market are using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (mobile platform), the Qualcomm chipset that came out in smartphones late last year, so those products have 5G-Advanced capable hardware,” Fogg said. “So once operators start switching to 5G-Advanced, we’re going to see a pretty rapid increase in adoption among recent flagship smartphone purchases.”

Additional Trends in Asia Pacific Communications Networks

The Asia-Pacific telecom market is witnessing a slowdown in LTE launches due to the development of 5G, expansion of private networks, and low levels of 5G redcap and millimeter wave activity.

LTE down, 5G up

According to GSA data, only six Asia-Pacific-based operators are deploying LTE networks, which are commonly associated with 4G, while 12 have planned launches. A total of 116 operators in Asia-Pacific have already launched LTE technologies, with 2015 being the top year for LTE globally.

“This shows that in Asia-Pacific, like other regions such as North America, Western Europe and even Latin America, the LTE market has peaked and the transition to 5G is currently in progress,” Cox said.

GSA said several market drivers support this trend, including higher levels of consumer 5G devices and subscribers, as well as the lower operating costs and higher efficiency of 5G networks for operators.

Manufacturing sector leads private network deployment

22% of global enterprise private networks are in APAC. GSA’s database contains 314 unique customer references for the region, primarily located in Australia, China and Japan. Fewer private networks are located in South Korea, India and Thailand.

The major areas for private networks were:

• Manufacturing has grown due to the large manufacturing sectors of China, Japan, and India.
• Mining, due to Australia’s large mining sector.
• Equipment testing and laboratory service.

Low levels of 5G RedCap activity tracked in Asia Pacific

Only five operators in the Asia Pacific region are investing in 5G RedCap, a recent addition to the 5G standards. These include:

• Two launches in China.
• Two REDCap networks in Thailand and Singapore are currently in the testing phase.
• Telkomsel plans to launch RedCap in Indonesia.

Initial use cases include using REDCap consumer on-premise equipment, enabling operators to access 5G bands at a more cost-effective price point while transitioning from LTE networks. GSA expects other capabilities of 5G REDCap to also come in handy once 5G-Advanced is rolled out.

As 5G develops, the number of network switch-offs is expected to increase

The GSA concluded by saying that “strong progress” is being made towards phasing out legacy 2G and 3G networks in favour of newer and more efficient LTE and 5G networks. As of July 2024, APAC has seen 24 operators in 14 countries complete switch-off activity, including 2degrees in New Zealand and KDDI in Japan.

“As more consumers in the Asia-Pacific region transition away from older devices, and operators continue to upgrade their networks, we can expect to see more switch-off activity in the region over the next two to five years,” Cox said.