1. Global technological innovation and standardization process
5G-A (enhanced 5G) and 6G research and development are in parallel
5G-A commercial acceleration: Global operators such as T-Mobile, AT&T in the United States and NTT Docomo in Japan are promoting 5G-A deployment, focusing on core functions such as RedCap (low-power IoT technology) and 3CC (three-carrier aggregation) to improve network bandwidth and connection density, and support industrial IoT and XR applications.
6G standardization launch: The international standards organization 3GPP has launched the definition of 6G technical indicators, and high-frequency bands (such as terahertz) and AI fusion have become research focuses. Companies such as Qualcomm in the United States and Ericsson in Europe are leading 6G key technology experiments, and it is expected to achieve initial commercialization in 2030.
Satellite communication and ground network integration
Low-orbit satellite network expansion: SpaceX Starlink, OneWeb and other low-orbit constellations are accelerating deployment, covering remote areas and ocean communications. Australia and the United Kingdom have adopted policies to support satellite direct mobile phone services and promote the commercial use of integrated space-ground networks.
Mobile phone direct connection to satellite technology: Apple iPhone 15 series supports satellite SOS function. Qualcomm and Iridium cooperate to develop Snapdragon Satellite technology, which is planned to be expanded to Android devices in 2025.
2. Market dynamics and regional development
Regional investment differences and growth points
North America and Europe: The 5G private network market has entered a reshuffle period, and enterprises have turned to cost-effective solutions (such as lightweight RAN). T-Mobile in the United States took the lead in activating 5G RedCap, and AT&T plans to follow up in 2025 to promote smart logistics and agricultural applications.
Middle East and Africa: Benefiting from the growth of new users, the growth rate of RAN market investment leads the world. The UAE has completed the full allocation of the 6GHz frequency band, and Saudi Arabia has promoted smart city projects.
Asia-Pacific region: Japan accelerates the deployment of Open RAN, India promotes 5G independent networking (SA), and Southeast Asian countries focus on cross-border communication service optimization.
Explosion of vertical industry applications
Industrial Internet: Siemens of Germany and General Electric of the United States have achieved intelligent manufacturing through 5G private networks, and the efficiency of predictive maintenance has increased by 30%.
Medical and agriculture: Nordic countries promote 5G remote surgery, Africa uses IoT technology to achieve precision irrigation and reduce water waste.
3. Deep integration of AI and communications
Network intelligence upgrade
AI optimizes RAN performance: Ericsson and Nokia launched AI-driven wireless access network solutions, dynamically adjusted spectrum allocation, and reduced energy consumption by 20%.
Generative AI applications: Google and Microsoft integrated large models into cloud services to enable enterprise customer service automation. It is expected that 35% of global customer service interactions will be handled by AI in 2025.
Terminal equipment intelligence
AI chip self-developed trend: Meta released MTIA chip, Google upgraded TPUv6, supported edge AI reasoning, and promoted real-time interaction between XR devices and smart wearables.
Consumer experience innovation: Samsung and Meta plan to launch a new generation of AR glasses, combining generative AI to achieve virtual assistants and immersive content generation.
4. Spectrum resources and infrastructure layout
6GHz band becomes global focus
Hong Kong completes the world's first 6GHz band auction, UAE and Brazil follow up with allocation, providing mid-band resources for 5G-A and future 6G.
Europe explores millimeter wave band sharing model, Germany extends spectrum license period to reduce operator costs.
Open RAN accelerates commercialization
Dish Network in the United States and Rakuten Mobile in Japan have deployed Open RAN on a large scale, and it is expected to account for 8%-10% of the global RAN market revenue in 2025. The maturity of technology promotes cooperation between equipment manufacturers (such as Mavenir) and chip companies (such as Intel).
V. International cooperation and challenges
Cross-border communication market expansion
Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern operators jointly launched eSIM international roaming packages to simplify users' cross-border networking process.
The EU promotes the Digital Markets Act, requiring operators to open API interfaces to promote cross-border service integration.
Security and sustainability issues
Cybersecurity defense mechanism: NATO member states jointly develop AI-driven threat detection systems to respond to cross-border cyber attacks.
Green communication technology: Ericsson upgrades energy-saving base stations, Nokia promotes liquid-cooled data center solutions, and aims to achieve global business carbon neutrality by 2030.
Summary and Outlook
In 2025, the global communications industry will present three main lines: technology integration (5G-A×AI×satellite), scenario diversification (industry×medical×low-altitude economy) and regional collaboration. European and American companies lead the formulation of 6G standards, Asia-Pacific promotes the implementation of applications, and emerging markets accelerate digitalization through low-cost solutions. Future competition will revolve around spectrum efficiency, AI native networks and ecological openness. Companies need to balance technological innovation and compliance risks to seize the commanding heights of next-generation communications.