The promise and reality of 5G : strategic implications for mobile network operators
Otgonbayar, Nomin (2026)
Diplomityö
2026
School of Engineering Science, Tuotantotalous
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2026061066292
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2026061066292
Tiivistelmä
When 5G was commercially launched in 2019, it was associated with high expectations and ambitious promises of advanced capabilities. Seven years after its commercial launch, many of the claimed capabilities have not been fully realized yet. This thesis investigates the gap between the 5G promises defined by 3GPP technical specifications and their practical realisation from 2019 to 2026. Drawing on the sociology of expectations framework, the study analyses 3GPP Releases 15 through 18 alongside industry reports and academic literature to examine across four key pillars: Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), and network slicing. Within the framework, eMBB represents a productive expectation, URLLC and network slicing deferred expectations, and mMTC an anticipatory construct.
The results suggest that the alignment between 5G promises and commercial delivery is uneven and pillar-dependent. The gaps are not primarily attributable to technical issues but by architectural, commercial, and institutional factors embedded in the standardisation process itself. eMBB has been productively realised through Fixed Wireless Access, albeit below peak specifications. URLLC and network slicing remain commercially unrealised for most operators due to Standalone (SA) architecture dependence, while mMTC continues to rely primarily on 4G-era technologies.
For Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), the findings carry three strategic implications. The identified gaps create a structural investment challenge, constrain competitive differentiation, and indicate that operators pursuing SA migration are generating higher revenues than operators that have yet to migrate. The study results reveal that the SA transition is not a technical upgrade to be delayed but a strategic investment decision that determines whether the long-term 5G business case can be realised.
The results suggest that the alignment between 5G promises and commercial delivery is uneven and pillar-dependent. The gaps are not primarily attributable to technical issues but by architectural, commercial, and institutional factors embedded in the standardisation process itself. eMBB has been productively realised through Fixed Wireless Access, albeit below peak specifications. URLLC and network slicing remain commercially unrealised for most operators due to Standalone (SA) architecture dependence, while mMTC continues to rely primarily on 4G-era technologies.
For Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), the findings carry three strategic implications. The identified gaps create a structural investment challenge, constrain competitive differentiation, and indicate that operators pursuing SA migration are generating higher revenues than operators that have yet to migrate. The study results reveal that the SA transition is not a technical upgrade to be delayed but a strategic investment decision that determines whether the long-term 5G business case can be realised.