Global Next-Gen Networking Developments (June–July 2025): 5G, 6G & Wi‑Fi 7 News Roundup
Global telecom infrastructure spending has plateaued in 2025 after the initial 5G rollout boom. Industry analysts report that worldwide telecom equipment revenues fell roughly 11% in 2024, and 2025 is expected to be essentially flat ts2.tech. Excess inventory, macroeconomic challenges, and tough year-over-year comparisons have tempered growth ts2.tech. Dell’Oro Group expects market conditions to “stabilize in 2025” but with no robust recovery – making it another challenging year for vendors ts2.tech. Similarly, MTN Consulting projects global telecom capital expenditures will decline from $314 billion in 2023 to ~$280 billion by 2028, indicating tighter budgets ahead ts2.tech. At the same time, 5G adoption continues climbing. Ericsson’s June 2025 Mobility Report forecasts 5G subscriptions will reach ~2.9 billion by end of 2025 ts2.tech. Looking further out, 5G subscriptions could double to 6.3 billion by 2030, with 5G networks expected to carry 80% of global mobile data traffic by 2030 ts2.tech. Mobile data usage is still rising, though the growth rate is slowing as the market matures ts2.tech. Fixed Wireless Access is one notable bright spot: over 80% of surveyed operators now offer FWA, and more than half provide tiered-speed home internet plans using 5G ts2.tech. FWA is projected to account for 35%