What's Happening?
The global mobile core network (MCN) market has seen a significant growth, with revenues increasing by 15% year-over-year in 2025, according to a report by Dell'Oro Group. For the first time, 5G MCN accounted for 50% of the total market revenues. This growth was driven by record-setting rates in 4G, 5G, and voice core segments. The report highlights that the four largest vendors—Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, and ZTE—maintained strong growth and market share. Multi-access edge computing (MEC) and agentic AI are expected to reshape the market, with MEC leading segment growth and AI potentially increasing network capacity needs.
Why It's Important?
The growth of the 5G MCN market signifies a major shift in the telecommunications industry, with implications for network operators
and technology vendors. The increased market share of 5G indicates a robust demand for advanced mobile network capabilities, which could drive further investments in infrastructure and technology development. This growth also suggests a competitive landscape where major vendors are vying for dominance, potentially leading to innovations and improved services for consumers. The integration of AI and MEC could further enhance network efficiency and open new revenue streams for operators.
What's Next?
The report suggests that the 5G MCN market will continue to grow healthily over the next several years, although not at the same high rates as in 2025. The ongoing collaboration among standards bodies, vendors, and operators to expand the 5G ecosystem will likely lead to new developments such as RedCap radios, network slicing, and Open APIs. These advancements could facilitate the scaling of services across multiple operators and support new monetization models, potentially transforming the telecommunications landscape.
