PANEL: Are We Really Seeing Progress with P5G and Will the Market Have Changed Much by 2030?

Why It Matters

Enterprise digital transformation hinges on reliable, scalable private connectivity; accelerating hybrid 5G solutions will determine which operators capture the next wave of industrial revenue.

Key Takeaways

• Private 5G deployments grew 21% CAGR, reaching 2,000 references.
• LTE still dominates; only 30% of networks are pure 5G.
• Major verticals: manufacturing, mining, airports, ports, oil & gas.
• Hybrid public‑private models and SIM resilience address interoperability challenges.
• High costs and complexity limit adoption to large‑scale, mission‑critical projects.

Summary

The panel, hosted by FDM CCS Insights, examined whether private 5G (P5G) is delivering on its promise and how the market might look by 2030, when early 6G deployments could begin.

Data from the GSMA’s Private Mobile Network (PMN) tracking group shows 2,003 customer references as of Q1 2026, a 21% compound annual growth rate since 2021. Yet only about 30% of those networks are pure 5G, with LTE still accounting for roughly half of deployments. Manufacturing leads the vertical count, while mining, airports, ports and oil‑and‑gas show deeper use‑case maturity.

Thomas (O2 Business) highlighted airport and port RFPs that demand resilient, high‑density connectivity for luggage scanning, predictive maintenance and AI‑driven safety. Jamie (Proximus Global) described hybrid public‑private solutions, including SIM‑resilience that lets private traffic fall back to public networks, and noted that roughly one‑third of private networks operate without a traditional telco core.

The discussion underscored that cost and operational complexity remain the biggest barriers, confining most deployments to large, mission‑critical sites. Operators are therefore pushing hybrid models and interoperable SIMs to broaden appeal, a trend that will shape enterprise connectivity strategies as the industry moves toward 6G.

Original Description

Moderator: Luke Pearce, Principal Analyst, GSA

Jaymy Teh, VP Go To Market & Telco, Proximus

Thomas Gere, Business Development Director - Enterprise 5G Networks, O2 Business