China powers Asia’s lead in 5G SA accessibility

China reported more than 10 million 5G advanced subscribers.

Asia remains the global leader in 5G standalone (SA) availability, but adoption levels vary sharply across markets, with China at 80.9% SA sample share in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025 whilst Japan remains at 6.9%, according to Ookla Research data.

China underpins the region’s aggregate position, reporting more than 10 million 5G Advanced subscribers, 4.84 million 5G base stations deployed by end-2025, and over 64,000 enterprise private networks in operation.

India recorded a 48.6% SA share, reflecting Reliance Jio’s strategy of bypassing non-standalone architecture, placing it between China’s scale and more cautious developed peers.

South Korea, an early 5G non-standalone pioneer, has progressed more conservatively in SA, with only KT offering nationwide coverage.

Singapore stood at 38.9% SA share in Q4 2025 and delivered median download speeds of 462 Mbps, positioning it amongst the highest-performing Asian markets outside South Korea.

Hong Kong reached 8.8% SA share in the same period, reinforcing uneven adoption across leading regional hubs.

Across Asia & Oceania, 28 operators had launched 5G core networks, the highest deployment breadth globally, yet forecast five-year CAGR for 5G core software stands at 4.2%, below EMEA and North America.