Dave Bolan analysis director at Dell’Oro instructed RCR Wi-fi Information that the analysis agency tasks the 5G MCN market to account for greater than 50% of the market this yr
In sum – what to know:
MCN revenues up 15% – The market recorded its strongest annual progress price since 2014, with features throughout 4G, 5G, and voice core segments.
5G core hits 50% share – 5G MCN accounted for half of complete market revenues for the primary time in 2025.
MEC and AI reshape outlook – Edge computing led section progress, whereas agentic AI might drive future capability and monetization modifications.
The worldwide cell core community (MCN) market returned to progress in 2025, with revenues rising 15% year-over-year, in line with a brand new report from Dell’Oro Group.
For the primary time, 5G MCN represented 50% of complete MCN market revenues, in line with the report.
“In 2025, the MCN market recorded its highest year-over-year income progress price since 2014,” Dave Bolan, analysis director at Dell’Oro Group, stated in a launch. “This was pushed by record-setting progress charges in all market segments: 4G MCN, 5G MCN, and voice core. 4G MCN features got here from Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) and Europe, Center East, Africa (EMEA) areas; 5G MCN from all areas; and voice core, primarily from Asia Pacific and EMEA areas.”
The report additionally discovered that the 4 largest distributors — Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, and ZTE — all recorded robust progress in 2025 and maintained an analogous mixed market share to the earlier yr.
Multi-access edge computing (MEC), a subsegment of the 5G MCN market, posted the quickest progress price amongst MCN classes, with China remaining the main area for deployments.
The report notes ongoing collaboration amongst requirements our bodies, distributors and cell operators to broaden the 5G ecosystem. Developments embody RedCap radios geared toward reducing IoT system prices, community slicing for mission-critical and on-demand use instances, IMS knowledge channels to help new monetization fashions, and Open APIs designed to assist builders scale companies throughout a number of operators.
Dell’Oro additionally highlighted the potential long-term affect of agentic AI, which might reshape site visitors patterns and enhance the time subscribers stay related to networks. This shift might require extra core capability whereas creating new monetization alternatives for operators. “We imagine agentic AI will have an effect on the core community requiring extra capability over the subsequent three to 5 years. The scale of affect continues to be to be decided,” Bolan instructed RCR Wi-fi Information.
Bolan additionally stated that Dell’Oro tasks the 5G MCN market to account for greater than 50% of the market this yr. “The MCN market is seeing a cyclical rebound, and we don’t venture progress charges as excessive as we noticed in 2025. Nonetheless, the 5G MCN market progress price shall be wholesome going ahead for the subsequent a number of years,” Bolan added.
