Private wireless network statistics at a glance
Private wireless networks have moved from niche industrial pilots to a measurable global market, and the latest GSA data shows the pace clearly.
By the end of 4Q25, GSA identified 1,953 organisations worldwide deploying private mobile networks with a contract value above €100,000 (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026), across 84 countries.
Fast facts
- 1,953 organisations were deploying private mobile networks by 4Q25 (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
- Those deployments were spread across 84 countries (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
- GSA said customer references have grown at a 51% CAGR since 2017 (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
- More than half of deployments announced since 2022 have been 5G (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
- Manufacturing remained the leading sector, with education and academic research second and mining third (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
At a glance
| Metric | Latest figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Organisations deploying private mobile networks | 1,953 | GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026 |
| Countries with deployments | 84 | GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026 |
| Growth since 2017 | 51% CAGR | GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026 |
| Share of deployments announced since 2022 that have been 5G | More than half | GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026 |
| Leading sector | Manufacturing | GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026 |
| Second-ranked sector | Education and academic research | GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026 |
| Third-ranked sector | Mining | GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026 |
Private wireless network statistics and market growth trends
The clearest story in the data is expansion. GSA’s tracked base rose from 311 companies in May 2021 to 889 organisations by September 2022, then 1,077 in February 2023 and 1,148 in Q1 2023 (GSA Private Mobile Networks Executive Summary May 2021; GSA 889 organisations press release, September 2022; GSA Over 1,000 organisations press release, February 2023; GSA Over 1,148 organisations press release, Q1 2023).
That upward path continued through 2023 and 2024, reaching 1,384 customer references in Q4 2023, 1,427 in Q1 2024, and 1,489 in Q2 2024 (GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024; GSA PrivateMobileNetworks June 2024 Summary; GSA Private Mobile Networks September 2024).
By 2025, the market moved into a higher range. GSA reported 1,714 unique customer references for 2024, then 1,772 in 1Q25, 1,846 in 2Q25, 1,907 in 3Q25, and 1,953 in 4Q25 (Private Mobile Networks February 2025; Private Mobile Networks June 2025; Private Mobile Networks September 2025; Private Mobile Networks December 2025; Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
That sequence matters because it shows private wireless is no longer a one-off test lab technology. The reference base is broadening quarter by quarter, and the 4Q25 snapshot suggests continued momentum rather than a plateau.
Why the latest private wireless network statistics matter
The headline count is useful, but the structure of the market is more revealing.
Big number: GSA says customer references have grown at a 51% CAGR since 2017 by 4Q25 (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
Why it matters: A sustained compound growth rate at that level indicates repeated adoption across sectors, geographies, and deployment sizes, not just isolated flagship projects.
There is also a geographic signal. GSA said deployments reached 84 countries by 3Q25 and stayed at 84 countries in 4Q25 (Private Mobile Networks December 2025; Private Mobile Networks February 2026). That is a broad footprint for a network category that is often discussed through industrial case studies rather than global market coverage.
The market’s geographic spread was already obvious earlier. GSA had reported 40 countries and territories in May 2021, then 70 countries and territories in September 2022, 72 countries in December 2022, 74 countries in February 2023 and Q1 2023, 76 countries and territories in Q3 2023, 77 countries in Q4 2023, 78 countries in Q1 2024, and 80 countries in Q2 2024 (GSA Private Mobile Networks Executive Summary May 2021; GSA 889 organisations press release, September 2022; GSA 955 organisations press release, December 2022; GSA Over 1,000 organisations press release, February 2023; GSA Over 1,148 organisations press release, Q1 2023; GSA Private Mobile Networks November 2023 summary; GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024; GSA PrivateMobileNetworks June 2024 Summary; GSA Private Mobile Networks September 2024).
Private wireless network statistics by year and milestone
A compact timeline helps show the adoption curve more clearly.
| Period | Organisations or references | Countries | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | 311 companies in database | 40 countries and territories | Early catalogue of LTE or 5G private mobile network activity (GSA Private Mobile Networks Executive Summary May 2021) |
| September 2022 | 889 organisations | 70 countries and territories | 66 mobile operators involved; LTE accounted for 57% of deployments (GSA 889 organisations press release, September 2022) |
| December 2022 | 955 organisations | 72 countries | Continued quarterly growth (GSA 955 organisations press release, December 2022) |
| February 2023 | 1,077 organisations | 74 countries | Net addition of 122 customer references (GSA Over 1,000 organisations press release, February 2023) |
| Q1 2023 | 1,148 customer references | 74 countries | LTE used in 853 customers; 5G in 505 customers (GSA Over 1,148 organisations press release, Q1 2023) |
| Q4 2023 | 1,384 customer references | 77 countries | 28% increase since Q1 2023; 68% non-public and unique to the database (GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024) |
| Q2 2024 | 1,489 customer references | 80 countries | More than 50 equipment vendors and 66 telecom operators involved (GSA Private Mobile Networks September 2024) |
| 2024 | 1,714 unique customer references | Not stated in the dataset | Continued annual growth from Q2 2024 (Private Mobile Networks February 2025) |
| 4Q25 | 1,953 organisations | 84 countries | Latest high-water mark in the dataset (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026) |
The value of this timeline is not just scale. It shows the market crossing several thresholds: hundreds of companies, then four-digit customer references, then an 84-country deployment base.
Private wireless network statistics by technology mix
The technology mix has shifted over time, and the dataset gives a few clear markers.
In the August 2022 dataset, LTE accounted for 57% of deployments, with 672 catalogued private-network customers using LTE and 354 customers deploying 5G (GSA 889 organisations press release, September 2022).
By Q1 2023, GSA reported 853 LTE customers and 505 5G customers in the catalogued base, with 5G representing 48% of those Q1 2023 customers (GSA Over 1,148 organisations press release, Q1 2023).
By Q2 2023, the pattern shifted further: LTE was used in 899 catalogued customers, while 537 were deploying 5G, and 5G represented 44% of Q2 2023 customers (GSA 5G-ACIA and OnGo Alliance press release, September 2023).
The broader trend is that more than half of deployments announced since 2022 have been 5G (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026). That does not erase LTE’s large installed base, but it does suggest that newer deployments increasingly lean toward 5G.
Key interpretation points
- LTE still appears in many catalogued deployments, especially in earlier market snapshots (GSA 889 organisations press release, September 2022; GSA Over 1,148 organisations press release, Q1 2023).
- 5G’s share rose across the 2022 to 2026 window, especially in newly announced deployments (GSA 5G-ACIA and OnGo Alliance press release, September 2023; GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
- The market is not a binary LTE-versus-5G switch; it is a layered base of legacy, transitional, and newer projects.
Private wireless network statistics by sector
Sector mix is one of the most useful ways to understand where the technology is actually working.
The latest GSA summary says manufacturing remained the leading sector by number of deployments, education and academic research ranked second, and mining ranked third (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
The sector ranking has remained visible in earlier reports too. In the September 2024 manufacturing focus report, GSA said manufacturing had 298 customer references, education and academic research had 149, and mining had 112 (PMN Manufacturing Focus September 2024).
That alignment matters because it shows the market’s strongest use cases clustering around environments that need reliable coverage, operational control, and industrial connectivity.
Sector comparison table
| Sector | Latest comparable count in dataset | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 298 customer references | PMN Manufacturing Focus September 2024 |
| Education and academic research | 149 customer references | PMN Manufacturing Focus September 2024 |
| Mining | 112 customer references | PMN Manufacturing Focus September 2024 |
The dataset also includes a few sector-specific growth signals. Public venues and other neutral hosts grew 16% in the Q1 2024 top-15 sector ranking, and hospitals grew by more than 10% in the same update (GSA PrivateMobileNetworks June 2024 Summary). Those figures suggest the market is not confined to factories alone.
Private wireless network statistics by country and region
Country-level data adds another layer. The latest summary says the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom remained among the leading countries for adoption (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
The dataset also gives regional context from the February 2024 update. Europe accounted for 39.1% of customer references, Northern America 27.3%, Asia-Pacific 18.4%, and Latin America and the Caribbean 6.3% (GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024).
That distribution shows private wireless is global, but still concentrated in mature industrial and enterprise markets.
Regional snapshot
| Region | Share of customer references | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 39.1% | GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024 |
| Northern America | 27.3% | GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024 |
| Asia-Pacific | 18.4% | GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 6.3% | GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024 |
The growth rates in that same update reinforce the point:
- Northern America grew 36% year-on-year (GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024).
- Latin America and the Caribbean grew 34% year-on-year (GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024).
- Australia grew 18%, France 14%, Japan 11%, the UK 17%, and the US 14% among the top 10 reporting countries (GSA Private-Mobile-Networks Summary February 2024).
Private wireless network statistics from real deployments
The market-wide counts are important, but case studies help explain why adoption persists.
CIMPOR’s private 5G deployment covered three Portuguese plants: Alhandra, Souselas and Loulé (Ericsson CIMPOR case study). The company reported sub-10 ms latency, up to 1 Gbps throughput, and more than 10,000 sensors across its plants (Ericsson CIMPOR case study).
CIMPOR estimated USD 10 million in annual economic impact from about 1% overall efficiency improvement, with up to USD 1 million per plant in annual savings (Ericsson CIMPOR case study). It also associated the deployment with 140,000 tons of CO2 reduction and said the plants reached 100% paperless operations (Ericsson CIMPOR case study).
Other examples point in the same direction:
- CJ Logistics operates in 36 countries, 161 cities, and has 249 warehouse and distribution centers worldwide (Ericsson CJ Logistics case study).
- CJ Logistics reported 20% productivity gains from private 5G and about 15% capital expenditure savings versus Wi-Fi (Ericsson CJ Logistics case study).
- It used 22 5G dots instead of 300 Wi-Fi access points in one deployment (Ericsson CJ Logistics case study).
- Lufthansa Cargo said private 5G improved warehouse process speed by 70-80% and covered the entire facility with only two Ericsson radios, compared with 17 access points in the legacy Wi-Fi setup (Ericsson Lufthansa Cargo case study).
- Airtel’s manufacturing deployment covered a 165-acre plant, delivered a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and reduced latency to 20-25 ms (Ericsson Mobility Report case study).
These examples are not market averages, but they show the kinds of outcomes that keep private wireless moving from pilot projects to operational infrastructure.
Private wireless network statistics on enterprise outcomes
The enterprise survey data from Nokia adds another useful angle because it looks at what organizations did after deployment.
Nokia’s 2024 enterprise study found that 45% of interviewed enterprises were already using private wireless more broadly than initially expected (Nokia private wireless report). It also found that 100% of the 100 enterprises had expanded to more locations or more use cases (Nokia private wireless report).
The same study reported that:
- 65% saw more than 10% improvement in worker safety use cases (Nokia private wireless report).
- 79% reported at least 10% reduction in emissions after deploying private wireless (Nokia private wireless report).
- 39% had already implemented on-premise edge technology or new industrial devices after deployment (Nokia private wireless report).
- A further 52% planned to implement edge technology or new industrial devices (Nokia private wireless report).
- 75% of businesses improved efficiency by 10% when video analytics and edge compute were added (Nokia private wireless report).
What these enterprise figures suggest
- Private wireless is being reused beyond the first site or first use case.
- Safety, emissions, and efficiency are recurring outcome categories, not edge cases.
- Edge and industrial device investment often follows deployment rather than preceding it.
Private wireless network statistics and spectrum context
Private wireless growth is also tied to spectrum policy and technical choice. The FCC said the Citizens Broadband Radio Service offers 150 megahertz of spectrum (FCC 22-103).
The FCC also noted that some WISPs reported at least 100 Mbps fixed wireless speeds over distances as great as six miles using CBRS (FCC 22-103). In Philadelphia, Verizon’s median download speed on CBRS was 135.1 Mbps, compared with 64.2 Mbps on non-CBRS, while the maximum CBRS speed reached 692.1 Mbps versus 404.9 Mbps on non-CBRS (FCC 22-103).
That same FCC material said Dell’Oro estimated cumulative 2020-2025 CBRS 5G RAN investment would approach USD 500 million to USD 1 billion (FCC 22-103). The policy backdrop also matters because the FCC’s 2024 NPRM said January 8, 2023 was the latest possible transition deadline for grandfathered wireless broadband licensees in the 3.65-3.7 GHz band, and that the transition framework applied to over 2,000 part 90 incumbent licensees (FCC 24-86).
These figures do not describe private wireless adoption directly, but they help explain why the ecosystem has room to expand.
Private wireless network statistics in one place
For readers who want the shortest version, the strongest takeaways from the dataset are straightforward:
- The market reached 1,953 organisations by 4Q25 and spanned 84 countries (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
- Growth has been persistent across the period, with a 51% CAGR since 2017 (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
- Manufacturing remains the leading sector, followed by education and academic research and mining (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
- More than half of deployments announced since 2022 have been 5G (GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).
- The market has moved from hundreds of catalogued companies to a broad, multi-region enterprise network base over just a few years (GSA Private Mobile Networks Executive Summary May 2021; GSA Private Mobile Networks February 2026).