The asia-Pacific 5G core network market size is projected to expand from USD 2.06 billion in 2025 and USD 2.5 billion in 2026 to USD 6.59 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 21.39% between 2026 to 2031. This report is Segmented by Component (Solutions, and Services), Deployment Model (On-Premises/Dedicated, Public Cloud, and Hybrid and Telco Edge Cloud), End-User (Telecom Operators, and Enterprises), Network Function (Network Exposure Function, User Plane Function, Application Function, Unified Data Management, and More), and Country. The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).
Services are projected to expand at a CAGR of 23.44% through 2031 within the Asia-Pacific 5G core network industry. This category covers integration and deployment, consulting and advisory work, and support and maintenance. Integration remains the main service activity for greenfield standalone deployments in India and upgrades in Japan and South Korea. Legacy core coexistence adds testing and traffic cutover work to these projects. Consulting demand is also rising among mid-tier operators that lack deep internal cloud engineering teams. Therefore, the service opportunity in the Asia-Pacific 5G core network market extends beyond the initial buildout, as operators manage and optimize multi-vendor networks, adjust automation policies, and handle regular software releases required in a cloud-native environment.
On-premises and dedicated architectures are expected to account for 51.69% of the Asia-Pacific 5G core network market size in 2025. Their lead reflects the scale of Chinese Tier-1 operators and the preference for controlled core environments under state-directed infrastructure programs. China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom use standalone core deployments at a national scale. Domestic suppliers Huawei and ZTE have supported these programs. Dedicated installations also suit operators who must keep sensitive data and real-time processing within their own environments. This model remains important where sovereignty requirements are strict or latency guarantees are central to the service.
Public cloud is projected to expand at a CAGR of 26.50% through 2031. NTT DOCOMO's commercial AWS deployment gives regional peers a carrier-scale reference point for cloud-hosted core functions. Tune Talk uses AWS in Malaysia for its control plane while retaining its user plane locally on AWS Outposts at the edge. This arrangement addresses both latency and data residency requirements. Hybrid and telco edge models are also gaining traction in Japan, South Korea, and Australia. These models allow operators to use cloud capacity for less latency-sensitive functions while retaining local processing for enterprise services.
Asia-Pacific 5G Core Network Market Trends and Insights
Accelerated 5G Standalone Core Migration
Operators across the Asia-Pacific 5G core network market are moving away from non-standalone architecture because advanced 5G services require a standalone core. Network slicing, private networks, and low-latency APIs cannot offer their intended capabilities through a 4G Evolved Packet Core. This requirement turns migration into a broad software, infrastructure, and integration program, involving new packet-core functions, lifecycle tools, data migration, testing, security validation, and operational preparation before commercial traffic can be moved. NTT DOCOMO and NEC launched Japan's first commercial 5G core on AWS in February 2026. The companies said AI-based construction cut deployment time by 80%, and AWS Graviton2 processors reduced power consumption by 70%. Reliance Jio's standalone core supported 130 million users and carried 33% of its total data traffic in 2025, showing the scale available once a migration is complete.Cloud-Native Core Modernization in Tier-1 Operator Networks
Cloud-native modernization has become central to how large operators in the Asia-Pacific 5G core network market plan future network operations. Containerized functions and automated orchestration can reduce the time required to deploy and update network services. Ericsson signed a multiyear agreement with SoftBank in March 2026 to modernize nationwide core functions with a cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core. The program covers access and mobility management, mobility management entity functions, voice gateways, and policy control. Tune Talk completed the first phase of its cloud-native core modernization with Nokia in January 2026, becoming the first Southeast Asian telecommunications operator to deploy the architecture at scale. These deployments place public cloud providers more firmly within the core network supply chain, while leaving operators responsible for selecting which functions can run centrally and which require local processing for latency, resilience, or data control.High Upfront Integration Cost and Long Payback Cycles
Full standalone core programs require spending on software licenses, cloud infrastructure, orchestration tools, and multiyear integration services. This burden is particularly difficult for smaller operators in Southeast Asia, Pacific markets, and South Asia. Lower average revenue per user limits their ability to absorb the cost within normal investment cycles. Integration work for testing, multi-vendor orchestration, and live traffic migration can account for 30-40% of the project cost. These expenses can emerge late in the project and postpone the launch of enterprise services. Managed service and core-as-a-service models can reduce this pressure by spreading implementation and operating costs over a longer period, but availability outside Japan and Australia remains limited for operators that need local support and proven delivery partners.Other drivers and restraints analyzed in the detailed report include:
- Network Slicing Demand from Manufacturing and Industrial IoT
- Private Networks and Enterprise API Monetization
- Legacy EPC Coexistence Delays and Migration Complexity
Segment Analysis
Solutions are expected to hold 61.19% of the Asia-Pacific 5G core network market share in 2025. This category includes packet-core software, network functions virtualization infrastructure, and orchestration and management tools. Packet-core software is highly valuable because operators license separate functions that they can upgrade and scale without replacing every hardware layer. Access and mobility management, session management, and user plane functions are examples of these disaggregated functions. Commercial off-the-shelf servers and Kubernetes platforms remain important parts of the infrastructure stack. However, public-cloud contracts are taking on some infrastructure spending that previously went to owned platforms.Services are projected to expand at a CAGR of 23.44% through 2031 within the Asia-Pacific 5G core network industry. This category covers integration and deployment, consulting and advisory work, and support and maintenance. Integration remains the main service activity for greenfield standalone deployments in India and upgrades in Japan and South Korea. Legacy core coexistence adds testing and traffic cutover work to these projects. Consulting demand is also rising among mid-tier operators that lack deep internal cloud engineering teams. Therefore, the service opportunity in the Asia-Pacific 5G core network market extends beyond the initial buildout, as operators manage and optimize multi-vendor networks, adjust automation policies, and handle regular software releases required in a cloud-native environment.
On-premises and dedicated architectures are expected to account for 51.69% of the Asia-Pacific 5G core network market size in 2025. Their lead reflects the scale of Chinese Tier-1 operators and the preference for controlled core environments under state-directed infrastructure programs. China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom use standalone core deployments at a national scale. Domestic suppliers Huawei and ZTE have supported these programs. Dedicated installations also suit operators who must keep sensitive data and real-time processing within their own environments. This model remains important where sovereignty requirements are strict or latency guarantees are central to the service.
Public cloud is projected to expand at a CAGR of 26.50% through 2031. NTT DOCOMO's commercial AWS deployment gives regional peers a carrier-scale reference point for cloud-hosted core functions. Tune Talk uses AWS in Malaysia for its control plane while retaining its user plane locally on AWS Outposts at the edge. This arrangement addresses both latency and data residency requirements. Hybrid and telco edge models are also gaining traction in Japan, South Korea, and Australia. These models allow operators to use cloud capacity for less latency-sensitive functions while retaining local processing for enterprise services.
Complete Report Scope:
- By Component
- Solutions
- Packet-Core Software
- NFV Infrastructure
- Orchestration and Management
- Services
- Integration and Deployment
- Consulting and Advisory
- Support and Maintenance
- Solutions
- By Deployment Model
- On-Premise/Dedicated
- Public Cloud
- Hybrid and Telco Edge Cloud
- By End-User
- Telecom Operators
- Enterprises
- Manufacturing
- Energy and Utilities
- Transportation and Logistics
- Public Safety and Emergency
- Smart Cities and Municipalities
- By Network Function
- Network Exposure Function (NEF)
- User Plane Function (UPF)
- Application Function (AF)
- Unified Data Management (UDM)
- Session Management Function (SMF)
- Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF)
- Policy Control Function (PCF)
- Network Repository Function (NRF)
- Authentication Server Function (AUSF)
- Access and Mobility Management (AMF)
- By Country
- China
- India
- Japan
- South Korea
- Rest of Asia-Pacific
List of Companies Covered in this Report:
- Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
- Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.
- Nokia Corporation
- ZTE Corporation
- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
- Mavenir Systems, Inc.
- Cisco Systems, Inc.
- Oracle Corporation
- NEC Corporation
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
- Fujitsu Limited
- Druid Software Limited
- Athonet S.r.l.
- Cumucore Oy
- Red Hat, Inc.
- Intel Corporation
- Ribbon Communications Inc.
- Radisys Corporation
Additional Benefits:
- The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
- 3 months of analyst support
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
4 MARKET LANDSCAPE
5 MARKET SIZE AND GROWTH FORECASTS (VALUE)
6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
Companies Mentioned (Partial List)
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
- Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.
- Nokia Corporation
- ZTE Corporation
- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
- Mavenir Systems, Inc.
- Cisco Systems, Inc.
- Oracle Corporation
- NEC Corporation
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
- Fujitsu Limited
- Druid Software Limited
- Athonet S.r.l.
- Cumucore Oy
- Red Hat, Inc.
- Intel Corporation
- Ribbon Communications Inc.
- Radisys Corporation
