5G Standalone in 2026: Deployment Is Growing, Results Still Vary
European Commission and Opensignal findings show how standalone deployment and real-world latency improvements differ by market.
Data source: European Commission Digital Decade 2026 5G Observatory and Opensignal 2026 analysis
Standalone deployment remains uneven
5G coverage does not necessarily mean a device is connected to a 5G Standalone (SA) core. Non-standalone 5G can use a 5G radio while relying on a 4G core. The European Commission’s 2026 5G Observatory reports that SA base stations represented 20.9% of all mobile base stations in the EU in 2025. Its comparison lists 36.2% in the United States, 34.8% in China, 26.3% in Japan, and 26.2% in South Korea. These are deployment shares, not the share of user tests connected to SA.
Latency gains depend on the market
Opensignal’s 2026 analysis compares user experience on SA and non-standalone 5G. It reports lower latency on SA in several markets, including Japan (27% lower), the United States (25%), the UAE (23%), and Singapore (18%). It reports much smaller differences in India (2%) and Canada (1%). The comparison shows why a single global claim about SA latency would be misleading: core architecture is only one part of the end-to-end route to an application.
How to interpret a mobile test
A speed test records one device, location, cell, time, and server path. Radio conditions, cell load, handset capability, and the route beyond the mobile network can all affect the result. To compare SA and non-standalone service, use a device that supports SA, confirm the connection mode if the phone exposes it, and repeat tests at the same location and time windows. Compare latency to the same endpoint as well as download and upload throughput.
The lower-latency potential of SA does not guarantee that every application will feel faster. A distant game server or congested interconnect can dominate the round trip even when the radio and core are performing well.
Scope and limitations
The deployment percentages are the European Commission’s comparison of 2025 base-station deployments. Opensignal’s country results come from its own real-world measurement methodology. These sources measure different things and should not be combined into one adoption or performance ranking. The reported percentage changes are comparisons within Opensignal’s sample, not a promise for every operator, device, or location.