Despite the seemingly lagging global investment in standalone 5G networks, promising trends in the telecom sector indicate an upcoming surge. With minimal progress indicated by Global Mobile Suppliers Association’s statistics, the industry pins hopes on major moves from operators like New Zealand’s Spark and Vodafone. Meanwhile, the increasing adoption of 5G SA in private networks for various sectors shows an encouraging forecast. The journey towards profitable 5G investments seems complex, yet strides are being made in the right direction.