Policy gaps widen Europe’s 5G divide
Northern and southern Europe now lead the EU in 5G coverage, thanks to timely spectrum rollout
Europe’s 5G deployment is moving at two speeds, with northern and southern countries leading and western and eastern ones falling behind. The disparity stems less from geography and more from policy gaps in spectrum allocation and subsidy execution.
While Europe saw an increase in 5G adoption overall, reaching 44.5% time spent on 5G, the deployment of 5G Standalone remains slow. Spain and the UK are notable exceptions, with proactive policy use and EU funding helping to close the rural-urban divide.
The analysis by Ookla suggests that effective regulation, not technology gaps, will determine how competitive Europe remains in 5G. As data traffic growth slows and operator revenues remain flat, strategic national policies will decide whether Europe keeps pace globally.
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