Move as fast as you can to the 5GC

Moving to the 5G core (5GC) is a major shift that affects all subscribers and that requires effort and investment. Mobile network operators (MNOs) may understandably try to push the transition to the 5GC into the future. While this delays most of the capex investment, it does not eliminate the investment and it increases the opex because the MNO has to operate both the legacy core and the 5G standalone (SA) core.

Eventually, MNOs will want to move to the 5GC because a 5G non-standalone (NSA) limits their ability to roll out new services – e.g., advanced and enterprise services that require network slicing – and fully leverage the capabilities of their 5G networks.

Our total cost of ownership (TCO) model assesses the costs of the transition to the 5GC over a 5-year period – and specifically, it estimates how the costs change as the MNO postpones the move to the 5GC.