5G technology will make mobile broadband faster than ever, with very minimal lag time. You will also be able to connect to several devices at once. This will transform how we talk to each other and make things like smart cities, self-driving cars, and Industry 4.0 viable. 5G networks could alter the world, but there are a number of hard problems that need to be fixed before they can be utilized everywhere. To get the most out of 5G, these issues need to be properly handled. For example, security needs to be solid from the beginning to the finish, and infrastructure needs to be denser without costing too much. Operators, governments, and corporations need to fix seven fundamental obstacles before 5G can work.
1. Putting Money into Infrastructure and Making It Better
Making networks denser is one of the main issues with getting 5G to work. It requires a lot of money to do this. 5G’s millimeter wave bands have greater frequencies, however they don’t go as far as the bands of prior generations. There need to be a lot more tiny cells and base stations to cover all locations, especially in busy cities. GSMA Intelligence forecasts that by 2025, operators around the world will have to spend more than $1 trillion on 5G infrastructure. This is a lot more than what they spent on 4G networks.
- Putting up thousands of extra tiny cells entails receiving approval from local governments and following a lot of complicated requirements. It can take months to secure zoning clearances, which can slow down deployments.
- Backhaul capacity: A high-capacity backhaul, like fiber or microwave, needs to connect each new cell site to the core network. It takes a lot of time and money to build more fiber-to-the-site infrastructure.
- Shared infrastructure models: Operators are looking into deals to share networks in order to save money. These deals can be either active or not. But you need to make sure that all of these things are in sync with each other when it comes to things like the quality of service, maintenance duties, and competition.
The essential point is that a lot of operators might not be able to justify why 5G densification costs so much up front without new means to pay for it, such as public-private partnerships (PPPs), government grants, or sharing ownership of infrastructure.
2. Managing and Allocating Spectrum
You need to have the proper spectrum available for good 5G performance. Governments throughout the world need to find a way to balance what current users need, such as satellite services and fixed communications, with what they need for new 5G allocations. Most of the time, these are in the low-band (< 1 GHz), mid-band (1–6 GHz), and millimeter-wave (> 24 GHz) ranges.
- Issues with auction design: Many authorities utilize auctions to hand out permits, but if the reserve prices are too high, consumers might not want to bid. The spectrum assets could not be valued as much if they are too low.
- Harmonization: Different national policies make things less structured, which makes it harder for device producers to take advantage of economies of scale and increasing the cost of chipsets. It’s also tougher to roam and set up networks that straddle countries when there aren’t any band plans that everyone agrees on.
- DSS makes it easier for 4G and 5G to use the same band. You will need to upgrade both your network hardware and the spectrum licenses you already have in order to use DSS.
To speed up the rollout of 5G, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened the 3.45 GHz mid-band for auction in the US in 2023. The auction brought in more than $23 billion and was praised for achieving a solid balance between making money and serving the needs of the network.
3. Safety and Privacy from Beginning to End
5G is becoming a key part of vital services including electricity grids, transportation, and healthcare. It also makes it much more crucial to keep your computer protected. 5G can be attacked in new ways because of its size and the fact that it is reliant on software:
- Network slicing vulnerabilities: Slicing enables multiple virtual networks use the same infrastructure, but if the isolation isn’t done effectively, attackers can travel between slices, which puts services with varied security demands at risk.
- Supply chain risks: It’s tougher to make sure that hardware and firmware from multiple manufacturers function together when you obtain them from different places. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security cautions that networks can be susceptible to malware and hidden backdoors if you choose vendors you don’t trust.
- Edge computing threats: Hackers can get into networks more easily when computer resources are at the edge, but they also get in faster. Strong encryption and authentication are required for edge nodes.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued its 5G Network Security Design Principles in June 2025. These rules help keep traffic segregated, develop zero-trust architectures, and keep an eye on things all the time.
4. Making Existing Systems Work with New Ones
When you add 5G to 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G networks, there are concerns with both the technology and how things work:
- Interworking functions (IWFs): Gateways that alter signaling and data protocols between generations have to handle packets that come in different formats, have varying quality of service (QoS) needs, and follow different rules for controlling mobility.
- Continuity of service: Voice services that used to run on circuit-switched 2G/3G need solutions like Voice over New Radio (VoNR) or a move back to LTE’s VoLTE. This can make calls less dependable while the switch is going on.
- Compatibility with devices: 5G won’t function with many older devices, thus networks need to be able to support more than one RAT (radio access technology) at the same time. This means they need additional gear and spectrum.
A phased migration plan that starts with non-standalone (NSA) 5G, which uses existing 4G cores, and then moves on to standalone (SA) deployments can help cut costs straight away. It will take longer to see all the benefits of 5G, like ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) and network slicing.
5. Using Energy and Being Good for the Environment
The tiny cells that make up the 5G network every few hundred meters consume a lot more electricity. Studies reveal that if nothing is done to make 5G networks perform better, they could use up to twice as much energy as 4G networks of the same type.
- Extensive sleep modes: Base stations can go into low-power states when there isn’t much traffic, but maintaining these modes over thousands of cells needs extensive network management.
- Micro-grids that acquire their power from the sun or wind can help the environment, but they cost money to buy the technology and storage space they need.
- We need to steadily convert to modern radio units and CPUs that require less electricity. This will need continuing capital spending.
We need to use a mix of innovative technology, network design, and renewable energy to assist the sector accomplish its sustainability goals. For example, Ericsson plans to cut CO2 emissions in half by 2030.
6. Rules and Policies That Are Hard to Follow
Because of different rules, 5G can be slower in some places:
- Some localities have ceased putting up tiny cells because people are afraid of being exposed to radiofrequency (RF) waves. According to the World Health Organization, 5G RF levels are still safe under international standards.
- Data localization guidelines say that, for example, India and China must keep information about their residents in their own countries. This makes it tougher for data to transit between countries and implies that additional infrastructure needs to be created.
- Antitrust and competition: Regulators need to make sure that hosting spectrum auctions and sharing networks don’t hinder competition. They need to find a way to combine the requirement for quick network rollouts with the safety and health of their customers.
The ITU wants to see uniform policy frameworks that make it easy for people to invest in 5G and for it to work together. They underline how crucial it is for entities that develop standards, governments, and operators to talk to each other.
7. Not Enough Talent and Skill Gaps
To put up, keep up, and improve 5G networks, you need talents that are still hard to find:
- There is a lot of need for network engineers who know a lot about software-defined networking (SDN), virtualized RAN (vRAN), and orchestration platforms.
- IT teams should engage with security specialists who know about 5G dangers and how to stop them.
- We need professionals who can work in telecommunications, data science, and application development to bring 5G together with IoT, AI, and edge computing.
Governments and companies are spending money on training programs, certifications, and partnerships with schools to make sure there are enough individuals who can work with next-generation networks. For example, the GSMA’s 5G Academy program works with schools and universities to teach students about basic security principles, network slicing, and cloud-native cores.
More Things to Think About
Along with the seven primary ones, there are also some other problems that need to be solved:
- People and businesses need to know about the real benefits of 5G, such as enhanced mobile broadband, fixed wireless access, and mission-critical services, in order to use it.
- Requirements that are not the same for every vertical: Smart manufacturing and remote surgery are two examples of industrial usage that need more security, less latency, and more reliability than typical mobile use.
- Startups, developers, and system integrators need to be able to easily build on 5G platforms, APIs, reference architectures, and sandbox environments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it cost more to bring out 5G than 4G? 5G uses bands with greater frequencies and shorter ranges, so more tiny cells need to be close to one other. Both improving the transport (fiber) and virtualizing the core network will cost more money to set up and run.
Can 4G and 5G use the same spectrum at the same time? Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) lets both technologies use the same frequency band at the same time. Base stations need both hardware and software to work with DSS.
What are people doing to make sure that 5G networks are safe? Standards groups and organizations like NIST have created security frameworks that emphasize topics like network slicing isolation, zero-trust designs, supply chain risk management, and continuous monitoring.
What do laws and rules do to the rollout of 5G? Rules about spectrum auctions, zoning for small cells, data localization, and health standards can all make installations go faster or slower. It is easier for people to travel to other nations and for businesses to save money on equipment when the rules are the same in all locations.
Will 5G need more energy? Yes, maybe, as there are more cell locations. But sophisticated sleep modes, hardware optimization, and the ability to use renewable energy are all supposed to minimize the amount of energy the network uses while dramatically boosting its capacity.
What are the differences between 5G SA and 5G NSA?
- NSA (Non-Standalone) leverages 4G LTE cores that are already in use, which makes it easier to put out but only for improved mobile broadband.
- SA (Standalone) has its own 5G core, which lets it exploit all of its functionalities, such as URLLC and network slicing.
What can businesses do to get ready for 5G? Companies should think about new methods to leverage IoT and AR/VR, collaborate with network providers on test installations, train their workers, and figure out how to link to edge computing and security frameworks.
To Put It Simply
Operators, equipment vendors, regulators, and companies all need to cooperate together to make 5G technology function. To fully fulfill the potential of 5G, stakeholders must address the seven primary issues: investing in infrastructure, managing spectrum, assuring security, making legacy technologies operate together, improving energy efficiency, simplifying laws, and cultivating talent. To make 5G the safe, reliable backbone of the digital society of the future, the telecom industry needs to constantly come up with new methods to pay for things, set regulations, and fix technical faults. This is because standards are improving and new best practices are being developed.
References
- GSMA Intelligence, The State of 5G 2024, GSMA, February 2025. Available: https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/research-file-download?file=210224-The-State-of-5G-2024.pdf&id=79791087
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Auction 109: 3.45 GHz Service, December 2023. Available: https://www.fcc.gov/auction/109
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 5G Network Security Design Principles, June 17, 2025. Available: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2025/06/new-nist-5g-cybersecurity-white-paper-network-security-design-principles
- ResearchGate, Challenges facing the implementation of 5G, April 7, 2022. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359810995_Challenges_facing_the_implementation_of_5G
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Privacy and Security Implications of 5G Technology, March 2021. Available: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/privacy_and_security_implications_of_5g_technology_0.pdf
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Setting the Scene for 5G: Opportunities & Challenges, September 10, 2018. Available: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Documents/ITU_5G_REPORT-2018.pdf
- DecisionTele, 5G Implementation: Global Impact, Benefits, and Challenges, August 26, 2024. Available: https://decisiontele.com/news/perspectives-and-barriers-5g-implementation-and-its-impact-small-and-medium-businesses.html
