• Nokia has long been regarded as a private mobile network leader
• Research firm Omdia has now identified it as the market champion for 2025
• ZTE and Ericsson take the other positions in the top-three ranking

Nokia has been identified by research firm Omdia as the ‘champion’ of the private 5G network vendor sector, following an evaluation that “reflects the vendors’ maturity, market commitment, and ability to deliver full-stack solutions tailored to enterprise needs across vertical sectors.”

The Finnish vendor, which has long been snapping up private 5G network deals in the enterprise market – it ended March 2025 with 890 private mobile network customers – achieved “advanced” status in four of the six criteria assessed by the Omdia team. Chinese vendor ZTE was identified as a “trailblazer” (it achieved advanced status in two criteria), while Ericsson was identified as the third market leader (also with two advanced status awards).   

The report shows that private 5G networks are evolving from offering straightforward high-tech connectivity into a portfolio of integrated solutions able to address complex vertical markets. It also points out that while early commitment to the market has frequently been reflected in a clear market advantage and product maturity, things are changing as the needs of multifarious private networks evolve. 

Omdia says informed strategy and focus is paramount in ensuring continuous success, be that in creating a private 5G plus Wi-Fi offering, tailoring products to mission-critical networks or specific sub-verticals or even devising and building an edge-plus AI narrative. 

To date, private 5G has been quite a challenge to both vendors and service providers and attempts to create Tier 2 and Tier 3 distributor models have largely failed. Vendors have been forced to recognise that private networks are, by their name and nature, very specialised and to achieve growth must rely on a few trusted and properly focused partners rather than a distribution channel, perhaps as wide as the Orinoco but not the Amazon. 

The research also finds that those that failed to bridge the gap between information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) struggled to realise their aims and achieve the results they wanted. The simple fact of the matter is that where private 5G is concerned, both IT and OT must be fully aligned from the very beginning. 

Pablo Tomasi, principal analyst for private networks and enterprise 5G at Omdia, commented, “While everyone is talking about enterprises as the big opportunity for 5G, those active in private networks are making the hard yards to turn a marketing message into actual revenues. Private networks provide an opportunity for vendors and partners to pursue rational adjacencies beyond the traditional connectivity play. Nokia and ZTE for example, offer industrial applications and integration capabilities to deliver Industry 4.0. Ericsson and Celona are addressing indoor coverage challenges through neutral host networks. Huawei Enterprise Wireless is evolving railway operations through wide area critical network deployments.” 

He concludes, “These findings reflect how the private 5G market is maturing into a solution-driven, vertical-focused space.”

Meanwhile, beyond private mobile networks, success in the 5G services market is still largely elusive for most service providers in terms of incremental revenues and new business opportunities, though Deutsche Telekom likes to suggest it is bucking that trend – see DT CEO – “We are changing the narrative on 5G”.

– Martyn Warwick, Editor in Chief, TelecomTV