CES vs. MWC: Which Matters Most to 5G-Advanced?

The world loves to think in terms of dichotomies. Think Chappell Roan v Sabrina Carpenter (ask your kids), Bordeaux v Burgundy, or Dogs v Cats. Many represent false choices. Regardless, they help frame our thinking, build our identities, and potentially tell us something about the future of 5G-Advanced...

…at least if we include CES v MWC in the list.

Yes, many of us attend both, recognising the immense amount of cutting- edge, global innovation each one showcases. At the same time, they have fundamentally different focuses. You’ll be disappointed, for example, if you show up to CES hoping to learn about the best way to implement open RAN, or if you make the trip to MWC in order to buy a new pool robot.

As we move into the next phase of 5G’s evolution and operators begin deploying 5G-Advanced, it’s worth asking what each event will tell us about the technology.

The 5G-Advanced story circa 2025

5G-Advanced marketing and messaging gained momentum several years back as the shape of the standard – signified by a new set of specifications beginning with 3GPP Release 18 – came into view and technology suppliers began vying for mindshare. With standards frozen and operator deployment announcements beginning last year, 2025 will be the year that momentum should kick into gear driven by three distinct propositions.

Performance-enhancing technologies such as advanced MIMO (uplink and downlink) and multi-carrier operations, along with evolved duplexing, and enhanced mobility support
Management and efficiency supports thanks to further integration of AI/ ML for network management, maintenance and service operations – including RAN intelligence on the path to 6G promises of AI-native RAN
Use case enhancements particularly around FWA, IoT and enterprise verticals including improved device positioning, low-cost IoT (RedCap), mission critical and non-public networks, incremental slicing and edge improvements and further XR support

As always, every standard includes a myriad of features and capabilities; infrastructure suppliers will attempt to deliver what they think their operator customers will want, while operators focus on features they think will resonate with their consumer and enterprise customers – helping them monetise 5G investments.

But what will the calendar’s biggest tech events tell us about those solutions and features?

2025 will be the year that momentum should kick into gear

With deployments underway, networks and network capabilities should take centre stage in an attempt to sell the benefits of a new upgrade cycle

5G-Advanced at MWC25: selling the network

Long gone are the days when MWC was a show focused primarily on networks and network solutions. The breadth of the mobile ecosystem shows up in Barcelona, a function of the industry’s scale combined with the increasing complexity and importance of mobile services. It takes a village, right?

Regardless, the 5G-Advanced story at MWC25 will revolve largely around networks and network capabilities; in the early days of any new mobile technology generation, building the networks which will support future services and use cases is the first order of duty. Without 5G-Advanced networks, after all, there can be no 5G-Advanced services or use case experimentation.

To be fair, this was all just as true in 2024. And yet, 5G-Advanced messaging at MWC24 was somewhat muted, particularly from operators. A year later, with deployments underway, networks and network capabilities should take centre stage in an attempt to sell the benefits of a new network upgrade cycle and potentially leverage 5G to drive broader network upgrades.

Which capabilities will take centre stage? My money is on…

RedCap and eRedCap (because low-cost IoT is still key to driving the digital transformation opportunity)
Enhanced Uplink (because future mobile applications will require it)
Positioning (because it could represent a truly new business opportunity for operators)
AI (because everyone wants to talk about it)

Will we hear from operators putting these capabilities to good use, back office vendors enabling services, and device makers putting 5G-Advanced capabilities into our hands? I hope so, but the network story is likely to dominate.

5G-Advanced at CES25: far from overt, but setting a foundation

If MWC will be about the “how” of 5G-Advanced (the network story), CES is about telegraphing the “why” (the use case story). Why will we need the technology? What problems can it solve?

To be clear, 5G wasn’t a major part of the messaging at CES this year. There was no shortage of 5G IoT modules, some FWA solutions, and even a few private network demos, but 5G was more of a feature than a headline value prop. What wasn’t in short supply, however, was a robust set of connected use cases providing guidance on how 5G-Advanced will be put to use.

Extended reality – requiring lots of bandwidth, particularly on the uplink
Consumer and industrial IoT – balancing demand for coverage, capacity, reliability and cost containment
Smart mobility – more demand for capacity, sure, but also positioning
Edge AI – check the box for “all of the above” in terms of requirements

Hopefully we’ll see more focus on delivering connectivity to all of these use cases next year as 5G-Advanced networks get deployed and operators gain experience with their capabilities. If not, it will be a wasted opportunity following the demos, displays and promise on display in Barcelona this year.