Telia Shows How 5G Standalone Can Move Critical IoT Beyond Best Effort Connectivity

Telia has announced the launch of Telia Critical IoT Connectivity in Sweden, a new service that uses 5G Standalone technology to support more demanding Internet of Things applications. The announcement is interesting not just because it is another 5G SA milestone, but because it shows how operators are starting to turn the more advanced capabilities of 5G into commercial services for enterprise and public sector customers.

For years, IoT connectivity has often been discussed in terms of coverage, device volumes, battery life and cost. These are still important, especially for massive IoT applications such as smart meters, trackers and simple sensors. But not all IoT is the same. Some applications need much more than occasional data transfer. They need predictable performance, low latency, stronger security and the ability to keep working reliably when the network is under pressure.

That is where Telia’s announcement becomes significant. The company describes Critical IoT Connectivity as a service for highly demanding use cases in sectors such as emergency services, energy, transport, industry and healthcare. These are areas where connectivity is not just useful, but can become part of the operational fabric. A delayed meter reading may be inconvenient, but delayed video from an emergency vehicle, unreliable remote control in an industrial environment, or poor connectivity for critical infrastructure monitoring can have a much bigger impact.

The key technical shift here is 5G Standalone. Many early 5G deployments used 5G Non-Standalone, where the 5G radio was added while the network continued to rely on the 4G core. That helped operators launch 5G services quickly and deliver better mobile broadband, but many of the deeper 5G capabilities depend on the 5G Core. With 5G SA, the radio access network connects directly to the 5G Core, allowing the network to support more advanced service control, security, traffic management and slicing.

Network slicing is one of the most important parts of this story. Instead of treating every connection in the same best-effort way, slicing allows an operator to create logical network slices with different characteristics. One slice could be optimised for high reliability and low latency, another for high-performance video, another for massive IoT, and another for standard best-effort connectivity. The physical network may be shared, but the service behaviour can be differentiated.

For operators, this is an important step. 5G SA is not only about faster speeds for consumers. It is about creating a more flexible platform where different applications can be given different treatment depending on their requirements. That becomes especially relevant for IoT, because a smart meter, a video camera, a connected ambulance, an industrial robot and a remote monitoring system do not all need the same network behaviour.

Telia’s service also highlights the role of the public mobile network in critical IoT. Private 5G networks remain very important, especially for factories, ports, mines, airports, campuses and other controlled environments where local coverage, dedicated infrastructure and tight operational control are required. But there are many IoT use cases that are not limited to a single site. Transport systems, energy assets, emergency services, connected vehicles, field operations and distributed infrastructure often need wide-area connectivity.

This is where public 5G SA with slicing becomes attractive. It can offer a route to more predictable and secure connectivity over a much wider geography than a private network. Telia points to its Swedish 5G network coverage, which reaches 99.9% of the population and more than 94% of Sweden’s land area. That wide-area footprint matters because critical IoT often needs to work across cities, rural areas, transport corridors and distributed operational environments.

The announcement also builds on Telia’s NorthStar 5G innovation programme, which has been used to give partners early access to advanced 5G capabilities. This is worth noting because many of the most interesting enterprise 5G services are unlikely to appear fully formed overnight. They need trials, ecosystem development, operational learning and a better understanding of where customers are willing to pay for differentiated connectivity.

The bigger question for operators is whether 5G SA can help move enterprise IoT beyond simple connectivity pricing. If operators can offer more predictable performance, stronger isolation, security, policy control and service-level differentiation, then critical IoT becomes a more valuable proposition than a standard SIM or data plan. That does not mean every IoT application needs 5G SA or slicing, but it does mean operators have a stronger story for use cases where best effort is not enough.

There is also a need for realism. 5G SA does not automatically make every application ultra-reliable or ultra-low latency everywhere. The actual service experience will depend on how the network is designed, how the slice is configured, the available radio conditions, device capabilities, coverage, service-level agreements and operational processes. But the direction of travel is clear. 5G SA gives operators more tools to create differentiated services, and critical IoT is one of the clearest areas where those tools can be useful.

For the telecoms industry, this is the kind of announcement that matters because it connects technology evolution with commercial service design. 5G SA, 5G Core and network slicing have often been discussed in technical terms. Telia’s Critical IoT Connectivity shows how these capabilities can be packaged into something easier for enterprises and public sector organisations to understand: secure, stable and predictable connectivity for important operational applications.

The real opportunity is not just to connect more things. It is to connect the right things with the right level of performance, reliability, security and control. That is where 5G Standalone could become much more relevant for operators, enterprises and society-critical services.

We have also made a short explainer video on how 5G Standalone is being used for critical IoT, using this Telia announcement as an example:

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• Operator Watch Blog: Telia 5G Strategy and Services 

Sri Lanka’s Mobile Market Enters the 5G Era After Consolidation

Sri Lanka’s telecoms market has moved through a difficult period since the economic crisis of 2022, when operators had to deal with currency depreciation, higher energy costs, power shortages and weaker consumer spending. The market now appears to be stabilising, but growth is no longer coming from basic mobile adoption. Instead, the story is increasingly about consolidation, mobile broadband usage, spectrum, and the first phase of commercial 5G.

According to data from GSMA Intelligence, by late 2025, Sri Lanka had 30.3 million cellular mobile connections, equivalent to around 130% of the population. That high penetration reflects the familiar pattern of multiple SIM ownership rather than universal individual adoption. At the same time, the total number of connections fell slightly, down by 314,000 or 1.0% during 2025, suggesting a saturated market still shaped by economic pressures.

On the technology side, the market continues to shift towards higher-speed networks. Around 91.3% of all connections are now classified as “broadband”, meaning they operate on 3G, 4G, or 5G networks. However, this should be interpreted with caution: not all of these subscriptions actively use mobile data, as some plans remain limited to voice and SMS services.

The operator landscape has also become simpler. Dialog Axiata completed its acquisition of Airtel Lanka in 2024, reducing the mobile market to three main network operators: Dialog, SLT-Mobitel and Hutch. This consolidation gives Dialog greater scale and spectrum efficiency, but it also increases the importance of regulatory oversight to ensure competition remains healthy.

The most significant change came in December 2025, when TRCSL awarded 5G spectrum following Sri Lanka’s first spectrum auction. Dialog and SLT-Mobitel each received 100 MHz in the 3.5 GHz band, while Dialog also secured 200 MHz in the 27 GHz band for high-capacity 5G deployments. This formally moved Sri Lanka from years of trials and pre-commercial activity into the commercial 5G phase.

Dialog Axiata remains the clear market leader in Sri Lanka, with a subscriber base of over 19 million users, giving it an estimated market share of around 55–60% of mobile connections. The operator has consistently led on technology, being the first to introduce successive generations of mobile networks including commercial 5G services, and continues to expand its next-generation footprint through partnerships such as its 5G RAN deployment with Ericsson and is now leading the country’s transition to 5G, having launched commercial services with over 220 live sites initially serving more than 1.5 million users, and rapidly expanding to over 800 sites nationwide within months of launch. Dialog’s early 5G rollout is underpinned by a strong spectrum position, including holdings in both the 3.5 GHz mid-band for coverage and 27 GHz mmWave spectrum for high-capacity use cases, positioning it well for advanced consumer and enterprise applications . The operator has further strengthened its leadership through the acquisition of Airtel Lanka, enabling greater scale, spectrum efficiency, and network synergies in an increasingly consolidated market.

Hutch, the Sri Lankan operation of CK Hutchison Holdings, remains the smallest of the country’s three mobile network operators but continues to position itself as a value-focused challenger. Hutch serves around 3.6–3.8 million subscribers, giving it an estimated market share of 10–12%, and positioning it as the third-largest provider.

The operator gained scale following its 2018 acquisition and integration of Etisalat Lanka, creating a combined entity with an estimated market share of around 25–26% and establishing it as the third-largest provider, just behind SLT-Mobitel. Hutch has since focused on expanding 4G coverage, having initially launched LTE services in the Western Province in 2018 before extending its footprint across the country, particularly in densely populated areas, while maintaining a strong emphasis on competitively priced data offerings.

On the technology front, Hutch has demonstrated early 5G readiness, conducting its first live 5G trial in March 2021 at its One Galle Face experience centre after receiving a trial licence from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka. The trial, carried out in partnership with ZTE, achieved peak speeds of around 1.8 Gbps alongside low latency performance and showcased use cases including cloud gaming, remote collaboration, and high-definition video streaming. Despite these early demonstrations, Hutch has yet to move to large-scale commercial 5G deployment, reflecting a more measured investment approach compared to larger rivals.

SLT-Mobitel, the mobile arm of Sri Lanka Telecom, has a legacy stretching back over 160 years, originating with the first telegraphic circuit between Galle and Colombo in 1858, and the country’s first international telegraph link to India.. Today, SLT-Mobitel serves an estimated 6–6.5 million subscribers, representing roughly 18–20% of the market, positioning it as the second-largest operator after Dialog.

The operator has expanded its pre-commercial 5G network to key cities including Colombo, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Galle, and Jaffna, offering both mobile broadband and fixed wireless access (FWA) services. In 2021, SLT Group CEO Lalith Seneviratne confirmed plans for a pre-commercial 5G launch using spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band allocated by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, initially targeting enterprise applications. Full commercial deployment is contingent on final spectrum licensing, with an estimated one-year rollout period once approvals are issued. SLT-Mobitel has earmarked around USD 100 million for 5G network deployment, in addition to approximately USD 15 million for spectrum acquisition.

Sri Lanka’s mobile market has evolved rapidly since the economic turbulence of 2022, moving from a period of consolidation and cautious investment to one of technological advancement and 5G deployment. Dialog Axiata, with its dominant 55–60% market share, continues to lead the market through aggressive 5G rollout, spectrum strength, and the integration of Airtel Lanka, securing its position at the forefront of innovation. SLT-Mobitel leverages its long-standing infrastructure legacy and strategic investment in pre-commercial 5G to maintain its role as the second-largest operator, targeting both urban and enterprise users. Meanwhile, Hutch has carved out a value-focused niche, expanding 4G coverage nationwide and demonstrating early 5G capability through trials in partnership with ZTE, positioning itself as a smaller but agile competitor.

With 5G networks now operational in key cities, and operators investing in LTE densification and spectrum refarming for wider coverage, Sri Lanka is entering a new phase of digital connectivity. While challenges such as device affordability, rural coverage, and ROI considerations remain, the combination of network upgrades, regulatory support, and market consolidation suggests that Sri Lanka is well on its way to becoming a mature, 5G-enabled mobile market, offering both consumers and enterprises faster, more reliable, and innovative mobile services.

Overall, Sri Lanka is entering a more mature phase of mobile market development. Subscriber growth is limited, the number of operators has reduced, and 5G is now moving from demonstrations to commercial service. The key questions are no longer whether Sri Lanka will launch 5G, but how quickly coverage will expand, how affordable 5G devices and tariffs will be, and whether operators can turn new spectrum into profitable consumer and enterprise services.

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• Operator Watch Blog: Dialog Launches First Immersive Metaverse, Futureverse, in Sri Lanka
• Operator Watch Blog: Sri Lanka Mobile Operators struggling in face of Rising Operational Costs and Inflation