According to the poll, over half of all mobile operators in the world are either deploying or developing a standalone 5G network. Almost all 5G operators now use non-standalone networks. However, standalone networks are on rise: 18% of network operators polled at the end of 2020 had deployed a standalone 5G core, with a further 29% planning to do so.

5G IoT devices will generate massive volumes of data that can be stolen, destroyed, or manipulated. Virtual networks customized for specific sectors and organizations will encourage new targeted threats against them. New software and hardware supply chains will most likely lead to the introduction of untrustworthy components in the 5G ecosystem.