GSA counted 313 completed, planned or in-progress 2G and 3G network switch-offs across 89 countries and territories by June 2026, and every one of them forces voice traffic onto IMS: VoLTE on 4G, and increasingly VoNR on 5G standalone. The foundation is already wide, with 320 operators that have launched or are deploying VoLTE in 138 countries (GSA, LTE to 5G Evolution, May 2025) and an Ericsson forecast of 7.8 billion IMS voice subscriptions by 2029. VoNR is the newer layer: 98 operators have launched or soft launched 5G standalone (GSA, August 2026), yet Telefonica only completed the first nationwide VoNR rollout in Spain in December 2025. For the broader picture of how people still use the voice channel, see our phone call statistics. We aggregated data from GSA, Ericsson, GSMA, Ookla, Kaleido Intelligence, EENA, Australia’s ACMA, carrier announcements and other primary sources listed in the methodology.
TL;DR
- 313 2G and 3G switch-offs completed, planned or in progress in 89 countries and territories (GSA, 2G and 3G Switch-Off, August 2026).
- 320 operators have launched or are deploying VoLTE in 138 countries and territories (GSA, LTE to 5G Evolution, May 2025).
- 7.8 billion subscriptions with IMS-based 4G and 5G voice forecast by end of 2029 (Ericsson Mobility Report, voice outlook).
- 98 operators have launched or soft launched 5G standalone, the prerequisite for VoNR (GSA, Public Networks and Operators, August 2026).
- 5G SA subscriptions forecast to reach 4.1 billion by end of 2031 (Ericsson Mobility Report, November 2025).
- Telefonica completed nationwide VoNR in Spain across more than 5,700 municipalities in December 2025 (Telefonica, December 2025).
- 17.6% of global 5G Speedtest samples ran on SA networks in Q4 2025 (Ookla and Omdia, February 2026).
- Europe’s 5G SA sample share was only 2.8%, versus 31.6% in the US (Ookla and Omdia, February 2026).
- 102 of 174 operators retiring 3G have completed the switch-off (GSA, August 2026).
- Two-thirds of 68 surveyed operators have bilateral VoLTE roaming agreements (Kaleido Intelligence, Wholesale Roaming 2026 MNO Survey).
- Over 60% of those operators are not preparing for VoNR roaming (Kaleido Intelligence, 2026).
- An estimated 740,000 Australian devices risked losing Triple Zero access after the 3G shutdown (estimate cited by Michael McCormack MP, April 2024).
1. VoLTE: The Global Voice Baseline
VoLTE is no longer a rollout story, it is the floor. GSA counts 375 operators investing in VoLTE across 156 countries and territories, including 320 that have launched or are deploying it in 138 (GSA, LTE to 5G Evolution, May 2025). Growth has shifted from new networks to voice migration on existing ones: GSA tracked only 18 new LTE launches between 2022 and May 2025, so almost every remaining VoLTE launch is an operator moving voice off 2G or 3G on an LTE network it already runs.
The subscriber side is bigger still. Ericsson’s voice and communication services outlook puts VoLTE at about 6.3 billion subscriptions by the end of 2024 and forecasts 7.8 billion subscriptions with IMS-based 4G and 5G voice by the end of 2029, around 90% of all combined 4G and 5G subscriptions. The 10% gap is the remaining pool of handsets and networks that still fall back to circuit-switched calls, and it is the population at risk when legacy networks go dark.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Operators investing in VoLTE | 375 in 156 countries and territories | GSA, LTE to 5G Evolution, May 2025 |
| Operators that launched or are deploying VoLTE | 320 in 138 countries and territories | GSA, LTE to 5G Evolution, May 2025 |
| New LTE network launches, 2022 to May 2025 | 18 | GSA, LTE to 5G Evolution, May 2025 |
| Operators investing in LTE-Advanced | 375 in 156 countries and territories | GSA, LTE to 5G Evolution, May 2025 |
| VoLTE subscriptions, end of 2024 | About 6.3 billion | Ericsson Mobility Report, voice outlook |
| IMS voice (4G and 5G) subscriptions forecast, end of 2029 | 7.8 billion | Ericsson Mobility Report, voice outlook |
| IMS voice share of combined 4G and 5G subscriptions, 2029 | Around 90% | Ericsson Mobility Report, voice outlook |
Context note: the GSA VoLTE figures are the most recent public totals we could find (May 2025). GSA publishes newer operator counts to members, and the next public VoLTE tally is likely to be higher.
2. 5G Standalone: The Foundation VoNR Needs
VoNR only works on a 5G standalone core, so the SA count is the real ceiling on how many carriers can offer voice over 5G. 95 operators had launched a 5G SA service by April 2026, a 42% rise since Q1 2025 (GSA, State of the Market, April 2026), and GSA’s August 2026 operator report raised that to 98 that have launched or soft launched SA. Set against 392 operators with any commercial 5G network, roughly one in four 5G operators (95 of 392, about 24%) has the core needed for native 5G voice. The rest still hand every call back to LTE.
Ericsson sees the same curve from the subscriber side. Its November 2025 Mobility Report press release counted more than 90 service providers with SA, about 30 more than a year earlier, and forecast 4.1 billion 5G SA subscriptions by the end of 2031, 65% of all 5G subscriptions. The June 2026 edition reports 5G subscriptions passing 3.1 billion in Q1 2026. Our 5G adoption statistics cover the consumer side of that growth.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Operators with a launched 5G SA service | 95 (+42% since Q1 2025) | GSA, State of the Market, April 2026 |
| Operators that launched or soft launched 5G SA | 98 | GSA, Public Networks and Operators, August 2026 |
| Operators with commercial 5G networks | 392 (+14% vs March 2025) | GSA, State of the Market, April 2026 |
| Operators investing in 5G-Advanced | 35 (+71% year over year) | GSA, State of the Market, April 2026 |
| Announced 5G devices | 4,256 (+24%) | GSA, State of the Market, April 2026 |
| Global 5G subscriptions | 3.1 billion (Q1 2026) | Ericsson Mobility Report, June 2026 |
| 5G SA subscriptions | 1.65 billion (2025), 3.87 billion forecast (2031) | Ericsson Mobility Report key figures, November 2025 |
| 5G SA subscriptions forecast, end of 2031 | 4.1 billion (65% of 5G) | Ericsson press release, November 2025 |
Context note: Ericsson’s key figures table (3.87 billion SA subscriptions in 2031) and its press release (4.1 billion) differ; both come from the November 2025 edition, and we cite each with its own label.
3. VoNR Launches: Who Actually Runs Voice Over 5G
The VoNR map is still a list of named launches rather than a market share. Ericsson’s voice outlook says commercial VoNR service references are now live in North America, Asia, Europe and India, that all major chipset and device vendors support VoNR in smartphones, and that the first ViNR (video over NR) networks, including service provider interconnect, are in commercial service. The device gap that held VoNR back in 2021, when GSA counted 42 devices and 40 chipsets supporting it (GSA press release, 2021), has closed. The bottleneck now is the SA core and roaming, not the handset.
The milestones show how slowly ‘live’ becomes ‘everywhere’. T-Mobile US switched VoNR on in parts of Portland and Salt Lake City in June 2022 and in March 2023 said it planned to cover 100 million people (T-Mobile, March 2023). Vodafone Germany activated VoNR in Frankfurt, Leipzig and parts of Dusseldorf in July 2023 (RCR Wireless). Telefonica needed until December 19, 2025 to claim the first nationwide VoNR rollout in Spain, across more than 5,700 municipalities (Telecompaper).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile US commercial VoNR launch | June 2022 (Portland, Salt Lake City) | T-Mobile, June 2022 |
| T-Mobile VoNR coverage target | 100 million people | T-Mobile, March 2023 |
| Vodafone Germany VoNR activation | July 2023 (Frankfurt, Leipzig, parts of Dusseldorf) | Vodafone Germany via RCR Wireless, July 2023 |
| du (UAE) first commercial VoNR in the country | February 2025 | du via RCR Wireless, February 2025 |
| Bell VoNR for iPhone | August 2025, Greater Toronto Area | iPhone in Canada, August 2025 |
| Telefonica Spain nationwide VoNR | December 2025, 5,700+ municipalities | Telefonica, December 2025 |
| VTel (US) native 5G SA VoNR roaming deal | March 31, 2026; model for 50+ fixed wireless providers | VTel and Ericsson, March 2026 |
| Devices and chipsets supporting VoNR (baseline) | 42 devices, 40 chipsets | GSA, 2021 (most recent available device count of its kind) |
Asia runs the largest SA user bases. China had 1.19 billion 5G mobile users, 65.3% of all mobile users, on 4.83 million 5G base stations by November 2025 (MIIT data via RCR Wireless), and Huawei says New Calling, the IMS data-channel voice service built on VoLTE and VoNR, passed 80 million users in China in 2025 (Huawei press release, February 2026). In India, Jio, which runs the largest SA network outside China, reported 268 million 5G users at the end of March 2026 (RCR Wireless).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| China 5G mobile users | 1.19 billion (65.3% of mobile users), Nov 2025 | MIIT via RCR Wireless, January 2026 |
| China 5G base stations | 4.83 million, Nov 2025 | MIIT via RCR Wireless, January 2026 |
| New Calling users in China | More than 80 million (2025) | Huawei press release, February 2026 |
| Terminal models supporting New Calling data channel | More than 70 | Huawei press release, February 2026 |
| Jio 5G users | 268 million (77 million added in FY26) | Jio results via RCR Wireless, May 2026 |
| Jio 5G share of mobile traffic | About 55% | Jio results via RCR Wireless, May 2026 |
Context note: the 80 million New Calling figure comes from a vendor (Huawei) and is not independently audited. du announced its launch on February 19, 2025; some 2026 blogs misdate it to 2026.
4. SA Availability: How Often Phones Are Actually on 5G Standalone
Launch counts say a carrier can offer VoNR; availability says how often a phone is in a place to use it. Only 17.6% of global 5G Speedtest samples ran on standalone networks in Q4 2025, about one in six (Ookla and Omdia, 5G SA report, February 2026, as reported by Capacity). A VoNR call needs SA coverage for its whole duration, so this share is a rough upper bound on how much 5G voice could be native today.
The geography is lopsided. The US SA share rose from 23.4% to 31.6% in a year and Singapore sits at 38.9%, while Europe’s SA sample share only grew from 1.1% to 2.8%. That gap explains why Europe’s VoNR announcements are mostly city-level, and why Telefonica’s nationwide claim in Spain (8.3% SA share) stood out. The upside for operators is performance: SA median download speeds of 269.51 Mbps ran 52% ahead of non-standalone 5G.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global 5G SA share of Speedtest samples | 17.6% (Q4 2025) | Ookla and Omdia, February 2026 |
| United States SA share | 23.4% (Q4 2024) to 31.6% (Q4 2025) | Ookla and Omdia, February 2026 |
| Singapore SA share | 38.9% (Q4 2025) | Ookla and Omdia, February 2026 |
| Europe SA share | 1.1% to 2.8% year over year | Ookla and Omdia, February 2026 |
| Austria / Spain / UK / France SA share | 8.7% / 8.3% / 7% / 5.9% | Ookla and Omdia, February 2026 |
| Hong Kong SA share | 8.8% (+7.1 points) | Ookla and Omdia, February 2026 |
| Global SA median download speed | 269.51 Mbps (52% above non-standalone) | Ookla and Omdia, February 2026 |
Context note: Speedtest samples measure where users run tests, not where calls are placed, so these shares approximate SA exposure rather than VoNR usage. No regulator or vendor publishes a global VoNR share of voice minutes.
5. 2G and 3G Sunsets: The Force Pushing Voice to IMS
Sunsets are what turn VoLTE from optional to mandatory. GSA tracked 313 completed, planned or in-progress 2G and 3G switch-offs in 89 countries and territories by June 2026, up from 278 in 83 markets a year earlier (GSA, 2G and 3G Switch-Off, August 2026). 3G is going first: 102 of 174 operators retiring 3G have finished, against 56 of 139 retiring 2G, because 2G still carries low-cost IoT, alarms and roaming fallback voice.
The subscription curve confirms it. Ericsson’s key figures show 3G/WCDMA subscriptions falling from 550 million in 2024 to a forecast 200 million in 2031, and 2G/GSM from 880 million to 360 million. GSMA’s Mobile Economy 2026 expects 2G and 3G to fall to 1% and 5% of connections by 2030, while 5G reaches 57%. In the UK, operators have told the government they will not run 2G or 3G networks past 2033 at the latest (Ofcom).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2G and 3G switch-offs (completed, planned or in progress) | 313 in 89 countries and territories (June 2026) | GSA, August 2026 |
| Prior counts | 278 in 83 (June 2025), 303 in 88 (December 2025) | GSA switch-off reports, 2025 |
| Operators retiring 3G / completed | 174 in 67 markets / 102 | GSA, August 2026 |
| Operators retiring 2G / completed | 139 in 70 markets / 56 | GSA, August 2026 |
| Share of switch-off activity: Europe / Asia / Latin America and Caribbean | 43% / 26% / 9% | GSA, August 2026 |
| Retiring operators upgrading to both 4G and 5G | 58% | GSA, August 2026 |
| 3G/WCDMA subscriptions | 550M (2024), 460M (2025), 200M forecast (2031) | Ericsson Mobility Report key figures, Nov 2025 |
| 2G/GSM subscriptions | 880M (2024), 760M (2025), 360M forecast (2031) | Ericsson Mobility Report key figures, Nov 2025 |
GSMA also forecasts 5G at 57% of global connections by 2030, and Ericsson projects 4G/LTE subscriptions to fall from 4.95 billion in 2024 to 2.37 billion in 2031. That second figure matters for voice: as 4G shrinks, VoLTE’s long-term home becomes a fallback layer under VoNR rather than the main voice network. The breakdown of the GSA counts was published in the report summary and reported by TelecomLead.
6. Roaming and Emergency Calls: Where IMS Voice Still Breaks
Circuit-switched voice roamed almost everywhere by default; IMS voice roams only where two operators have signed and tested an agreement. Kaleido Intelligence’s Wholesale Roaming 2026 MNO Survey found that two-thirds of 68 Tier 1 and Tier 2+ operators had launched bilateral VoLTE roaming agreements by Q2 2026, and over 60% were not preparing for VoNR roaming (Kaleido Intelligence). The remaining third had no bilateral VoLTE roaming deal in place, at the moment the 2G and 3G layers that carried roaming voice by default are being switched off. Interoperability certification is thin too: 34 operators have passed GSMA’s VoLTE interoperability tests, 24 of them covering VoLTE, SMS over IP and IMS emergency calls (GSMA Services).
Emergency calling is where the gaps stop being commercial. On January 29, 2026 the European Emergency Number Association called for a delay to 2G/3G shutdowns, warning that some 4G phones can make normal VoLTE calls but cannot place emergency calls over 4G. Sweden’s regulator PTS ordered operators to block such phones after the December 2025 switch-off. Australia went first: ACMA rules from October 2024 required carriers to block handsets that cannot call 000 over VoLTE, and an estimate cited in parliament put the number of affected devices at 740,000. For how emergency calling volumes look in the US, see our 911 emergency call statistics.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Surveyed operators with bilateral VoLTE roaming agreements | Two-thirds of 68 (Q2 2026) | Kaleido Intelligence, Wholesale Roaming 2026 MNO Survey |
| Surveyed operators not preparing for VoNR roaming | Over 60% | Kaleido Intelligence, 2026 |
| Forecast decline in voice roaming revenues by 2030 | 80% or more | Kaleido Intelligence, 2026 |
| Operators that passed GSMA VoLTE interoperability tests | 34 | GSMA Services, VoLTE IOT results (2021-2026) |
| Of those, certified for VoLTE, SMSoIP and IMS emergency | 24 | GSMA Services, VoLTE IOT results |
| EENA call to delay 2G/3G shutdowns | January 29, 2026 | EENA press release |
| Sweden 2G/3G switch-off by Tre, Telenor and Tele2 | December 2025, blocking of non-compliant phones from early 2026 | EENA, citing PTS |
| Australian devices estimated unable to call 000 after 3G shutdown | 740,000 | Estimate cited by Michael McCormack MP, April 2024 |
Context note: the ACMA rules requiring carriers to identify, notify and block phones that cannot reach 000 are set out on ACMA’s 3G shutdown page; they were updated on October 24, 2024, and the Telstra Wholesale network discontinued 3G on October 28, 2024 (ALDI Mobile carrier notice). The 740,000 figure is a pre-shutdown estimate, not a count of blocked phones. Over-the-top calling apps run over mobile data rather than the carrier’s IMS voice core, a separate channel covered in our VoIP and UCaaS statistics.
Summary: VoLTE and VoNR Carrier Deployment by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2G and 3G switch-offs | 313 in 89 countries and territories | GSA, August 2026 |
| Operators launched or deploying VoLTE | 320 in 138 countries and territories | GSA, May 2025 |
| Operators investing in VoLTE | 375 in 156 countries and territories | GSA, May 2025 |
| VoLTE subscriptions, end of 2024 | About 6.3 billion | Ericsson Mobility Report |
| IMS voice subscriptions forecast, 2029 | 7.8 billion (about 90% of 4G+5G) | Ericsson Mobility Report |
| Operators with 5G SA launched or soft launched | 98 | GSA, August 2026 |
| 5G SA growth, Q1 2025 to April 2026 | +42% | GSA, April 2026 |
| 5G SA subscriptions forecast, 2031 | 4.1 billion | Ericsson, November 2025 |
| Global 5G subscriptions | 3.1 billion (Q1 2026) | Ericsson, June 2026 |
| First nationwide VoNR in Spain | December 2025, 5,700+ municipalities | Telefonica |
| Global 5G SA share of Speedtest samples | 17.6% | Ookla and Omdia, Q4 2025 |
| Europe vs US 5G SA share | 2.8% vs 31.6% | Ookla and Omdia, Q4 2025 |
| China 5G mobile users | 1.19 billion (65.3%) | MIIT, November 2025 |
| Jio 5G users | 268 million | Jio, March 2026 |
| 3G operators that completed switch-off | 102 of 174 | GSA, August 2026 |
| Europe’s share of switch-off activity | 43% | GSA, August 2026 |
| 2G and 3G share of connections, 2030 | 1% and 5% | GSMA, Mobile Economy 2026 |
| Operators with bilateral VoLTE roaming | Two-thirds of 68 surveyed | Kaleido Intelligence, 2026 |
| Operators not preparing for VoNR roaming | Over 60% | Kaleido Intelligence, 2026 |
| Australian devices at risk of losing 000 | 740,000 (estimate) | Cited by Michael McCormack MP, 2024 |
Methodology and Sources
Every figure above was traced to the organization that produced it. GSA blocks automated access to its report pages, so several GSA figures were read through the report summaries and trade-press coverage named below; each still names GSA and the report edition. Stats circulating in vendor blogs without a primary document (including undated ‘VoNR operator counts’ and a 2026 date for du’s launch) were excluded.
- GSA: LTE to 5G Evolution, May 2025, 2G and 3G Switch-Off, August 2026, Public Networks and Operators, August 2026, State of the Market April 2026 (summary via Advanced Television), VoNR devices and chipsets press release (2021)
- Switch-off breakdown as reported by TelecomLead
- Ericsson Mobility Report: voice and communication services outlook, key figures (November 2025), November 2025 press release, June 2026 press release
- GSMA: The Mobile Economy 2026 and VoLTE interoperability test results (GSMA Services)
- Ookla and Omdia 5G SA report (February 2026), as reported by Capacity
- Kaleido Intelligence: VoLTE Roaming in 2026 (Wholesale Roaming 2026 MNO Survey, 68 operators)
- Carrier sources: T-Mobile VoNR expansion (March 2023), Vodafone Germany VoNR (RCR Wireless), du VoNR launch (RCR Wireless), Bell VoNR for iPhone (iPhone in Canada), Telefonica nationwide VoNR (Telecompaper), VTel and Ericsson VoNR roaming, Jio FY26 results (RCR Wireless)
- China MIIT data via RCR Wireless; Huawei: AI Calling press release (February 2026)
- Regulators and public safety: Ofcom 2G and 3G switch-off, ACMA, ensuring mobiles can reach 000, ALDI Mobile 3G shutdown notice, EENA press release (January 2026), EENA on Sweden’s PTS blocking, McCormack media release (April 2024)
- Data watch: No public source counts commercial VoNR operators or VoNR minutes globally; the VoNR section is a list of verified launches, not a census. GSA’s 5G-Advanced counts differ between editions (35 investing and 11 launched in April 2026; 39 investing and 7 launched in the August 2026 operator report), likely due to different definitions, so we cite only the April figure. Ericsson’s 2031 SA forecast appears as 3.87 billion in its key figures table and 4.1 billion in its press release. The 6.3 billion VoLTE figure is an end-2024 estimate from Ericsson’s voice outlook and is older than the rest of the dataset; the GSA VoLTE operator counts date from May 2025. The 2021 GSA VoNR device count and the 2022-2023 T-Mobile and Vodafone milestones are older than three years and are shown as historical baselines (most recent available data). The Huawei New Calling figure is vendor-reported. Ookla SA data was read through Capacity’s report of the Ookla and Omdia release. The Australian 740,000 figure is a 2024 pre-shutdown estimate.
Last updated: October 3, 2026. We update this roundup quarterly, and the next refresh is expected when Ericsson publishes its November 2026 Mobility Report and GSA releases its next 2G and 3G Switch-Off and 5G Standalone updates.