Mission-Critical LTE and 5G Networks Poised for Rapid Expansion, Forecast to Exceed $9 Billion by 2028

Broadband transformation accelerates as critical communications shift beyond legacy LMR systems

According the SNS Telecom & IT, in a new report, the global market for mission-critical LTE and 5G networks is entering a phase of accelerated growth, driven by rising demand for secure, resilient, and data-intensive communications across public safety, defense, utilities, transportation, and industrial sectors.

SNS Telecom & IT's research indicates that worldwide investments in mission-critical 3GPP-based networks reached approximately $5.4 billion in 2025 and are on track to surpass $9.2 billion by the end of 2028, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of around 19 percent.

For decades, critical communications organizations have relied on narrowband land mobile radio (LMR) technologies to support mission-critical voice and basic data services. While digital standards such as APCO P25 and TETRA have enhanced voice quality, encryption, and reliability, inherent bandwidth limitations have constrained their ability to support modern, data-driven operational requirements.

Accoring to the research firm, as a result, LTE and 5G New Radio (NR) technologies have emerged as the primary platforms capable of delivering next-generation mission-critical broadband. Over the past decade, a wide range of fully dedicated private networks, hybrid commercial-private deployments, and secure MVNO-based solutions have been rolled out worldwide. These networks now support applications including push-to-talk group communications, real-time video, drone operations beyond visual line of sight, situational awareness platforms, industrial automation, collaborative robotics, and immersive AR/VR use cases.

The company in it's online press release furhtermore states that, large-scale national public safety broadband networks, defense-oriented 5G programs, utility and transportation communications systems, and localized non-public networks for industrial environments are increasingly demonstrating the operational maturity of LTE and 5G for critical use. Importantly, the availability of standards-compliant mission-critical services—such as MCX (mission-critical voice, video, and data), advanced quality-of-service and priority mechanisms, isolated operation capabilities, high-power user equipment, and ultra-reliable low-latency communications—has shifted perceptions across the industry.

What was once viewed primarily as a complementary broadband layer is now being recognized as a viable end-to-end replacement for legacy LMR, offering a future-proof migration path. This transition is further supported by emerging 5G capabilities, including multicast and broadcast services for high-density operations, sidelink for off-network communications, vehicle-mounted relays, rapidly deployable mobile base stations, satellite integration via non-terrestrial networks, and optimized support for dedicated spectrum bands used by public safety, utilities, and railways.

Looking ahead to 2030, mission-critical LTE and 5G deployments are expected to span a wide range of spectrum assets—from sub-1 GHz frequencies for nationwide coverage and railway communications to mid-band and millimeter-wave spectrum for capacity-intensive and specialized applications. Growth will continue to be underpinned by public safety broadband initiatives, defense modernization, smart grid evolution, future railway mobile communication systems, and industrial IoT investments.

Comprehensive market analysis highlights not only the scale of opportunity but also the complexity of the evolving ecosystem, encompassing technology vendors, network operators, integrators, regulators, and end-user organizations. As broadband becomes foundational to critical operations, LTE and 5G are set to redefine how mission-critical communications are designed, deployed, and sustained worldwide.