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The 5G Reality Gap: Sylwia Kechiche on Standalone Delays, Coverage Myths, and the Risk of 2G/3G Shutdowns

Welcome back to Unmuted, where we have candid connectivity conversations with industry leaders. In this episode, host Catherine Sbeglia Nin sits down with Sylwia Kechiche, Vice President of Industry Analysis at Opensignal, to unpack one of the biggest misconceptions in mobile today: the gap between perceived 5G performance and actual user experience.

Sylwia explains why seeing a 5G icon on your phone doesn’t necessarily mean you’re connected to true 5G. In many cases, users are still being served by 4G infrastructure under non-standalone (NSA) deployments—even as operators promote broad 5G coverage. She breaks down the difference between 5G availability, time on 5G, and real-world metrics like latency, consistency, and device performance.

The conversation also dives into why many operators still haven’t fully deployed 5G standalone (SA), despite growing industry hype around 5G Advanced and even 6G. With ROI pressures and capital constraints slowing progress, Sylwia shares Opensignal data showing that standalone deployments can deliver 20–30% lower latency—improving gaming, video calls, and overall network consistency.

Beyond performance, the episode explores the risks of 2G and 3G shutdowns, including the impact on vulnerable users, legacy IoT devices, emergency services, and automotive systems. Sylwia also addresses the hype around direct-to-device satellite and why it won’t immediately replace legacy networks.

This episode reframes the 5G conversation around lived experience, transparency in performance metrics, and the realities of network evolution—reminding us that next-generation branding doesn’t always translate into next-generation service.

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👉 If this episode helped you better understand the gap between 5G marketing and real-world experience, share it with a colleague navigating mobile strategy or telecom policy.