Spoiler alert: it is not hype. But before we answer the question definitively, let’s define T-Mobile’s “Edge Control” just recently announced October 20, 2025. At Dell’Oro Group, we would call it an MNO-provided Private Network (MPN) as shown.
Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) nodes are distributed across enterprise campuses, housing the User Plane Function (UPF) of the 5G Core, as well as the servers for data storage and computing specific to the enterprise. The Control Plane, however, remains on the MNO’s property at a regional data center. This design is referred to as Private MEC. The illustration also shows Public MEC, which can be geographically dispersed MEC nodes to address use cases requiring low latency and broad geographic coverage beyond the limits of an enterprise campus.
Why compare to China? Well, Chinese MNOs have been using a similar network architecture since launching their 5G Standalone (SA) networks in 2020. By the end of 2024 the MNOs in China had implemented 55,000 MNO-provided Private Networks. Based on their success in China, we expect T-Mobile will achieve proportional success in the U.S. market.
In addition, the vendors supplying MEC infrastructure equipment and application solutions should enjoy similar success as reported in our Mobile Core Network (MCN) and MEC Report – 2Q25.
