Building the Business Case for 5G

Simply put, we can expect 5G to become one of the most impactful and transformative innovations to hit the modern enterprise. Entire industries brace for significant disruption to the way they do business, from business unit upheaval to transforming the way existing technologies, people, and processes interact with each other.

Crucially, the benefits are clear for many – with executives building investment business cases around more responsive, secure, and stable networking capabilities. The majority anticipate real opportunities to boost services, drive down costs, and open new revenue streams while in the process enabling new digital capabilities – from greater sensor density on the shop or factory floor to the extension of operations beyond their traditional comfort zone.

Industries from Retail to Travel to Healthcare are pushing ahead on their adoption journeys. Many are already far into their roadmaps, benefiting from detailed and thoughtful strategies that align existing operations and technologies with the evolving possibilities presented by 5G. Many more are experimenting and exploring, finding experts and partners to help them build out a coherent plan. And others remain locked in a 'wait and see' stance, reluctant to invest or unsure of the right path to follow.

What remains clear from this research is that all are ready for considerable change – recognizing the significant impact the technology will have either directly on their core business model or indirectly through their partners and customers.

But how ready are the Telecommunications firms to meet this growing demand for enterprise 5G? While strategies are clear for many, several major market obstacles will make the next 24 months challenging for early adopters. Many are targeting industries that are still in the earliest stages of their adoption roadmaps. More pressingly, the earliest enterprise adopters are planning on Telecommunications partners bringing market-ready solutions to the space long before telcos intend to deliver.

Evolving market dynamics will be analyzed deeply throughout this report as we seek to build a clear picture of how the market is developing.

We have separated this report into three sections to help us get to grips with a complex and evolving space. The first paints a picture of the broader structure, motivations and visions across enterprise and telecommunications executives, enabling us to compare and contrast the journeys from both the buy-side and the sell-side. The second section digs deeper into the enterprise sector and how our cohort of executives across verticals are pushing ahead with their 5G roadmaps. And finally, we conclude by analyzing the ability of the Telecommunications sector to meet the demand for enterprise solutions.