As telecom companies look to monetize their 5G deployments, there’s a shift in focus from consumers to enterprises. 5G, with its speed, latency, and bandwidth efficiencies, has the potential to drive transformative change across industries. But for enterprise customers to buy into the 5G promise, MNOs need to address the fundamental question: “how can firms translate the benefits of 5G into tangible business value?” To do so, Netscribes is helping telecom companies get to grips with the opportunities 5G is creating across the enterprise ecosystem.
Based on our analysis of over 50 companies in the 5G enterprise ecosystem, we’ve identified the emerging use cases across healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and office spaces.
Extended reality/ Immersive technology-based applications
5G networks can support products and systems based on immersive technologies. These devices are characterized by lower latency, higher capacity, greater consistency, and deeper sensitivity to optimize network performance.
Immersive techniques are increasingly being used for leveraging enterprise-wide opportunities including the development of digital twins for predictive maintenance in the manufacturing sector, remote surgeries in healthcare, and virtual environment for defense testing and training. Companies like Qualcomm, Samsung, and Nokia are active in this direction.
Magic Leap, a company backed by AT&T, is developing a 5G capable pair of AR-enabled glasses. The application underscores the broader applicability of AR glass technology in health, sports, manufacturing, education, and retail.
MEC-based applications
Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) is a European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)-defined network architecture concept that provides a distributed computing environment for applications and is used to shift traffic from a centralized cloud to the edge of the network, nearer to the customer. It acts as a business enabler and opens a wide array of uses cases for enterprises including data and video analytics, IoT, AR, data caching, location services, optimized local content distribution, and high-reliability mission-critical services. 5G, when combined with MEC, optimizes the performance of systems that deal with massive data volumes.
Verizon developed 5G Edge (a MEC platform), in partnership with AWS cloud to enable enterprises to develop large-scale applications using edge cloud computing resources. As a result, Amazon’s customers will gain access to the advanced technology, density, and massive bandwidth capacity of Verizon’s 5G UWB (Ultra-Wideband network). The telecom conglomerate stands to benefit from access to a broad set of analytics and machine learning (ML) services which can enable applications like smart manufacturing and AR and VR.
Related reading: 5G-enabled PCs- How do the top brands stack up?
FWA-targeted applications
There’s growing uptake of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) in areas where fiber network densification is not feasible. While wireless 4G FWA has caught on with enterprises and consumers, it is yet to match the bandwidth and speed of wired broadband.
5G FWA is based on standard 3GPP architecture and is designed to deliver ultra-high-speed services for users. 5G FWA is not space confined and can, therefore, leverage MIMO and beamforming techniques for improving throughput.
Ericsson has developed a radio system to support FWA deployments in different scenarios. The solution addresses the demands of speed and capacity by adding 5G in new bands and in existing 4G bands, and by using its spectrum-sharing capability to manage the network traffic.
uRLLC-based scenarios
Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) can help unlock new possibilities for mission-critical applications such as medical emergencies, disaster management, defense and military operations, public safety, and retail which are prone to bandwidth limitations.
Companies are developing mission-critical mobile networks to replace the existing land mobile radio (LMR) systems and generate more comprehensive voice and data services. Public safety agencies and governments are increasingly realizing the potential of 5G and have started adopting its capabilities to improve the speed and security of data transmission even in critical scenarios.
In 2020, Ericsson announced that it will offer mission-critical solutions to Southern Linc’s first responder and utility customers. The Group Radio MCPTT will be deployed over Southern Linc’s LTE network. With the MCPTT, Southern Linc will be able to offer highly reliable and dedicated communication services to its customers like first responders, public organizations, and business entities.
The contract between the two companies also covers the transition of the existing systems towards 5G networks. With this, Ericsson will be able to target critical infrastructure agencies that are trying to expand their mobile wireless capabilities.
EY estimates that 69% of enterprises are will adopt 5G by 2025. This shift will pose new opportunities, challenges, and competitive threats for the telecom industry. Netscribes’ 5G for enterprise applications report uncovers them to help inform your strategic decisions. Our analysis uncovers the critical aspects of the emerging 5G enterprise ecosystem and highlights the emerging opportunities for different stakeholders. Get an in-depth view of the drivers for deploying 5G across enterprises, the current gaps in the value chain, and the business models of the incumbents and the disruptors. For the latest insights into 5G-driven market trends, opportunities and threats, contact info@netscribes.com.
