98 percent of businesses want to deploy 5G and Wi-Fi 6 networks within 3 years. Most IT leaders believe wireless networks will help give their company a competitive advantage.
As a result of the challenges posed to the world by COVID-19, businesses have shifted their priorities, with fast and efficient digital connectivity at the top. According to the Global Advanced Wireless Study report, as many as 70 per cent of IT and network maintenance executives believe that wireless technologies will change their industry. Especially as the number of network devices is expected to reach as many as 29.3 billion units by 2023, which equates to almost four devices per Earth inhabitant.
One of the most important factors motivating companies to deploy 5G and Wi-Fi 6 networks is to increase the organisation’s resilience to crises. This answer indicated is indicated by more than half of respondents (59 per cent). In second place is the desire to develop or expand a pool of solutions tailored to new needs that rely on more robust and efficient network infrastructure (48 per cent). A good illustration of this trend is the example of a large telecommunications company that deployed a private 5G network on the shop floor to meet the challenges of the COVID pandemic. The network is used, for example, to check whether employees are wearing masks. There are more solutions of this kind: personal sensor monitoring helps to maintain social distance, VR equipment enables direct communication between employees. Thanks to high bandwidth and low latency, the 5G network has also found its way into telemedicine (remote medical consultations or robot-guided diagnosis for COVID-19).
The Deloitte report shows that investment in network infrastructure is an indispensable element of business development. 56 percent of respondents admit that due to the current state of network connectivity it is not possible to introduce innovative solutions in their company. Maximising the potential of new technologies and increasing work efficiency (38% each) are the main sources of motivation for companies to carry out digital transformation.
Introducing automation and data analytics at every stage of the business process: from communications, energy distribution, building management, IT administration to process management will enable innovation and increase the efficiency of employees and equipment. Entrepreneurs are increasingly aware of this: 80 percent of those surveyed are preparing for the process or are already deploying both 5G and Wi-Fi 6. 98 percent of respondents expect their organisations to be using both technologies within 2-3 years.
One of the most important reasons for digital transformation in companies is improved data protection. This is cited by more than a quarter of those surveyed. At the same time, as many as 41 percent of IT directors and those responsible for network maintenance are concerned about information security in the context of using wireless technologies.
Businesses that have deployed Wi-Fi 6 or 5G often work with multiple service providers of all types: cloud applications and services, wireless carriers, consultants and integrators, equipment manufacturers and infrastructure providers. As many as seven in ten respondents say they are open to partnering with new providers.
