Ericsson has released the results of its 5G Readiness Survey 2017 which features some fascinating insights on how the industry is preparing itself. According to the survey, 5G trials are being carried out by 78% of the respondents in 2017 compared to 32% in 2016. 28% of the respondents expect to deploy 5G in 2018.
According to the survey, 5G trials are being carried out by 78% of the respondents in 2017 compared to 32% in 2016. 28% of the respondents expect to deploy 5G in 2018.
Operators have also developed their business strategies for 5G services and are now looking at new avenues foreseeing opportunities in the enterprise and industrial segments, besides the traditional consumer segment.
Thomas Noren, Head of 5G Commercialisation, Ericsson, said: “In the 2016 survey, 90% of the respondents pointed to consumers as the main segment in their 5G business planning. This year, it is an even split between three segments and operators have identified business opportunities not only in the consumer segment but also with enterprise users and specialized industries.”
According to the survey, operators are seeing that the consumer market is becoming saturated. As a result, 5G planning is more evenly distributed across specialised industry segments (58%), business users (56%), and consumers (52%) in 2017.
The top three industry sectors for 5G applications, according to the respondents, were media and entertainment, automotive and public transport. Many also ranked healthcare as well as energy and utilities as attractive sectors for 5G applications. Majority of the respondents believed that IoT will play a key role and third-party collaboration will also be essential in this context.
When asked to opine on 5G monetisation, the respondents said they believe that additional revenue will be generated from increased market share, migration of 4G subscribers, higher prices for new services, and by expansion into new enterprise and industry segments.
The respondents comprised 50 executives from business and technical areas and were interviewed in July. They work for 37 operators globally that have announced publicly they are working on 5G.
What are your thoughts on the readiness of operators when it comes to 5G? Let us know in the comments.
