Securing the Future of a Smart World – Opportunities & Challenges in a 5G Connected Economy

The rollout of the next generation of wireless networks has begun in earnest, introducing what many believe will be one of the most seminal technology transformations of a still young digital age. 5G networks, with their dramatic advances in transmission speed, latency, capacity, energy efficiency and connection densities, promise to bring about a smarter and more connected world that will drive massive changes across the global economy.

5G-enabled breakthroughs will open new revenue opportunities and business models for operators and their customers. Powerful new use cases around evolved Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (ULLC) and massive Machine-to-Machine Communications (mMTC) will push the boundaries of digital transformation. From new user experiences in augmented and virtual reality and ultra-high definition video streaming, to highspeed fixed wireless, new types of cloud services and applications, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities, buildings, factories and farms—5G will unleash a plethora of new applications and uses that will change the way people work and live.

The introduction of the first commercial 5G networks, which began in 2018, is picking up significant steam. In the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the major carriers are pushing forward with their first commercial 5G deployments. By the end of 2019, according to Viavi Solutions, some 55 commercial 5G networks will have been launched.

Yet, full-scale 5G networking and the realization of its potential is still a long ways away. Operators and their technology partners still must make massive capital investments and drive major innovations in the next several years.

In partnership with A10 Networks, a leading provider of security solutions for mobile operators worldwide, the Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network, has conducted a global survey of communications service providers to understand industry intentions, priorities and concerns about 5G. While the main focus of this report will be on the findings from communications service providers, the BPI Network also surveyed technology and business leaders among mobile, IT and cloud service providers to gather the insights for this study. In total, 145 technology leaders were surveyed for this report.

Our survey findings underscore the fact that mobile carriers around the world foresee rapid progress toward 5G over the next 18 months. They believe these investments will deliver significant new revenue opportunities for carriers and disruptive new use cases for many industries.