Global telecom decision makers optimistic of 5G business outlook

The biggest advantages from the next generation in high-speed Internet won't be seen on your phone. — dpa

KUALA LUMPUR: Global telecom decision makers are optimistic of 5G business outlook and are moving forward aggressively with deployment plans, according to a report released by Vertiv, a US-based technology company, together with technology analyst firm 451 Research.

The report captured the results of an in-depth survey of more than 100 global telecom decision makers with visibility into 5G and edge strategies and plans.

The report said 12 per cent of operators are expected to launch 5G services in 2019, and an additional 86 per cent are expected to deliver 5G services by 2021.

It said the initial services will be focused on supporting existing data services (96 per cent) and new consumer services (36 per cent).

One-third of respondents (32 per cent) are forecast to support existing enterprise services with 18 per cent saying they expect to deliver new enterprise services.

“As networks continue to evolve and coverage expands, 5G itself will become a key enabler of emerging edge use cases that require high-bandwidth, low latency data transmission, such as virtual and augmented reality, digital healthcare, and smart homes, buildings, factories and cities,” the report said.

Meanwhile, in Asia, operators are optimistic that they are ready to deploy 5G in the next few years, said Vertiv Asia senior director for telecoms Danny Wong.  

“But with the growing reality comes a new set of challenges, including increasing energy consumption, existing infrastructure readiness and visibility, as well as manageability of sites.

“There is all the more a pressing need for telecom operators to identify and utilise energy-efficient and innovative power and thermal -- solutions to make 5G a reality,” he said.

The report said to support 5G services, telcos are ramping up the deployment of multi-access edge computing (MEC) sites, bringing the capabilities of the cloud directly to the radio access network.

It said 37 per cent of respondents said they are already deploying MEC infrastructure ahead of 5G deployments, while an additional 47 percent intend to deploy MECs. - Bernama