NTT Ltd., a global technology and business solutions provider, is releasing a new report developed by Economist Impact. The report, ‘Private 5G here and now, reveals insights from a survey of 216 CIOs and senior decision-makers from the UK, US, Japan, and Germany, examining the industry challenges around the implementation and adoption of private 5G. ntt private 5g networks

The report shows a significant interest in private 5G networks, with 90% of executives expecting that private 5 G will become the standard network choice.

Where is private 5G being deployed? private 5g networks

The research shows that just over half of companies (51%) planning to deploy a private 5G network will do so within the next six to 24 months to improve security, reliability, and speed, with 30% of these respondents already deploying or being in the process of deploying a private 5G network. The most significant interest is from German organizations, with 40% of German businesses deploying private 5 G networks. This is followed by 28% of UK firms, 26% of Japanese firms and 24% of American firms.

The majority (80%) of executives agree that Covid-19 has made it easier to secure the budget needed for 5G deployment. This attitude is strongest in Germany (93%), followed by the US (83%), the UK (77%) and Japan (65%).

Security concerns are accelerating private 5 G adoption

With ransomware on the rise, CIOs and CISO are looking for ways to shore up their defences against increasingly sophisticated attacks. The report finds that 69% of executives agree that the security of their current infrastructure is not strong enough. Other pain points include the control of enterprise data (48%), coverage and speed (43%) and the response time (latency) of their current service provider (40%). When compared with technologies such as Wi-Fi and Public 5G, private 5 G networks provide significantly more security capabilities.

83% of executives rate improved data privacy and security as a very important outcome they expect to achieve with the implementation of private 5 G networks. It is clear that CIOs want security and control while also enabling digitalization – and believe a local private 5 G network will enable these critical business requirements. This is encouraging enterprises to build and run their own private 5 G networks.

Challenges and successful deployment strategies for private 5G 

The report identifies that the most common (44%) barrier to deploying private 5 G networks is integrating the technology with legacy systems and networks. The complexity surrounding the deployment and management of private 5G networks is also cited as another significant barrier by 37% of respondents. Employees lacking the technical skills and expertise to manage 5G networks is the third most common barrier facing 30% of firms.

This is one of the reasons why outsourcing to a managed service provider is the preferred approach by 38% of CIOs when it comes to implementing private 5G networks. Buying a private 5G network ‘as-a-service’ can accelerate the time to adoption and offer a better end-user experience and return on investment.

Private 5 G powers digital transformation across industries ntt private 5g

“The research highlights that the adoption of private 5 G is happening now. The companies leveraging private 5G will have an unprecedented competitive advantage. Whether a company owns a factory floor, distribution centers, storefront or office space, private 5 G can dramatically help digitize their businesses securely”,

said Shahid Ahmed, Group EVP, New Ventures and Innovation at NTT Ltd. ntt private 5g networks