OPINION: Unlocking 5G’s enterprise potential requires viewing it as continuum of capabilities

By Manish Singh 5G offers a transformative potential for industry and enterprises. The versatility of 5G provides a variety of smart options to optimize network resources and offer new capabilities catering to the nuanced demands of industrial IoT, as well as needs across a broad spectrum of enterprise use cases. However, wide-scale adoption of 5G has been hindered by a lack of clear communication between telecom operators and their customers. To fully realize 5G's benefits, we must simplify the conversation and focus on the core value proposition. While we, as the telecom industry, are delighted with all the new 5G technology mechanisms and approaches we have at our disposal to transform industries and enterprise, such as different network slice types, various private network configurations, and options for edge deployments, this versatility also drives a whole set of new technical jargon. It is unrealistic to assume that the enterprise buyers and the telecom operator sellers they talk to constantly educate themselves and build the technical and commercial acumen to navigate the technical jargon that we proliferate. We, as an industry, are imposing on these enterprise buyers and telecom operator sellers the complex tasks of digging deep into understanding the pros and cons of individual 5G mechanisms and approaches. As a result, there are multiple rounds of conversations between the buyer and the seller that discuss topics such as: • Where and when to use private networks versus network slices; • Understanding the technical definitions of different network functions, the associated capabilities, and their limitations; • What edge type to use for hosting which kind of network function; • The trade-offs between different types of network slices; • Commercial models behind each 5G mechanism, edge option, and different features associated with each of these mechanisms and deployment approaches. Instead of the buyers and seller having to dig deep, spend several rounds of discussions grasping these nuances, and then having to make hard trade-offs between individual technology options, they need to be presented the various 5G mechanism and approaches as a continuum of 5G enabled communication capabilities that they can pick from and discuss – in simple business language. The goal of this simplification should be to enable the buyers and sellers to discuss their requirements in simple business terms such as: • Enterprise/industrial applications characteristics – e.g. real time, criticality; • Data characteristics – e.g. frequency of transfer, level of redundancy; • Where the communication links are needed – e.g. number and location of distributed sites, between sites on a public network; • Communication frequency for application and data; • Number and type of end devices to be connected in different scenarios; • Any special considerations — e.g. additional security measures, industry specific regulations. Once these simplified requirements are agreed upon between buyers and sellers, the sellers can relay these to their internal network experts. The network experts can then determine: • Appropriate functional placement of network workloads on the right edge or specific data centers; • The right deployment mechanisms to use at each site and approaches for coverage between sites to meet customer needs; • Architectural considerations for reliability, performance, security, and maintainability. This communication simplification journey will require a shift from traditional methods of doing things. Network and product management teams at telecom operators will need to package complex technologies into simple, sellable offerings and arrange them as communication capability blocks on a continuum of 5G capabilities for buyers and sellers to easily comprehend. While this simplification journey may lead to occasional mispricing of services or resources, the overall business impact will be significant and lead to: • Faster decision-making: Reduced complexity leads to quicker adoption; • Reduced costs: Lower investment in continuous training and education of sellers and buyers; • Increased market penetration: A simplified approach makes 5G more accessible to a wider range of businesses. The 5G revolution presents a monumental opportunity for enterprises. By viewing the technical options as a continuum of capabilities and packaging them as simplified offerings, the telecom industry can accelerate 5G adoption and unlock its transformative potential for businesses and industries rapidly. The path to a connected future is complex, but with clarity and simplicity, it is certainly achievable. Manish Singh has been focused on building new technology businesses, ramping-up organizational capabilities, and co-creating with eco-systems and strategic partners for more than 20 years. Currently, as the VP of strategic alliance and the key account manager for Google, he leads all dimensions of the joint worldwide business and technology strategic partnership on behalf of Ericsson. The views expressed in this opinion piece are that of the author and do not necessarily represent that of his employer or his clients/customers/partners. The Wire Report welcomes submissions of opinion pieces from outside contributors who are knowledgeable on the subject matter discussed. For more information on what should be included with opinion piece submissions, click here: hilltimes.com/submit-an-article. Submissions can be sent to editor Hannah Daley at hdaley@thewirereport.ca. To see previous opinion piece submissions, click here: thewirereport.ca/tag/opinion.

OPINION: Unlocking 5G’s enterprise potential requires viewing it as continuum of capabilities

Opinion | | August 30, 2024

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OPINION: Unlocking 5G’s enterprise potential requires viewing it as continuum of capabilities

Opinion | | August 30, 2024

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