5G is here – to a degree. While operators worldwide have rolled-out the first phases of their networks and are introducing commercial services, to date these have been evolved iterations of existing services with familiar business models.
Undoubtedly, the real potential of 5G will be unlocked as the technology matures and communications service providers (CSPs) are able to move into a whole new generation of enterprise services, taking advantage of features such as massive IoT, ultra-reliable and low latency communications which simply cannot be delivered now.
A critical factor for service providers be the depth of their relationships with business customers. These will shift from being tactical to strategic as connectivity becomes a defining factor in how business is done, woven into the fabric of operations rather than an add-on for specific, tactical purposes.
At Hansen, we’re interested in how our customers create and deliver digital services, and the way in which they engage with their customers during the full product lifecycle. The Create-Sell-Deliver Outlook – a major research study which we conduct every year – sheds more light on this.
But we decided to take this one step further. With the next generation of lucrative enterprise services set to be created hand-in-hand with customers, how are these end-customers looking at their relationships with their CSPs as we move into a 5G-powered world?
With this in mind, we surveyed 100 large enterprises – companies with revenue of more than USD 500 million per year – across sectors including financial services, manufacturing, energy and utilities, healthcare and automotive. And what we found was an overwhelming belief that 5G will be strategically important to their business (supported by 81 per cent of respondents).
For our CSP customers, there is a real upside here: 79 per cent of these and lucrative customers said they are looking for service providers to take the lead role in driving 5G into the business. But on the flip side, 59 per cent said that their CSPs had not yet talked to them enough about 5G.
Of course, this stretches beyond just 5G as an enabler of new communications services. The biggest pain-point enterprises identified when working with CSPs was around the understanding of their business needs. As CSPs and enterprises shift from tactical to strategic relationships, enterprises are looking for them to truly understand more than just their connectivity needs, and to become partners in the digital journey.
It is clear that next-generation networks will bring opportunities in the lucrative enterprise market. But these will be next-generation opportunities, created and delivered as the result of close relationships with customers.
Steve Costello,
Product Marketing Manager