Businesses believe that 5G will be the most revolutionary network evolution yet but the concerns about the technology’s security is still an issue, according to the results of a global study by Accenture.
The study was based on a survey of more than 2,600 business and technology decision makers across 12 industry sectors in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.
The study found that 79% believe that 5G will have a significant impact on their organisation with 57% of those believing that it will be revolutionary. Looking at 4G vs 5G, only 24% said they believed that 4G’s impact was revolutionary.
5G security concerns
While the study’s results were very positive towards expectations of 5G, this didn’t eclipse 5G security concerns, which have grown slightly since last years’ survey – 35% opposed to 32%.
Additionally, 62% expressed fears that 5G will make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks. The study found that businesses believe that most of the risk will begin at the user level - whether that’s 5G devices or people themselves.
“The link between 5G and its perceived security risks is complex”
George Nazi, Accenture.
“The link between 5G and its perceived security risks is complex,” said George Nazi, senior managing director and Communications and Media industry lead at Accenture. “According to our study, executives believe that 5G can help secure their businesses, but that 5G network architecture also presents inherent challenges in terms of user privacy, number of connected devices and networks, and service access and supply chain integrity,” he continued.
The survey suggests businesses are thinking ahead in regard to security, with 74% saying they expect to redefine policies and procedures related to 5G security.
Another concern on business leaders’ minds was shown to be the cost of accommodating the changes that 5G will bring, namely the cost of operationalising 5G with 80% thinking that the cost of managing their IT infrastructure and applications will increase.
Furthermore, the study found that businesses are realising that they require external support to unlock 5G’s potential. 72% said they need help to imagine the future possibilities for connected solutions with 5G. In last year’s survey 23% said they were expecting to develop 5G applications in-house but this dropped to 14% this year.
5G to support mobile employees
“The signs point towards a world of compelling 5G use cases and business outputs”
George Nazi, Accenture
Despite the concerns, the surveys finding are undoubtedly positive with a global recognisation to 5G’s revolutionary potential. 85% said that they expect to use 5G to support mobile employees in the field within the next four years.
“With the right business strategy and ecosystem collaboration, the signs point towards a world of compelling 5G use cases and business outputs,” said Nazi. “Communications service providers should act now to ensure they are at the heart of the 5G ecosystem to unlock the potential growth,” he added.
