May/June 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

But while mobile network operators exude confidence in the technology around 5G, at least publicly, there is much less clarity in terms of how 5G will impact wireless infrastructures and where new revenues might come from to counteract any potential cost increases. In other words, the build out of 5G might be ahead of the business plan. “For a technology that gets as much attention as 5G, we know precious little about what telco operators truly think about how it will play out for the industry and what they truly plan to do,” said McKinsey & Company analyst in a report released on the heels of MWC19. A full 92 percent of 46 chief technology of- ficers of large global telcos surveyed by McK- insey expect to have large-scale deployment of 5G by 2022. All respondents expected 5G to be large-scale by 2025. So, the game is on. But in a bit of a reversal in the order of things – where business cases or financial returns normally dic- tate the launch of any particular new service or technology – the momentum toward 5G is com- ing from CTOs and technology teams rather than business teams. Around a third of the operators surveyed have 5G-pilot strategies in place and are done shaping their technology strategies, show the surveys. At the same time, few have gotten business cases approved, and commer- cial planning is still in the very early stages, said McKinsey analysts. Wireless Realism I f there was any doubts remaining about the future impact of 5G, the buzz and breakthroughs at the Mobile World Congress 2019 event held earlier this year all but killed them. Indeed, the focus in Barcelona was on 5G, with talk of trials and test markets, 5G-enabled devices and pilots of applications ranging from smart grids to wireless factories to remote video-enabled health care. Mobile & Wireless 5G is coming but the business cases remain murky By Martin Vilaboy 10 Channel Vision | May - June, 2019