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Third-party collaboration, IoT to play significant role in generating a return on 5G, says Swedish kit maker’s survey.
Operators need to look beyond traditional consumer customers in order to maximise the revenue opportunity from 5G services, but few are actually doing it, revealed research by Ericsson this week.
93% of respondents in a survey of 50 executives at 29 global operators said that third-party collaboration is an essential element in monetising 5G; an equal proportion said the IoT will play a major role in monetising 5G.
86% said telcos need to provide services tailored to specific industry verticals in order to profit from 5G, while 86% also said that industry players must find new revenue-sharing models.
61% of respondents said operators can’t expect to simply charge consumers more to access 5G services.
However, when asked which segments operators are focusing on when it comes to 5G planning, 90% said consumers, and 46% said business users. Only 34% said their 5G planning is focused on specialised industry segments.
Unsurprisingly, Ericsson is pitching itself as the ideal partner for operators looking to maximise the opportunity that 5G will come to represent.
"We are partnering with our customers to be early to 5G by driving standards, building the strongest global 5G ecosystem and helping them innovate with 5G solutions that are purpose-built for real-world applications," said Arun Bansal, head of Ericsson’s network products business unit, in a statement on Wednesday.
"Our goal is to have our customers minimize risk and ensure success during this critical transformation," he said.
