IoT, Industry 4.0, and 5G Monetization: Are we There Yet?

We have been told for a number of years now that 5G is not “just another G,” but rather essential infrastructure to enable the radical improvements in AI-fueled automation and digitization that future applications will demand – applications we understand, like industrial automation and IoT, as well as others not yet imagined. COVID-19 disrupted planned 5G standardization plans, spectrum auctions and network build-out schedules in 2020, but the focus has returned this year, particularly on the enterprise private networks side. We are also seeing operators starting to monetize public 5G networks with private network-adjacent or complementary offerings that leverage their public investment. Additionally, 5G-enabled IoT use cases are taking shape commercially, alongside trials and rollouts of 5G-enabled enterprise mobility offerings for non-IoT use cases such as AR/VR for remote field or machine-guided maintenance. There is also intensive work on enabling the right mix of solutions for industry applications that include WiFi and fixed infrastructure, as well as 5G.  This panel discussion will evaluate the current state of play, but most importantly examine the opportunities as well as the limitations slowing down progress.