Eight in 10 Businesses Believe Impact of 5G Will Be Significant But Security Concerns Persist, Accenture Study Finds
February 25 2020 - 1:59AM
Business Wire
Businesses believe that 5G will be the most revolutionary
network evolution yet but still have concerns about the
technology’s security, according to the results of a global study
from Accenture (NYSE: ACN).
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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 four in five respondents
(79%) believe that 5G will have a significant impact on their
organization — including 57% who believe that it will be
revolutionary. In contrast, only one-quarter (24%) of respondents
said they believed that 4G’s impact was revolutionary.
However, this optimism doesn’t eclipse security concerns around
5G, which have grown slightly over the last year. Specifically,
more than one-third (35%) of respondents in the most recent survey
expressed concerns around the security of 5G, compared with 32% in
last year’s survey. In addition, more than six in 10 respondents
(62%) in the latest survey expressed fears that 5G will render them
more vulnerable to cyberattacks, and businesses believe that most
of the risk will begin at the user level, whether that’s devices or
people.
“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.”
The survey suggests businesses are thinking ahead to how to deal
with these challenges, with three-quarters (74%) of respondents
saying they expect to redefine policies and procedures related to
security as 5G emerges.
5G costs and outlook
The cost of accommodating the changes that 5G will bring is also
weighing on business leaders’ minds. In particular, the cost of
operationalizing 5G is a hot topic, and four in five respondents
(80%) believe that the cost of managing their IT infrastructure and
applications will increase. Meanwhile, nearly one-third (31%) still
think that the upfront cost of implementing 5G will be too
great.
In addition, the study found that businesses are beginning to
realize that they require external support to unlock 5G’s
potential. For instance, nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents
said they need help to imagine the future possibilities for
connected solutions with 5G, and the percentage of businesses
expecting to develop 5G applications in-house has dropped over the
last year, from 23% in the prior-year survey to 14% this year.
The survey findings indicate that, despite the challenges of 5G,
the future looks bright for businesses embracing the technology,
with businesses globally recognizing its huge potential. The
benefits are numerous, and awareness of them is growing. For
instance, 85% of respondents said that they expect to use 5G to
support mobile employees in the field within the next four years,
up from 68% who said the same in last year’s survey.
“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.”
Methodology
Loudhouse Research, on behalf of Accenture, conducted interviews
with 2,623 business and technology decision makers in December 2019
across 12 industry sectors in the United States, the United
Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Singapore, the
United Arab Emirates and Australia. The aim was to develop an
accurate picture of business’ understanding of 5G, how they have
adopted it so far, and what they perceive its potential impact to
be. The interviews featured questions repeated from research
published in 2019 — conducted in November and December 2018 — about
the same topics, taking a deeper dive into security, consulting and
monetisation this year.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company,
providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy,
consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched
experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries
and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest
delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business
and technology to help clients improve their performance and create
sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 505,000 people
serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives
innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us
at www.accenture.com.
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200224005829/en/
Molly McDonagh Accenture +44 7825 023 622
molly.mcdonagh@accenture.com
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