According to new research from Deloitte, almost 54% of major Australian enterprises are now preparing to use or pilot 5G within the next 12 months. 

The research study was based on 50 Australian enterprises that were sampled as part of the survey of nearly 500 major enterprises worldwide. 65% of these enterprises have annual revenues of US$1 billion or more. Results also showed that 38% of the organisations are already deploying 5G within their business units.

Based on the study conducted, most Australian respondents expect to spend an average of $68 million on wireless networking technologies. These include 5G and WiFi 6 over the next three years. The spending is also set to include expenses for spectrum rights for private networks. In line with this, on average, the respondents indicated that they are willing to spend US$2.1 million ($2.7 million) on the spectrum. Only 20% of the respondents would be interested in sharing spectrum if they had dedicated rights.

According to Peter Corbett, a Deloitte consulting partner and consulting TMT leader, the main motivators for wireless technology adoption among Australian respondents include the need to enhance innovation, improve operational efficiencies, and simplify interactions with customers.

“Compared to their global peers, Australian respondents are investing more in wireless networking. We expect enterprises to spend slightly more on cellular compared to WiFi to address the likes of network resilience, new use cases, new digital solutions, increased security, and for spend to also be roughly equal across devices, hardware, software, and installation,” he added.

“Compared to global peers, Australian enterprises are also more likely to choose a public slice of 5G networks or a combination of private and public networks, while licensing or sharing spectrum are the preferred method for access.”

The research study also reflects that 84% of Australian networking executives expect that wireless networking will transform their companies within three years. 38% of these executives expect significant changes for their industries within the coming year.

On the other hand, 75% of respondents consider that the key to enhancing customer interactions over the next three years are next-generation networks. It is a surprising 59% that believe that their current network infrastructure prevents them from achieving this goal.

The respondents cited that network latency, data speed and coverage will be the most important factors influencing whether they will be able to achieve the full benefits of advanced connectivity technologies. The report also highlights that operators should seek to respond to the shifting demands by evolving their service offerings to take into account the primary considerations for organisations looking to invest in new wireless technologies.