Industry experts predict that businesses are expected to reap considerable gains from private 5G infrastructure. The master key for leaders to tap into the full potential of 5G depends on finding the right solutions, supported by essential skills and technical expertise.
in recent years, leaders across various industries have discussed how the latest evolution of wireless technology – 5G – could enable a new era of smart cities and automated industries, and inspire a new wave of consumer products and solutions to enrich societies and economies.
It is expected that 5th-generation wireless technologies will deliver an enhanced user experience on top of greater speeds and lower latency, compared to its predecessor 4G/LTE.
The technology offers a more efficient way of delivering wireless services through ‘network slicing’, which opens up independent ‘slices’ of networks to enable multiple services – such as the internet of things (IoT), automation, augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR), remote applications, and so forth.
In light of these possibilities, global industries have responded positively, with a study from S&P Global Market Intelligence reporting that 220 operators have launched commercial 5G services in 85 markets as of August 2022.
Beyond the Hype
Initially, 5G’s speed inspired a consumer-driven conversation, which saw many mobile players pushing out 5G- ready smartphones and plans. A recent Financial Times report, however, suggests that consumer demand for such devices may have slowed.
More recently, industry experts believe that 5G’s immediate future will be to lift industries, public services, and digital inclusion to new heights. They suggest that 5G will enable enterprises and the public sector to become future-ready, and will support the use of 4IR (4th Industrial Revolution) technologies.
Furthermore, 5G technology is designed to interoperate with Wi-Fi 6, enabling interconnected devices to seamlessly transfer from one network to another without losing connectivity or needing to re-authenticate manually.
True enough, various 5G demonstrations and early trials have opened up doors to many opportunities – almost tantamount to a paradigm shift! In healthcare for example, patients’ medical history and real-time medical data could be accessed by hospitals almost instantly –, through wearables or medical equipment fitted into ambulances, helping medical personnel to provide appropriate and timely levels of care.
At the business level, organisations will be able to monitor every aspect of their operations through ‘digital twins’ (a digital representation of a real-world physical system that acts as its digital counterpart, providing unprecedented insights into their equipment and systems.
AR/VR will also help transform industries and other sectors such as finance, education, real estate, and manufacturing in delivering solutions and services more efficiently.
Public or Private 5G?
Although the pandemic and prevailing economic conditions may have slowed the country’s network rollout, Malaysia’s 5G infrastructure will serve as a fresh catalyst to drive economic and societal advancement.
While 5G offers more efficient ways of managing solutions and services, experience has demonstrated that to fully unlock its benefits, leaders must focus on a comprehensive approach, a strategy that addresses the challenges of their operating ecosystems, as well as the specific needs of their people, processes, and tools – including technologies and technology partners.
To fulfil the needs of a unique enterprise, the ideal solution may well point to a dedicated private 5G infrastructure, which may comprise an Enterprise 5G Core and 5G New Radio, an infrastructure that is not shared with other users/enterprises, ensuring greater security.
In these scenarios, a solution provider such as TM One, the enterprise and public sector arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad, is well placed to help leaders crystallise their objectives.
With its extensive experience in next-generation digital services and smart solutions across multiple verticals, TM One has an extensive track record of helping organisations unlock greater efficiencies and growth opportunities enabled by 5G. In the public sphere for instance, TM One has helped various cities and townships in their journey towards becoming smart cities.
For example, the City Council of Ipoh leveraged TM One’s smart surveillance and smart traffic light systems to monitor public areas with cameras capable of capturing high-definition videos, as well as to manage the traffic systems.
Pairing the smart surveillance system with 5G analytics software improved response, detection, and predictive insights, triggering immediate incident reports so that on-ground personnel could take action in real-time when recognising possible emerging situations.
Following successful trials, the city council is now moving forward to full implementation, and has signed a five-year collaboration to improve the overall welfare and safety of its citizens.
Against the backdrop of climate change, 5G could also reduce energy costs. Consultant Matt Walker notes that utilities such as electricity, fuel and water accounted for 5.2% of OPEX (excluding depreciation) in 2020, a slight increase from the previous three years.
Key service providers such as TM One are prioritising sustainability and clean energy as part of the country’s digital journey by introducing energy-efficient equipment, software, and architecture.
With this clean electricity, TM One aims to substantially reduce the impact their data centres have on the environment, while continuing to enable customers from large enterprises, the public sector, and global hyperscalers to enjoy the convenience, stability and security of these data centre services.
This also allows TM One’s customers to accelerate their sustainability journey taking advantage of TM’s Green Electricity Tariff (GET) from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), one of the Government’s initiatives to provide Malaysian consumers with the option to use green electricity coming from renewable energy supply, as part of their commitment to sustainable partnerships and supply chains.
This also aligns them to the country’s goal of achieving net-zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Smart traffic light systems, such as those used in Ipoh, will also help reduce congestion, with solutions such as TM One’s traffic management and analytics enabling smoother traffic flow and reducing carbon emissions.
The Master Cog
To champion 5G in Malaysia, TM One has been working collaboratively with leading technology and smart solutions partners to create and launch an innovation ecosystem called TM One 5G Sphere, which supports the next level of transformation by leveraging 5G.
TM One’s Executive Vice President Shazurawati Abd Karim affirmed that TM One is now primed to help accelerate innovation across verticals such as smart cities, healthcare, education, manufacturing, logistics and transportation, oil & gas, banking and financial insurance (BFSI), and others.
She explained: “Beyond the speed, 5G’s hyper connectivity offers massive connectivity at virtually no lag. This could significantly transform how industrial solutions are delivered. Organisations can use 5G to harness data at the edge and take their operations and business agility to the next level.”
TM One is also well positioned to help organisations set up their own private 5G network infrastructures, providing them dedicated access to the same capabilities provided by public 5G networks.
This will also prove to be a boon to organisations requiring 5G capabilities outside of public coverage areas – such as remote locations, offshore oil rigs, and other high risk areas.
From her conversations with industry, Shazurawati noted that Malaysia’s forward-thinking business leaders are turning to 5G as a fresh component to their strategies to drive growth.
“Strategising a secure journey forward for Malaysia’s businesses has always been an essential aspect of TM One’s role to enable Malaysia’s transformation. We are poised as a private 5G specialist and trusted partner for organisations to reap the full benefits of 5G.”
For more information on how TM One can help your organisation unlock the full power of 5G, visit TM One’s 5G website at www.tmone.com.my/5G. For more insights into TM One’s private 5G, visit https://blog.tm.com.my/private-5g-accelerating-towards-fourth-industrial-revolution.
