Exploring 5G private network opportunities in Asia Pacific

The arrival of 5G has given new impetus to private networks, with many performance advantages over LTE, including faster data transmission and lower latency. Private 5G is gaining traction as verticals accelerate their digital transformation plans. Private 5G activity in Asia Pacific has so far been concentrated in the region’s most advanced countries, such as Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. But momentum is beginning to grow elsewhere too, as evidenced by developments in India and Thailand.

A GSMA Intelligence survey found that 16% of operators in Asia Pacific expect private networks to account for over 20% of enterprise revenues by 2025. Connectivity and IoT are expected to account for nearly two thirds of revenues from private networks. However, operators should also explore opportunities in other areas, such as security, professional services and spectrum management.

Furthermore, the changing competitive landscape means that operators will need to develop new expertise and commercial relationships to realise the private 5G opportunity. This report identifies five main considerations for operators.