Nokia and GlobalData market research reveals private wireless enterprise drivers and return on investment data

• Results from new Nokia and GlobalData survey find cybersecurity and business efficiency are key transformation drivers for early private wireless adopters
• Decision makers surveyed at 79 multinationals reveal high confidence in the technology with many having adopted or planning to adopt private wireless networks and industrial edge solutions
• Nearly 80 percent of survey respondents expected to achieve ROI within six months of deployment
• Benefits of an integrated approach to digitalization are broadly recognized, working with market leaders that offer a wide array of industry solutions

Nokia recently announced the results of a survey designed to gauge the impact of deploying private wireless on enterprise operations. Key findings show more than half of the survey respondents have seen cost reductions since introducing the technology and over 79 percent have seen or would expect to see a return on investment (ROI) within six months.

To gain a deeper insight into enterprise digitalization goals and challenges leading intelligence provider, GlobalData surveyed key decision makers at 79 multinational companies, representing early adopters of private wireless digitalization solutions in the manufacturing, energy and transportation sectors. Results show a high level of confidence in private wireless and industrial edge, particularly in integrated solutions to achieve enterprise cybersecurity, cost, efficiency and sustainability goals. Of those who had already deployed the technology, over 50 percent had already seen total cost of ownership (TCO) reductions of six percent or more from their investments, with 29 percent experiencing a more than 10 percent reduction.

Respondents noted that the increased insights, made possible through enhanced sensor and data analytics, allowed them to establish more efficient and safer operations. Most cited more than 10 percent improvement in their internal metrics across a range of areas, including reduced downtime and energy consumption, with many seeing more than 20 percent improvement.

The ability to offer private wireless ‘as a service’ gives enterprises more flexibility in the way they adopt the technology. The subscription-based model allows them to scale up capabilities as their needs and new use cases arise. 47 percent of respondents cited a subscription-based solution as their preferred pricing model.

Many of the surveyed enterprises understand the ability of digitalization solutions like private wireless, on-premises edge, devices and applications to enable them to be more competitive and achieve their security, operational and sustainability goals. 79 percent of the surveyed respondents prefer an integrated or hybrid approach and cite simplified management, lower TCO and increased ROI as their top reasons. Those wanting to implement this type of solution aim to work with market leaders and ecosystem managers that offer a wide array of industry-leading capabilities.

While Wi-Fi will continue to be used for some IT and non-business-critical functions, many respondents cited the need for private wireless, working in conjunction with other wireless technologies for a holistic approach to connectivity. Nearly 80 percent of respondents had deployed or were planning to deploy industrial edge solutions to benefit from low latency on-premises data processing for Industry 4.0 mission-critical use cases, as well as for data sovereignty and security reasons.

John Marcus, Principal Analyst, GlobalData, said “Faced with a volatile global economy, many enterprises are choosing to digitally transform operations to achieve their strategic objectives. They should identify solution providers that deliver a modular approach, allowing them to evolve at their own pace. Working with providers that offer a wide array of industry-leading applications and solutions pre-integrated with the platform can simplify adoption for enterprises, while offering real benefits in terms of reducing costs or enhancing efficiencies. By partnering with solution providers that allow them to evolve at their own pace, enterprises can tailor the deployment meet their specific needs.”

Stephan Litjens, VP, CNS Nokia Enterprise Solutions, said: “Nokia is the leader in private wireless solutions, hence we wanted to gain a deeper insight into customer behaviors and drivers around and beyond private wireless. Working with GlobalData, we uncovered data that confirms our approach of delivering one pre-integrated platform for industrial digitalization is preferred by Enterprises. The platform integrates a wealth of industry-leading applications, many industrial protocols helping meet the distinct use case needs of many industries that all can be easily deployed on our Mission Critical Industrial Edge (MXIE)”.