UK businesses ready to deploy 5G standalone

Just over a year after the UK operator introduced mobile services based on 5G standalone (5G SA) infrastructure, Vodafone research shows UK businesses are ready to invest in both smartphone and advanced 5G services, such as network slicing, with 93% highlighting reliable data connections as critical to success.

The research was conducted by the Vodafone insight team, surveying 462 business customers across the UK, of which 24% were its own.

Findings included that 86% of customers regarded the roll-out of 5G SA as either important or extremely important, with a further 44% stating lower latency would help business growth, and 83% indicating that they would slightly or significantly increase 5G investments once advanced capabilities had been made available. Just under half believed 5G SA would offer them a competitive advantage within three years by better enabling innovation.

Vodafone noted that 5G SA can also help companies excel in hybrid working. In the survey, 71% stated remote working was critically important to their business. Nearly two-fifths (38%) of businesses believe a network that can be customised to fit the specific needs of the business would help growth, while 24% said a lack of services tailored to their organisation’s needs is negatively affecting their business today.

However, despite the optimism, 32% said they were still struggling with the connectivity requirements of a hybrid and remote working environment. In fact, 26% stated challenges with team collaboration and communication are having a negative impact on their business, and 43% pointed to poor quality video or voice calls.

Vodafone found that staff skills and development (45%) and keeping staff happy and motivated (39%) were two of the most common ongoing business challenges. It added that the integration of virtual and augmented reality technologies can also help an organisation improve training and remote support.

Based on its research, Vodafone said it was now extending its existing 5G Ultra 5G SA service to small and medium-sized enterprise customers, as well as larger businesses.

“Our customers are telling us they are ready for 5G standalone. Whether it is to keep employees connected with more reliable services, or to customise their business through next-generation services such as network slicing, 5G SA is the doorway to innovation, new revenues and better connection with employees,” added Vodafone UK business director Nick Gliddon.

By launching 5G Ultra for business customers, Vodafone said it is supporting economic growth. It regards its proposed merger with Three UK as potentially enabling the merged company to accelerate the expansion of its network, helping more companies faster. The merged company plans to invest £11bn in the network over the next decade, bringing 5G SA to more than 99% of the UK’s populated areas by 2034.

“We launched the UK’s first 5G SA network in 2023. But to bring the benefits to everyone, we need consolidation – we cannot avoid a digital divide without it,” said Gliddon. “Our proposed merger with Three UK is good for customers, competition and for country. It will deliver much-needed scale, better enabling us to deliver the benefits of 5G Ultra to all customers, regardless of where they live.”