An in-depth survey has revealed that the 5G era will start in earnest in 2021, and bring with it a significant increase in energy usage.
Vertiv, together with technology analyst firm 451 Research, questioned more than 100 global telecoms operators about the opportunities and potential obstacles of deploying 5G services and the impact on edge computing adoption.
More than 90 per cent of respondents believe 5G will result in higher energy costs, and are interested in technologies and services that will improve energy efficiency.
“There’s no doubt that 5G is the next big thing for communications and mobile networks,” said Danny Wong, senior director for telecoms at Vertiv in Asia.
“It is understandable that there are concerns when it comes to deploying this technology, and it is critical for operators to have the right infrastructure in place that would allow them to rollout 5G in the most efficient manner.
“By understanding the different use cases for 5G technology, it is our hope that they can make informed decisions when it comes to investing in their critical infrastructure.”
Regarding edge and 5G specifically, the survey reveals that a large majority of operators have deployed (37 per cent) or plan to deploy (47 per cent) edge compute that is aligned with mobile infrastructure – also called multi-access edge computing (MEC).
“This survey brings us clarity on telecom operators’ hopes and fears around 5G and edge deployments,” says Brian Partridge, research vice president for 451 Research.
