The promise of 5G wireless is now a reality for enterprise businesses. Technology has evolved, carriers have updated their networks to support 5G, and vendors are providing compatible products.
What began as an emerging technology in 2019 with limited availability has now matured into a widely deployed offering with carriers such as T-Mobile offering 5G connectivity to approximately 98% of Americans. Verizon and AT&T continue to expand their coverage, as well. And 5G can now provide performance on par with wired broadband connections such as fiber and cable. Its predecessor, 4G, was viewed as an inferior transport option compared to wired broadband, but 5G offers enterprises a promising alternative to traditional wired networks.
For enterprises, the maturity of 5G creates new opportunities to address connectivity challenges, eliminate network bottlenecks, and future-proof infrastructure. Here we share four practical steps to help you adopt 5G in your organization today:
Consider a Hardware Refresh
If your organization currently uses 4G wireless connections, evaluate whether your contracts are approaching renewal in the next 6-12 months. This natural refresh cycle presents an ideal opportunity to transition to 5G equipment. While 4G remains viable and will likely continue to be supported, it doesn't offer the same long-term benefits as 5G. Upgrading now means you can future-proof your network for the next five years and beyond, gaining better speeds and reliability in the process. The availability of 5G-compatible devices has also matured. Not many vendors have made 5G-certified modems in the past, but now many options are available. Pricing for 5G has remained mostly stable, and it has been gradually trending downward, which could make it an ideal time to upgrade.
Evaluate Bandwidth and Speed Requirements
Most enterprises engage in planning exercises every year to review their application portfolio and plan new deployments. Businesses evaluate if they should add voice over IP (VoIP) systems, video solutions, or other data-intensive applications, and, in many cases, those new applications will demand higher performance and more bandwidth from the network. If there are concerns over the network performance, then it is time to evaluate 5G connectivity. The technology can deliver high bandwidth and high speeds that can support demanding applications. Rather than discovering your network can't support new capabilities after deployment, testing with 5G during the planning phase allows you to confirm your network infrastructure can handle the applications.
How Can 5G Improve Your Business?
The faster speeds, lower latency, and higher capacity of 5G technology can drive innovation and solve specific problems for businesses.
Remote Locations with Limited Options
5G offers an alternative to DSL and older cable infrastructure options. With 5G, you can deploy high-bandwidth connectivity without the time and expense of pulling new cable, which helps get locations up and running more quickly.
Primary Wireless Connectivity
5G is also now viable as a primary network option—not just for backup. If you want to reduce fixed networking at branches or other remote locations, 5G can provide performance comparable to wired connections with all the deployment advantages of wireless.
Highly Available Networks
For locations requiring robust failover, 5G solves a traditional wireless limitation. With 4G, enterprises worried that their backup connection wouldn't match their primary wired connection’s performance. With 5G, enterprise businesses can expect similar performance from their primary and backup connections.
Rapid Deployment
All the traditional advantages of wireless also apply to 5G: no cable installation required, faster deployment timelines, and lower infrastructure investment. Also, data usage is no longer a constraint with 5G. Hughes offers both high-data and unlimited plans, so while wireless is still considered a metered connection, the risk that an enterprise business will reach those limits is significantly reduced.
Conduct a Pilot with Hughes
Rather than committing to a full deployment, test 5G at a subset of your locations first. Piloting 5G at a few locations allows enterprises to evaluate how the technology performs in specific environments with actual applications. Hughes has partnerships with the three major U.S. carriers—T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon—providing flexibility in coverage and several service options. Hughes provides customers with a 5G modem configured with the appropriate carrier, and our team handles installation. It requires no infrastructure changes for the customer. This pilot approach lets enterprises validate performance, test how their applications behave over 5G, and build confidence in the technology before expanding to additional locations.
Why Hughes Managed Services
The 5G infrastructure is in place, devices are mature and widely available, and carrier networks cover most of the country—5G deserves evaluation as part of the enterprise network strategy. Partner with Hughes to get the latest in 5G technologies coupled with proven managed wireless services.
Hughes Managed Wireless services support both 4G LTE and 5G technologies and offer multi-carrier support and single- and dual-wireless transport options. Other features of Hughes Managed Wireless include integrated Wi-Fi 6 technology, advanced security features, and monitoring and alerting capabilities. With 24x7 customer support and a customer portal, Hughes provides a complete managed service offering.
Learn more about how Hughes can help your organization leverage managed wireless services, including 5G connectivity, for your enterprise operations.