Businesses believe that 5G will be the most revolutionary network evolution yet but still have concerns about the technology’s security, according to the results of a global study from Accenture.
Based on a survey of more than 2,600 business and technology decision makers across 12 industry sectors in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, the study found that four in five respondents (79%) believe that 5G will have a significant impact on their organization — including 57% who believe that it will be revolutionary. In contrast, only one-quarter (24%) of respondents said they believed that 4G’s impact was revolutionary.
However, this optimism doesn’t eclipse security concerns around 5G, which have grown slightly over the last year. Specifically, more than one-third (35%) of respondents in the most recent survey expressed concerns around the security of 5G, compared with 32% in last year’s survey. In addition, more than six in 10 respondents (62%) in the latest survey expressed fears that 5G will render them more vulnerable to cyberattacks, and businesses believe that most of the risk will begin at the user level, whether that’s devices or people.
“The link between 5G and its perceived security risks is complex,” said George Nazi, senior managing director and Communications and Media industry lead at Accenture. “According to our study, executives believe that 5G can help secure their businesses, but that 5G network architecture also presents inherent challenges in terms of user privacy, number of connected devices and networks, and service access and supply chain integrity.”
The survey suggests businesses are thinking ahead to how to deal with these challenges, with three-quarters (74%) of respondents saying they expect to redefine policies and procedures related to security as 5G emerges.
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