CIO Think Tank: 5G in the enterprise

Last year, a sudden shift to remote work reinforced a vital concept that companies might have started taking for granted: Connectivity is the lifeblood of work. What role should 5G, the latest generation of wireless broadband, play in that connection?

That’s the question explored in a series of virtual CIO Think Tank roundtables held in May and June 2021. Dozens of IT leaders took part in three panel discussions, identifying 5G’s potential and hurdles for enterprise adoption, highlighting innovative possible use cases, and illuminating the kinds of partnerships needed for 5G technology and infrastructure.

The roundtables were facilitated by John Gallant, enterprise consulting director for IDG, and also included Carrie MacGillivray, group vice president and general manager for Worldwide Telecom, Mobility, and IoT Research at IDC; Eric Knorr, B2B editor-in-chief at IDG; and Mark McDiarmid, SVP, Radio Network Engineering and Development at T-Mobile.

The participants—IT leaders from a range of commercial industries, universities, and government agencies of all sizes—drew on their own experience and knowledge to describe strategic and tactical approaches to critical connectivity challenges. How will IT harness the potential and overcome the practical challenges facing 5G, the next generation of cellular technology? What new applications and transformative business changes will the lower latency and higher bandwidth of 5G make possible?

Download the CIO Think Tank Roadmap report on 5G to learn how a variety organizations are identifying obstacles, highlighting innovative approaches, and challenging the tech industry to help navigate the road ahead.