With the potential for high-bandwidth, low-latency wireless data transmission, 5G is set to play a key role in connecting edge devices to the cloud.

To learn how cloud providers, telecommunications organizations, and carriers will make 5G part of their edge computing plans, TechRepublic Premium conducted a survey in January 2021.

The survey asked the following questions:

• Is your company currently using any of the following edge computing technologies?
• Does your company plan to use any of the following edge computing technologies in the next 12 months?
• For what business purposes/applications are you using or do you plan to use edge computing?
• How is your company currently using or planning to use 5G technology in the next 12 months?
• How will 5G affect your company’s use of edge computing in the next five years?
• This report examines the results from the responses and places them into the larger context of how 5G affects edge computing.

Remote mobile devices and laptops (54%) topped the list of purposes and/or applications companies are using or plan to use for edge computing. Remote servers and networks followed closely behind, at 50%. Using software and systems locally deployed away from headquarters (37%), remote asset monitoring (27%), content delivery networks (21%), virtualized mobile networks (12%), other IoT applications (8%), and autonomous vehicles (5%) were also mentioned as edge computing technologies being used by respondents.

Remote servers and networks and remote mobile devices and laptops tied for the top spot in edge computing technologies that respondents want to roll out in the next 12 months, at 42%. Respondents also want to use software and systems locally deployed away from headquarters, at 33%. However, 25% do not plan to use any edge computing technologies at all in the next 12 months.

Of respondents that are using edge computing, most want to provide a better customer experience (70%), and 46% of respondents use or plan to use edge computing to reduce their operational costs.

Even with the adoption of edge computing, 5G acceptance still lags in respondent organizations. More than half (57%) are not currently using and do not plan to use 5G technology.

However, 5G will affect some company’s future use of edge computing. Just under one-third of respondents plan to begin adopting edge computing technologies and/or are already planning for it, and almost one-quarter will use additional edge computing technologies. Only 13% of respondents reported that 5G will not affect their use of edge computing.

To read all of the survey results, plus analysis, download the full research report here: Edge computing adoption to increase through 2026; organizations cautious about adding 5G to the mix.

Interested in learning more about Edge Computing? Check out the IT Leader’s Guide to Edge Computing from TechRepublic Premium.