5G VINNI questionnaire on the pain points that European industries face today

5G VINNI questionnaire on the pain points that European industries face today

Introduction

Network infrastructures, together with new digital technologies such as cloud computing, Internet-of-Things and artificial intelligence, have evolved into key enablers for social cohesion, security, as well as business continuity and expansion. As a result of these transformations, “vertical” industries, such as Manufacturing, eHealth, Utilities, will have enhanced technical capacity available to trigger the development of new products and services or increased automation of business and operational processes.

5G networks were envisioned and are being standardised to accelerate the digitalisation currently underway in the industry. There is a vision for 5G to become a stakeholder-driven, holistic ecosystem for technical and business innovation, integrating networking, computing and storage resources. It has the potential to reshape many European industries, because it can dynamically configure the physical network to address different customer demands, support massive increases in traffic volume and provide highly resilient, secure and low latency communications.

Who are we?

5G VINNI (https://www.5g-vinni.eu/) is a Horizon 2020 research and innovation project that will provide a state-of-the-art 5G testbed for industries to experiment with breakthrough use cases and help them validate their business potential.

Overview of the study

The purpose of this survey is to better understand the pain points that key industries face today, their propensity to experiment during product/service life-cycle and how the 5G ecosystem could help them innovate in a mutually beneficial way. This study should last 20 to 30 minutes.

The survey has the following main parts:

You and your organisation
5G as well as existing networks and communications solutions
Regulation
Industry wide collaboration, standardisation and visions
Trials and experimentation
Drivers and barriers
Your organization’s innovation activity outcomes

A debriefing statement will be given to you upon completion of the study.

Confidentiality

Any information you give will be kept completely confidential. Furthermore, this survey is anonymous and thus in no cases will responses from individual participants be identified. The server running the experiment is based at Eurescom GmbH, Germany. The data collected from this online study will be stored and managed for research purposes by the project members based at Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece.

Publication

All responses are treated as confidential, and in no case will responses from individual participants be identified. Rather, all data will be pooled and published in aggregate form only. The results from this study will be made publically available (on the Web) through a project report, and may potentially be used for other research purposes, such as conference and journal publications.

Withdrawal from study

Participation is voluntary, refusal to take part in the study involves no penalty or loss of benefits to which participants are otherwise entitled, and participants may withdraw from the study at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which they are otherwise entitled.

Thank you

The 5G-VINNI team

1. Which is the main industry in which your company is doing business (e.g., in terms of revenue)?
Smart cities and transportationAutomotiveManufacturingeHealthUtilitiesMedia/EntertainmentPublic safetyFinancialDigital retailSmart agriculture/aquacultureNot part of a business entityOther industry (please specifiy)

2. What is your role in the organization?
Member of AdministrationMember of Product management or developmentMember of Production & Manufacturing DepartmentMember of Operations DepartmentMember of Technology analysis or developmentMember of Research and Development DepartmentMember of Information Technology DepartmentMember of Customer Relationships DepartmentMember of Inventory DepartmentMember of Human Resource Management DepartmentMember of Accounting and Finance DepartmentMember of Marketing and Advertising DepartmentNot part of a business entityOther role (please specifiy)

3. What is the size of your organization in terms of employees?
1-10 employees11-50 employees51-200 employees201-500 employees501-1000 employees1001-5000 employees5001+ employees

Do you agree with the following statements related to 5G and your existing communications solutions?

4. Have you ever participated in any of the following initiatives (multiple options can be selected)?
Public Private Partnerships (e.g., 5G-PPP)EU-funded projects (e.g., under Horizon 2020)National/regional research innovation projectsother

5. Existing communications solutions are technologically sufficient for supporting your organisation’s/industry’s digitalization needs in the next 5 years.
Examples of solutions are: 4G, best-effort Internet, Content Delivery Networks and Virtual Private Networks
Strongly disagree (e.g., existing technologies cannot meet our mid-term requirements and restrict our innovation potential)Partly disagree (advanced network quality, coverage and flexibility promised by 5G will have a significant effect on my industry)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., no further digitalization needs are foreseen)Partly agree (e.g., most of our use-cases can be solved with existing communication solutions)Strongly agree (e.g., using 5G in any of our use-cases would be overkill)
Optionally, you can justify your response or include your comments on this statement

6. strategic business concerns will discourage the adoption of 5G technologies and services by your organisation in the next 3 years.
Examples of strategic business concerns are: increasing lock-in to vendors and providers, moving business intelligence out of premises, less product differentiation due to standardisation, etc.
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m very confident that strategic concerns will be reduced due to increased performance control by customers and isolation, will be outweighed by new business opportunities, etc.)Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that strategic concerns do exist but will be reduced due to 5G, will be outweighed by new business opportunities, etc.)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., we are not a commercial entity)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that strategic concerns will increase in the 5G era)Strongly agree (e.g., I’m very confident that strategic concerns will increase in the 5G era)

Optionally, you can comment on your strategic concerns or the statement above

7. Operational concerns will discourage the adoption of 5G technologies and services by your organisation in the next 3 years.
Examples of operational concerns are: technical complexity of integrating new technologies within current infrastructure, no organisational culture in accepting change/new processes and learning new skills, etc.
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m very confident that my organisation will be ready to adopt 5G technologies and services when these are offered)Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that my organisation will be ready to adopt 5G technologies, even though we face some minor operational challenges )Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., we are not a commercial entity)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that my organisation will face a few major operational challenges )Strongly agree (e.g., I’m very confident that my organisation will face major operational challenges)

Optionally, you can comment on your operational challenges or the statement above

8. Performance requirements dictate the creation and operation of a dedicated/private network for your communications, leaving 5G irrelevant.
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m very confident that technical capabilities of 5G technologies together with increased control on network configuration, can meet our performance requirements)Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that 5G technologies will eventually meet our performance requirements, but further validation is required)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., no security and privacy requirements are imposed)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that 5G technologies cannot meet our performance requirements, but further validation is required)Strongly agree (e.g., I’m very confident that our performance requirements will be met only via a dedicated/private network)

Optionally, you can mention your unmet performance requirements or comment on this statement

9. Security and privacy concerns/requirements dictate the creation and operation of a dedicated/private network for your communications, leaving 5G infrastructures and services irrelevant.
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m very confident that isolation capabilities of 5G technologies, such as network slicing, can meet our security requirements)Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that 5G technologies will eventually meet our security requirements, but further validation is required)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., no security and privacy requirements are imposed)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that 5G technologies cannot meet our security requirements, but further validation is required)Strongly agree (e.g., I’m very confident that our security requirements will be met only via a dedicated/private network)

Optionally, you can mention your security and privacy requirements or comment on this statement

Do you agree with the following statements related to the impact of regulation on 5G-related business activities?

10. Incompatible regulations on digitalization issues hinder expansion of your activities to foreign markets.
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m very confident that we can expand our activities to other geographical markets with minimal adaptation to our service/product portfolio in order to comply with regulation (such as on data management))Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that our future candidate geographical markets will require only moderate adaptation)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., no expansion to other countries is expected in the next 5 years)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that most of our future candidate geographical markets will require adaptation to meet regulatory constraints)Strongly agree (e.g., I’m very confident that we will face significant regulatory challenges when expanding our business to other regions)

Optionally, you can mention the incompatible regulations affecting your organisation or comment on this statement

11. Regulatory and competition authorities in your industry hinder new roles to emerge and innovative business models to be adopted.
Strongly disagree (e.g., there are virtually no regulatory constraints on the roles and business models we can adopt)Partly disagree (e.g., there are some regulatory constraints on the roles and business models we can adopt, but the latter ones are not our top priority)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., we don’t intend to alter our business model)Partly agree (e.g., some of the new roles and innovative business models we explore are blocked/delayed by regulation or competition authorities)Strongly agree (e.g., our vertical industry is highly regulated in a way that hinder innovation)

Optionally, you can elaborate on the countries your organisation is facing such restrictions and the nature of those restrictions

Do you agree with the following statements on the importance of industry-wide collaboration, standardisation and visionary stakeholders regarding the realisation of 5G-related business activities?

12. There are stumbling blocks in terms of existing infrastructure(s) and access to data that hinder innovation in your industry.
e.g., stumbling blocks can be upstream providers restricting access to key resources (like Internet-of-Things sensors, Application Programming Interfaces, etc.) for fear of new products cannibalising existing ones
Strongly disagree (e.g., we have access and sufficient control to all existing infrastructure(s) necessary)Partly disagree (e.g., collaboration is aligned with other partners’ interests and mitigate minor bottleneck challenges)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., no business innovation is restricted by existing infrastructure)Partly agree (e.g., access to existing infrastructure is a bottleneck and other organizations will seek the lion’s share of the profits)Strongly agree (e.g., access to existing infrastructure is a bottleneck and the owners are not open to collaboration at all)

Optionally, you can name the bottleneck existing elements or comment on this statement

13. There are stumbling blocks that hinder innovation in your industry in terms of new 5G infrastructure(s) deployed by others or additional data elements shared by third parties.
e.g., upstream providers restricting access to key new resources in fear of new products cannibalising existing ones
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m very confident that we will have access and enough control to all new infrastructure(s))Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that we will have access and sufficient control to all new infrastructure(s))Not sure (e.g., no info available on our facilitators’ plans)Not relevant (e.g., no business innovation is restricted by new infrastructure or additional data)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that we will be excluded from accessing and controlling all new infrastructure(s), the rents asked will render our new business activities unviable, etc.)Strongly agree (e.g., I’m very confident that we will be excluded from accessing and controlling all new infrastructure(s), the rents asked will render our new business activities unviable, etc.)

Optionally, you can name the bottleneck new elements or comment on this statement

14. There are stumbling blocks that hinder innovation in your industry in terms of new 5G-related technology being deployed by downstream entities.
e.g., end-users buying 5G smartphones or installing relevant applications on existing devices
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m very confident that the critical mass of required technologies will be reached)Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that the critical mass of required technologies will be reached)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., no downstream entities exist along the value chain)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that we will have to subsidise/deploy the required technologies for reaching the critical mass )Strongly agree (e.g., I’m very confident that we will have to subsidise/deploy the required technologies for reaching the critical mass)

Optionally, you can name the bottlenecks related to downstream entities (actors, capabilities, etc. ) or comment on this statement

15. Even though networks are in place and connectivity services are offered, additional mechanisms or new Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are needed for building trust between ecosystem actors.
Examples of missing capabilities are tools for reliable monitoring of network performance by communications provider or mechanisms for controlling third party access to own data, etc.
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m very confident that we will collaborate smoothly with all partners using existing trust enablers)Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that we will collaborate smoothly with all partners using existing trust enablers)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., we are a vertically-integrated entity)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that some commonly agreed operational policies and mechanisms should be in place for aligning the incentives of the rest of the entities)Strongly agree (e.g., I’m very confident that some commonly agreed operational policies and mechanisms should be in place for aligning the incentives of the rest of the entities)

Optionally, elaborate on the mechanisms that should be in place for balancing trust and trustworthiness

16. Industry forums and associations have a detrimental impact on the industry.
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m very confident that these organisations enable consensus building between industry members, set future direction (including pre-standardisation, best practices), etc.)Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that these organisations enable consensus building between industry members, set future direction (including pre-standardisation, best current practice), etc.)Not sure (e.g., not sure as I’m not a member of such organisations)Not relevant (e.g., there are no industry forums and associations)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that such organisations result in homogeneous product offerings and competition based on prices)Strongly agree (e.g., I’m very confident that such organisations result in homogeneous product offerings and competition based on prices)

Optionally, include your comments on this statement

17. Market reports and research articles focus on the long-term impact of 5G technologies on your industry and neglect the evolution path.
Strongly disagree (e.g., All market reports I’m aware of provide both short-term and long-term business models)Partly disagree (e.g., Most market reports I’m aware of provide both short-term and long-term business models)Not sure (e.g., I don’t read market reports and research articles)Not relevant (e.g., there are no studies on the impact of 5G technologies on my organisation’s industry)Partly agree (e.g., Most market reports I’m aware of provide long-term business models only)Strongly agree (e.g., All market reports I’m aware of provide long-term business models only)

Optionally, include your comments on this statement

18. Standardisation processes in your domain are slow.
e.g., the lack of standards has a detrimental impact on the compatibility of products from different suppliers and eventually on the emergence of new roles and innovative business models
Strongly disagree (e.g., standardisation organisations are good in both identifying and addressing emerging needs)Partly disagree (e.g., certain standards are still missing but standardisation organisations started dealing with those topics and standards should be completed in the near future)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., Standardisation is not needed)Partly agree (e.g., standardisation organisations are good in identifying emerging needs but slow in addressing those)Strongly agree (e.g., standardisation organisations are slow in both identifying and addressing emerging needs)

Optionally, mention standardisation activities that are important and include your comments on the above statement

Do you agree with the following statements on technical trials and business experimentation?

19. There is no or limited experience in experimenting in the service/product lifecycle in your organization
e.g., your organisation does not follow approaches such as “design thinking” or “lean product development” that iteratively involve external entities and prototypes of the services/products
Strongly disagree (e.g., my organisation regularly uses such approaches)Partly disagree (e.g., my organisation sometimes uses such approaches but not always)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., I don’t know why to experiment during product or service definition)Partly agree (e.g., my organisation rarely experiments with our service/product portfolio before launch)Strongly agree (e.g., we have never experimented with our service/product portfolio before launch)

Optionally, you can justify your response or include your comments on this statement

20. There is no or limited value in experimenting throughout service/product lifecycle in terms of reduced costs, increased revenues or new revenue sources.
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m confident that there are advantages in experimenting)Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that there are advantages in experimenting, but we need to confirm our hypothesis)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., my organisation has never experimented during product or service definition)Partly agree (e.g., I question the benefits from experimenting, but we are willing to give it a try during the next 3 years)Strongly agree (e.g., I am very confident that the additional administrative /financial burden outweigh the benefits from experimenting)

Optionally justify your response or include your comments on the above statement

21. My organisation is not interested in running technical trials and business experiments for free on a state-of-the-art 5G testbed that offers integration support, allowing fast reconfiguration.
Strongly disagree (e.g., I’m confident that using such a testbed would be a high priority for my organisation)Partly disagree (e.g., I believe that using such a testbed would be a high priority for my organisation)Not sure (e.g., no data / info available)Not relevant (e.g., my organisation is already experimenting at maximum capacity)Partly agree (e.g., I believe that using such a testbed would be a low priority for my organisation)Strongly agree (e.g., I am very confident that using such a testbed would be a low priority for my organisation)

Optionally justify your response or include your comments on the above statement

In order to complement as well as summarise topics above, please consider the following questions on the reasons for adopting or not adopting 5G.

22. What are the main drivers for adopting 5G technologies (multiple options can be selected)?
Desire to be seen as innovativeImportance of patents and Intellectual PropertyFirst-mover advantage for new products and servicesBetter customer experienceBetter decisionsBetter servicesEnhanced ability to create value for customersEnhanced opportunities for customized solutions for our needsSolve business critical issuesReduced costReduced riskIncreased profits/ Reduced financial lossesReduced failuresReduced consequences of failuresImproved response timeEconomies of scale and scope will have positive net effect on societyAdd any missing drivers (Optionally):

23. What are the main barriers to adopting 5G technologies (multiple options can be selected)?
Concerns around data security and privacyLack of industry forum setting direction for the community / emerging ecosystemLack of standardsChallenges of end-to-end implementationLack of available knowledge and insight about 5GLack of access to trials and experimentation with 5GToo soon to know what the real benefits will beLack of budget/investmentSenior stakeholder buy-in/concernsLack of use casesLack of platforms to take full advantage of 5GLack of a mature ecosystemUncertainty about other actors’ intentionsDistrust in other actorsOpportunities related to current generation of mobile networks not yet fully exploitedLack of applicationsAdd any missing barriers (Optionally):

Please answer the following questions about your organisation’s innovation activity outcomes:

24. How many innovative products were introduced to the market by your company during the last 3 years?
An innovative product is a new, or improved, good or service that has been introduced in the market and differs significantly from the firm’s previous ones
Not part of a business entityNo innovative products1-23-55-1011+

25. How many business process innovations were introduced in your company during the last 3 years?
Not part of a business entityNo innovative products1-23-55-1011+