Cradlepoint Survey Reveals Enterprises are More Confident Utilizing 5G to Expand into New Business Opportunities

Data reveals a growing number of businesses are leveraging cellular as their primary mode of connectivity due to cost, flexibility and scale

BOISE, Idaho, April 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cradlepoint, part of Ericsson, the global leader in cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network and security solutions, today released the State of Connectivity 2024, an annual global research report that examines the business impact of connectivity. In partnership with Censuswide, the report surveyed 1,003 decision makers across various industries in the United States, revealing businesses are increasingly planning to leverage 5G to address recurrent wired network downtime, enable innovative technology such as AI and Industrial IoT, match evolving cybersecurity risk and achieve sustainability goals.

Most notably, investing in cellular connectivity is proving to be a strategic business decision to combat the volatility and constraints of wired connectivity while matching the demands of rapid digitalization. The report found that lapses in wired connectivity are resulting in costly downtime. In fact, more than half of technology decision makers (54%) estimated their organizations face 1-2 hours of connectivity downtime a week due to network failure, and over one third of firms (34%) experienced as much as 3-4 hours per week of connectivity downtime. While utilizing cellular as failover connectivity is effective in promoting networking resiliency, it can be even more beneficial as a primary connectivity source, with cellular networks enabling 99.99% of network uptime.

Despite the proven benefits of 5G and government incentives, the survey revealed that many firms still face barriers to 5G adoption. A third (33%) of technology decision makers cite a lack of skills necessary to adopt the technology, while others feel unsure about the security implications across their organizations (31%). Additionally, certain organizations are worried about cost (32%) or struggling to see a clear return on investment (29%).

Part of addressing business continuity concerns, leaders are also prioritizing network security. With business leaders reporting that their organizations have fallen victim to phishing attacks, ransomware and stolen credentials in the previous year, addressing security is a top priority in 2024. In fact, 49% of businesses said they have been subject to a network security attack in the last 12 months. Of those that were the target of a network security attack, company data was most frequently targeted (42%), with 35% of executives saying these security breaches usually result in data loss. As more organizations seek to realize the benefits of an expanded edge, reliable security options are essential to match the growing scale of their network. This is why, according to the report, organizations are leaning into security solutions that have Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and zero trust principles.