T-Systems bullish 5G factories will beat Covid-19 delays

INTERVIEW: Industrial players must battle to secure cash to fund 5G deployments as coffers are diverted to other priorities in the wake of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, a T-Systems executive told Mobile World Live (MWL).

Enno Borchers, who handles automotive and manufacturing client consulting (pictured), said he had “no doubt 5G will come-on in the next few years” despite any near-term issues.

In an interview for MWL‘s themed week on Smart Manufacturing, Borchers explained the pandemic threw up “certain barriers” because the sector of the industry normally tasked with handling 5G networks “is focused on the business continuity”.

“Companies are looking from quarter to quarter and on their figures, so it means that you have to argue for investments very sharply and this makes it difficult”.

He also cited lack of evidence for 5G maturity in the industrial sector as a further barrier, pointing to issues including M2M modules for some use cases not yet being fully developed.

During the interview Borchers also discussed projects undertaken by Deutsche Telekom and T-Systems to develop use cases for 5G in industry, and the prospects for the new network technology in the industrial sector.