It’s challenging to pinpoint a straightforward IT breakthrough from deploying isolated technologies such as private 5G, edge computing, or AI. However, when integrated, these technologies do present a promising future.
As of 2025, enterprise network professionals are facing unprecedented budget pressures and uncertainty about their companies’ strategic direction. Despite feeling overwhelmed by what seems like over-hyped technologies and an evolving vendor landscape, some enterprises are harnessing the true potential of these technologies.
The common misconception is that private 5G isn’t needed by most companies, yet some industries are discovering its expanding value. Consider a manufacturing company that transitioned from a mix of wired IoT and Wi-Fi to private 5G in a facility. This shift slashed control-loop latency to one-fifth of its previous state, resulting in over a 90% speed increase in their processes. They are now looking to implement this technology across additional facilities and even collaborate with a cloud provider to expand their private 5G coverage over nearly a thousand square miles.
In another scenario, a different enterprise tested a private 5G implementation using Open RAN. They effectively used Near-Real-Time RIC as an edge-computing element for an IoT app, achieving low network and computation latencies without the need for co-location of computing resources. This company aims to partner with cloud or mobile operators for a continental expansion of their experiment.
A key theme in both cases is the synergetic use of AI. The enterprises are not deploying the traditional “Yoda-like” AI systems, but rather integrating AI components into their workflows to optimize operations. For every high-profile AI application returning minimal ROI, enterprises have discovered five workflow applications that yield far better returns, effectively embedding AI into their operations.
AI helps synchronize intricate supply chains, akin to aligning a series of bucket brigades, which is critical for efficiently managing shifts in production demands. With AI’s capacity to anticipate necessary adjustments and prepare accordingly, companies can optimize not only their manufacturing processes but also their sales and supply chain logistics.
While these two examples may not signify an immediate trend, they reflect a significant shift in leveraging previously over-hyped technologies. The phenomena arise from local initiatives that start small and scale gradually, maintaining control over investment and risk. The potential of private 5G, as a foundational technology, may truly drive innovative enterprise developments well beyond current expectations.
