Why 5G for Manufacturing Hasn't Taken Off

The manufacturing vertical market is consistently named as a top target for 5G services. But the real world of industry isn’t living up to the hype.

“We’re still stuck in POC [proof of concept] hell,” said one service provider, who spoke only on background. It will probably be the second half of 2024 before real projects start to materialize, he said.

It’s not that manufacturing companies aren’t using cellular technologies. But most deployments are 4G LTE with a side of WiFi. 5G is still thin on the ground. For all its promise, 5G implementation is stalled at the gate.

There are several reasons for the holdup. Following is a list based on our research: