Vodafone pointed out in a report released a few days ago that due to the slow rollout of 5G SA, British SMEs may lose up to 8.6 billion pounds (about 78.4 billion yuan) in productivity loss every year.
Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark are investing in "reliable, ultra-fast 5G connectivity" at a faster rate, boosting business growth for SMEs, ahead of the UK, the report notes.
The UK is currently the fifth most attractive country in Europe when it comes to SMEs using 5G technology. If the UK can accelerate the rollout of a standalone 5G network, it could jump to second place in the market after Denmark, the report said.
The report points out that 5G networks have the potential to deliver significant cost savings for small and medium-sized businesses.
Vodafone uses the agriculture sector as an example, where small and medium-sized enterprises can save more than 3 weeks of work per farm worker by using standalone 5G technologies such as soil, weather, and equipment monitors. The rapid deployment of stand-alone 5G equipment will help the UK agriculture sector save more than 37.7 million man-hours per year, saving 1£1.2 billion in productivity costs.
A Vodafone spokesperson said: "UK SMEs are already among the most advanced in Europe when it comes to integrating digital tools into their business, and we don't want to see them fall behind because they don't have access to 5G connectivity. That's why we're excited about the opportunities that merging with Three UK can bring to this key sector of the UK economy. ”
This will enable us to gradually roll out a nationwide standalone 5G network to help UK SMEs leverage leading 5G technologies such as AI and the Internet of Things to improve work efficiency and productivity, and most importantly boost business growth. The spokesperson added.
Vodafone also said: "If the proposed merger deal between Vodafone and Three UK is approved, it will be able to gain a leading position in the European communications market, enabling an investment of £11 billion to achieve the goal of 99% of the UK population by 2034 with independent 5G." ”