LIVE FROM DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WORLD, NICE: Telenor Group SVP and CSO Andre Arnes (pictured, centre) urged a cautious approach to 5G, designing the network to deliver services specifically for market-relevant sectors.

Speaking in a session on 5G business models, Arnes said Telenor had adopted a steady approach to the new network technology in its core European markets and pursued partnerships in the most relevant sectors, such as fish farming in Norway.

“We’re a bit careful and a bit patient,” he said. “The value in 5G isn’t in 5G itself; it’s in the services you enable. It has to be clear where and why we invest.”

He noted the company had attracted a lot of interest in 5G technology from the B2B sector in Scandinavia in addition to regulators who “want to be ahead”.

Security play
Arnes added one of the major additional services and selling-points for operators for industry partners was security, as a greater number of players become exposed to new threats.

“One of the major differentiators is cyber security, as the entire value chain is subject to the same traps,” he noted. “Here, operators have a central role to play, both in B2C and B2B.”