Digital transformation is a fundamental lever to change the workings of government. Government priorities, including higher citizen engagement, improved productivity, and stronger economic growth, increasingly depend on digital technology.

In the near term, most governments will experience constrained post-COVID-19 budgetary conditions. 5G investments might not be a top priority. However, in the medium and longer term, 5G will emerge as a fundamental technology infrastructure on a national and governmental level.

Areas where 5G can deliver significant value to public services include public education and training, government facility management, defense, blue-light services, smart city initiatives, public healthcare, and public transport. As a general-purpose technology, 5G will play a major role for government technology transformation as:

  • 5G will help set the pace for governmental tech transformation. 5G rollouts in the public sector are lagging other sectors. Yet, given the public sector’s scope, 5G’s impact on the economy and society will be multiplied by 5G’s adoption in the public sector.
  • 5G is a general-purpose technology for a broad range of government solutions. 5G, often in combination with mobile edge computing, enables enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine-type internet-of-things communications, and ultrareliable low-latency communications.
  • Public-private partnerships will define many 5G use cases in the public sector. Ecosystems partnerships between the public sector, tech vendors, regulators, academic institutions, and international institutions will drive 5G use cases in the public sector context.

The report “The CIO’s Guide To 5G In The Public Sector” helps government leaders define their strategy for 5G.