Government priorities—including higher citizen engagement, improved productivity, and stronger economic growth—depend highly on digital technology. As an evolving general-purpose technology, 5G will provide the connectivity critical to delivering these priorities, according to a report by Forrester.

The CIO's (chief information officer) Guide To 5G In The Public Sector highlights potential for 5G across the spectrum of public services in healthcare, transport, education, and training, infrastructure, defence, emergency services, and smart city initiatives.

Yet the study found out only 34% of public sector decision makers recognise the technology’s return on investment (ROI) (compared to 42% across all industries) and 32% remain unconvinced of its ability to increase operational efficiency.

· Providing the right regulatory and operational framework for 5G deployments: Governments must reduce the cost and increase the speed of deployment of 5G networks by removing unnecessary administrative and regulatory hurdles, and provide timely access to the 5G radio spectrum.

· Investing in 5G test beds: The EU has designated 20 test-bed cities to test consumer-focused 5G applications as part of its 5G for Europe action plan. One of these test-bed cities, Barcelona, tests 5G for connected cars, healthcare, industrial applications, and entertainment.

· Making security and privacy imperatives to protect citizens and government data: To build trust, data protection technology must be integral to any 5G solutions in the public sector.