Nokia recently released the 2025 Industrial Digitalisation Report developed with GlobalData which highlights that 87% on-premise Edge and private network adopters are seeing a return on investment in just one year while enabling AI-driven use cases. Also, 81% of industrial enterprises found setup costs lower, with over half saving at least 11%. Ongoing costs dropped for 86% of companies, with 60% reporting savings of at least 11%.
The report draws on insights from 115 industrial enterprises across manufacturing, energy, logistics, mining, and transportation in Australia, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and United States.
“GlobalData forecasts the global private wireless network market will nearly double to US$8 billion by 2027,” said David de Lancellotti, Vice President of Enterprise Campus Edge Sales, Nokia. “This reflects the growing demand as industries face mounting pressure to modernise in line with global sustainability and efficiency goals. Nokia and Global Data’s latest research helps leaders build strong business cases for digitalisation by showing how private wireless and on-premise Edge not only reduce costs but also accelerate scalable transformation with measurable improvements in worker safety, productivity, security and environmental impact.”
The potential of AI in industrial settings depends on access to high-quality, real-time data. 94% of industrial enterprises have deployed on-premise Edge technology alongside private wireless. This combination enables secure, low-latency connectivity in complex environments and pervasive sensor coverage, even in hard-to-reach areas, supporting AI-driven use cases including predictive maintenance, real-time monitoring, and digital twins in 70% of surveyed enterprises.
BASF, for example, deployed Nokia private wireless at its Antwerp facility to advance its digitalisation strategy and enable reliable, high-performance connectivity across its premises. The private network supports AI- and sensor-driven use cases such as real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance.
“Private 5G has been a game changer for BASF Antwerp. We’re unlocking automation, strengthening occupational safety, accelerating innovation, and meeting ROI targets in just two years,” said Steven Werbrouck, Expert Network Connectivity, BASF. “We have become a front-runner for the wider group with learnings that will deliver value at multiple BASF group locations.”
The study also highlights how operational performance improvements driven by private wireless networks are supporting sustainability goals: 94% of the surveyed industrial enterprises reported a reduction in carbon emissions, with 41% achieving decreases of more than 20%, and 89% seeing energy savings. These gains are amplified by predictive maintenance, connected devices, and drones that cut fuel-intensive travel and enable more accurate, real-time emissions tracking.
Cybersecurity drives on-premise Edge and private wireless adoption Security remained a top priority, with 57% of respondents identifying cybersecurity as a driver to deploy an industrial Edge platform powered by a private wireless network. Private wireless solutions offer built-in encryption, physical network separation, and compatibility with zero-trust frameworks, making them well suited for mission-critical infrastructure while maintaining business continuity and compliance.
“Industrial enterprises are turning to private wireless and on-premise Edge to drive innovation and industrial transformation. These deployments are delivering a clear return on investment and enabling use cases that would not otherwise have been possible. Private wireless and edge have helped enterprises to improve worker safety, support sustainability, and create a delivery platform for AI-powered solutions such as process automation and predictive maintenance,” concluded Gary Barton, Research Director, GlobalData.
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