Industrial 5G adoption in Ayrshire, Scotland: evidence, barriers, and implications for 6G

Fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks are widely positioned as key enablers of industrial digital transformation. However, despite extensive coverage expansion, the deployment landscape remains dominated by Non-Standalone (NSA) architectures integrated with legacy 4G cores, limiting the practical availability of advanced capabilities such as Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC), and network slicing. This has contributed to a disparity between projected 5G functionality and realised industrial utility. This paper investigates the economic and structural factors constraining advanced 5G adoption and examines their implications for emerging sixth-generation (6G) frameworks. We conceptualise the current stagnation as arising from concurrent supply-side and demand-side constraints: elevated Radio Access Network (RAN) capital expenditure relative to previous generations, and limited demonstrable return on investment (ROI) for advanced service capabilities. To evaluate these dynamics empirically, a regional stakeholder study was conducted across industrial and public-sector organisations in Ayrshire, Scotland. Data were collected through structured surveys and workshop-based questionnaires involving 34 participants, with proportional sectoral analysis performed to assess representativeness. The results indicate that high initial deployment costs and ROI uncertainty are the primary adoption barriers, with 45.83% of respondents reporting no immediate operational requirement for advanced 5G features. The findings identify an implementation gap in which economic viability, rather than technical feasibility, limits progression beyond basic 5G deployment. The paper argues that unless cost-efficiency and sector-specific value articulation are addressed, similar adoption constraints may extend into 6G development. These results provide empirically grounded insights to inform more economically aligned next-generation network planning.