Verizon Business today took another step on the long and winding road to discover use cases that it hopes will unlock new revenue streams from 5G. The network operator expanded its fresh partnership with Deloitte to make a new platform available to retailers that rides on 5G and mobile edge computing.

The service, which is now commercially available, covers a broad range of capabilities for retailers including in-store analytics, inventory management, and employee productivity, the companies said.

“We have developed multiple use cases in five areas,” Ajit Prabhu, a principal at Deloitte, wrote in response to questions. “Examples include out-of-stock replenishment, frictionless checkout, customer-specific pricing and promotion in the store, warehouse asset monitoring, and augmented training and safety solutions for associates.”

The consultancy is contributing its experience and expertise in retail and systems integration for front- and back-office operations and blending that with Verizon’s 5G and edge networks, according to Prabhu. The companies are also working with SAP to integrate the enterprise software giant’s Customer Activity Repository and SAP S/4HANA, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system into the platform. 

“We are entering a new era of technology-led disruption at the exact same moment every retailer is looking to accelerate digital transformation, increase productivity, and improve customer experiences,” Verizon Business CEO Tami Erwin said in a statement.

“To realize the benefits, the platform requires advanced connectivity to support a range of devices, including cameras and sensors, to capture relevant data and edge computing to support real-time data processing, analytics, and decision making,” Prabhu explained. “This solution can be enabled either with Verizon’s public or private 5G MEC network.”

Enterprise requirements and opportunities exemplify the importance of 5G and why Verizon is assembling so many partnerships in that realm, Nicki Palmer, chief product development officer at Verizon, told SDxCentral in an earlier phone interview.

Verizon is working with Microsoft Azure on private 5G MEC, Amazon Web Services (AWS) on consumer-oriented 5G MEC, IBM on IoT, Samsung and Corning on in-building 5G radios, Apple, major sporting leagues, and other organizations in an effort to explore and develop 5G use cases.

During his keynote at CES last month, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg pinned the legacy of 5G on users, specifically on how they use the technology and the goals they hope to achieve through it. The operator’s work with Deloitte in the retail sector represents one of many outcomes it hopes to deliver with 5G.