Technology is constantly evolving, and the telecoms space is no exception as communications become ever more important. Therefore, communications service providers (CSPs) must constantly evolve and innovate to stay front of mind in such a competitive space.
To navigate this and stay ahead of the curve, telcos must anticipate emerging trends and understand how these forces will reshape our digital future.
Here are the top five telecom trends I believe will lead the way in 2024 and beyond.
#1: AI will continue to redefine the landscape
Generative AI is reaching its full potential, as vendors rush to integrate it into their applications.
Open-source language models like Google’s Bard and OpenAI’s ChatGPT are democratizing access to this powerful technology and propelling a wave of innovation. The impending arrival of ChatGPT 5 promises to further disrupt the status quo, and a new contender has emerged in the form of Elon Musk's x.AI, poised to challenge the existing language model hierarchy.
Simultaneously, Europe is tightening its grip on AI regulation with the rise of sovereign cloud solutions, sending ripples across the globe. This will also impact non-European providers, necessitating a strategic approach from businesses that want to navigate this evolving landscape. While regulations may reign them in, AI CoPilots will become indispensable companions, aiding us all when it comes to decision-making and streamlining complex tasks.
#2: Cloud computing's quantum leap
As 2024 unfolds, we stand on the brink of a cloud computing transformation. The convergence of AI and computing power is making Digital Twins a reality and these virtual replicas of real-world systems will unlock unprecedented capabilities for simulation and real-time data analysis. Imagine optimizing capacity, predicting overload, or testing new features – all within a digital sandbox, powered by the cloud.
Specialized functional clouds are also emerging, tailored for specific tasks such as AI and Generative AI training. These functions offer bespoke performance and resource allocation for these demanding workloads.
Hardware isn't staying idle either: Intel and AMD's Confidential Computing-enabled processors are becoming as affordable as their traditional counterparts, ensuring data privacy and security remain at the forefront of cloud innovation.
Finally, enter a new era of cloud interaction with GenAI integration at the OPS/ADMIN level. This will enable you to converse with your public cloud platform in plain English, issue complex commands, and navigate its intricacies with the ease of a natural conversation.
#3: Data fabrics adoption
The explosion of data, fueled by the rapid increase of connected devices and sensors, is creating a complex web of information. To navigate this, organizations must adopt intelligent solutions for data management.
Enter Data Fabrics, a framework that seamlessly integrates data across various sources, locations, and formats. When driven by ML and AI, Data Fabrics will be essential in an Industry v4.0 future, with adoption targeted for 2024 and beyond to handle the required data complexity, management, and automation. This will make it easier to enforce data privacy regulations like the GDPR and implement data masking for security, as well as other measures. Gartner estimates that by 2024, 25% of data management vendors will offer a complete Data Fabric framework, a significant jump from the 5% we see today.
#4: NaaS unleashed: A pioneering breakthrough transforms the networking landscape
The telecoms industry is set for a dramatic shift with Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) set to become a valuable solution this year. Deployed and pioneered by Verizon, NaaS delivers a fully functional internal cloud equipped with the entire networking stack and gear, all packaged within highly optimized, energy-efficient servers. This enables the deployment of a mobile 5G network at large-scale events, without the need for complex infrastructure setup.
But NaaS is not just about speed and convenience, it's also about efficiency. The low-voltage, energy-efficient servers reduce operating costs and minimize environmental impact, making NaaS a sustainable solution for the future. With Verizon leading the charge, we can expect other major players to follow suit, transforming how we think about and deploy networks.
#5: Igniting the quantum computing inferno
The race to quantum computing supremacy will continue to intensify in 2024, with tech giants IBM and Google leading the pack. As quantum computers become more powerful, the need for post-quantum-resistant encryption will become paramount. Public cloud providers are already taking proactive measures to implement innovative mitigation strategies to protect sensitive data in this emerging quantum era.
These five distinct trends each form part of a grander technological evolution. The convergence of AI, cloud computing, data management, network advancements, and quantum computing will create unimaginable possibilities this year and beyond. Therefore, CSPs must prepare to be agile, data-driven, and digitally fluent to thrive in this interconnected landscape and meet the ever-increasing expectations placed upon them. As the industry embraces these innovations, the future promises to be brighter, more efficient, and more connected than ever before, with CSPs unlocking ever more amazing user experiences.
The key takeaway is to embrace this evolution, remain curious and adaptable, and see challenges as opportunities for growth.
