Check out our 2021 Trends and Outlook
From big data to analytics to intelligence - virtually every industry today is becoming increasingly reliant on the insights generated by millions of machines distributed across the globe. With terabytes of data passing through our networks and with human transactions that generate these data growing exponentially every year, it will not be a surprise if much of the future is dictated by machine intelligence, and by humans who control that intelligence. In telecommunications, we expect to see increased adoption of AI across networks - from access nodes to the core. We expect increased automation, agility and responsiveness with enhanced algorithms and policy rules, and we expect a surge in innovation across all fronts with insights helping operators and vendors alike to better predict and meet the demands of the marketplace. The Fast Mode's 2020 Trends and Outlook segment beckons the age of intelligence and from September 2019 through February 2020, will be publishing some of the best predictions discussing this topic from various perspectives. All companies in the telecommunications space are invited to submit your predictions. Simply email tara.neal@thefastmode.com and we will get back to you with the details. Meanwhile, here are some of the early entries.
By Martin Morgan, VP of Marketing
A 5G Future Looks More Predictable, but How Long Until It Gets Really Interesting?
...the fact that operators aren’t charging a premium for 5G services currently does not mean they can’t in the future. The fixed broadband world has offered speed-based pricing for some time and it stands to reason that mobile operators will continue to follow suit. 5G enhanced mobile broadband does offer considerable improvements in network speeds and capacity and consumers are...
By Daniel Forsgen, SVP of Product Strategy
Unleashing the Full Potential of 5G with Robust Data Management
...the most powerful and flexible data management systems combine a stateless frontend with a database backend. To date, large operators typically use their own backend systems while smaller operators select a combination from the same vendor as for the rest of the core network. When implementing a 5G core network, operators will be able to choose individual components that best...
By Irina Palade, Product Manager
...MNOs on the other side will explore the commercial use cases, as well as new partnerships with industry and service/content providers. This way, they will expand from providing mere connectivity to a business model based on comprehensive service and value for their customers. Technologies like deep packet inspection and traffic analytics will reveal lucrative trends and models, guiding MNOs...
By Projjol Banerjea, CPO and Co-Founder
5G and AI to Shake Up the Mobile Industry in 2020
...telecom and technology companies will influence the next decade. 5G will be a game-changer, and it will drive both integration and connectivity. One-touch, and you have it all with 5G. It will not only enable you to watch Netflix flawlessly on your smart device, but it will also be the platform on which a new generation of innovation will be invented. In simple terms, you will be...
By Gavin Hayhurst, Product Marketing Lead
2020 Is the Year Reality Will Start to Catch Up with Predictions
...In fact, to date, there’s no real evidence that consumers are terribly interested in 5G, and the current rhetoric claiming that the technology is offers faster speeds than ever before is unlikely to change that. Instead, we’ll see operators focus on enterprise customers as early adopters of the technology, and rather than emphasising the speed of 5G, we’re likely to see...
By Anatoli Levine, Director of Products and Standards
Softil's Top Technology Trends For Telecoms in 2020
...old news you might say, but not quite. Yes, cloud computing has become the new norm, but it’s apparent that some data and computational power need to be available when cloud connection is lost. This is commonly known as Edge Computing. While the need became apparent some time back, the usage and implementation of Edge Computing remains mostly opportunistic...
By Josephine Bernson, Chief Revenue Officer
More Data Calls for More Bandwidth, Plus a Scalable, Redundant Network
...the IoT and potentially billions of connected smart devices are constantly sending in data. The rollout of 5G networking is just beginning. Industries are starting to implement solutions that leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning. The need for businesses to move gigabytes to terabytes or even petabytes of data at a fast rate will continue. There is no end in sight...
By Bobby Srinivasan, CEO
AI-Based Machine Learning and Analytics to Be at the Forefront of Network Security in 2020
...In years past, the battle for customers was won on price or product, but in the 2020s, customer experience is increasingly becoming the key differentiator for CSPs. This is equally true in the case of roaming, which is currently seen as a struggling revenue stream as consumers either become silent roamers or use alternatives such as Wi-Fi and local SIMs...
By Jim Machi, VP of Marketing
Smarter Communications Applications Driven by AI to Dictate Customer Behaviour
...WiFi seems to have taken a backseat to 5G in terms of industry hype. But we all still use it. A lot. Just think about how often you’re using it everyday, perhaps without even thinking about it. And WiFi continues to become ever more important as we continue the trend of using it to offload traffic from cellular networks...
By Josh Gosliner, Senior Director of Market Strategy
How Financial Inclusion Initiatives Will Impact Telcos and Enterprises in 2020
...as emerging economies grow more technologically sophisticated, data privacy will be seen as a deeply personal choice. After years of a Wild West, anything-goes mentality for corporations, the pendulum initially swung too far in the direction of control and compliance. As consumers recognize the value of their own data, the pendulum will once again fall to the center, allowing individuals...
By Tricia Steele, COO
Top Five Trends for Marketing Broadband Services in 2020
...billing and provisioning are key components of running a communications business, but the business requires a diverse set of tools to market, mail, manage, install, and support customers. The emphasis will increasingly be on systems integration to ensure that knowledge from separate systems can inform the work of the other. Service providers will need two-way APIs and webhooks from their software providers...
By Sameh Yamany, CTO
Automation and Disaggregation Drive the Network Forward in 2020
...the 5G network will need to cope in real-time with average demand as well spikes in usage. This cannot be achieved manually. Automated processes will evolve in 2020 at every stage of the 5G lifecycle, from automated lab testing through to cell site turn-up, and on to managing and optimization. Indeed, ML is already heavily in use in location intelligence algorithms...
By Ben McCafferty, SVP of Strategic Alliances
The Race to "Go Native" - Radical Change or Defeat
...these Cloud Native architectures are less telco-specific and deliver transformational change through optimised hardware/software operation, combined with advanced automation tools. The main challenge for service providers will be to ensure the orchestration/automation tools have been purpose-built to manage cloud-native environments and Kubernetes standards as well...
By Dilip Krishna S, Product Marketing Manager
How AIOps Will Be the Next Big Thing in Networking
...AIOps intends to raise the bar of NetOps. It aims to drive the enterprises to innovate on the business side and forget the hassles that networks have traditionally offered them. By whipping in intelligence with network automation, this new leap is going to accelerate the velocity, response-time, and application-relevance and on-the-spot readiness of a network...
By Peter Boyland, Senior Analyst
2020 Is the Year That 5G Will Begin Transforming the Mobile Network Experience
...we expect that 3G networks will continue to be more popular than 5G in 2020. Opensignal's data shows that 27.2% of our global user base has never connected to 4G and instead relies on 3G. And this is not just in emerging markets: we found that up to half of users in parts of Germany still don't connect to 4G networks...
By Greg Wester, CMO
2020 Predictions: A Year of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in Choice
...offered a number of options for content. With the faster loading and streaming world of 5G just around the corner, consumers are undoubtedly going to be faced with the problem of “choice overload” - which means the winners are going to be determined by whom can get their content in front of subscribers’ eyes first. Pro tip: Push notifications are not the answer...
By Dror Shlomo, CTO
...mobile operators will scramble to achieve top rankings and then publicize positive results for brand building due to increased competition. With Verizon and AT&T providing 5G services in select cities in the US, and US Cellular planning to launch 5G in the first quarter of 2020, there will be a high level of interest in how 5G performance compares with 4G...
By Frank Palermo, EVP, Technology, Media and Telecommunications
Building the CSP of the Future: 5 Trends for 2020
...there’s no question that the efficiency gains offered by 5G will accelerate business and boost consumer satisfaction. In turn, this will drive innovation in both expected ways such as smart communities and industrial IoT, as well as unexpected ways that have yet to be uncovered. Through next year and beyond, 5G will continue to present CSPs with strong opportunities for...
By Keith Brody, VP of Marketing
...the difference between Deep Learning, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence remains poorly articulated and perhaps also poorly understood. All three phrases are widely used in the industry, but what they actually mean and are being used for is far less clear. 2020 will more clearly define the practical uses of AI in customer base management - and more effectively start to answer...
By Chadwick Kinlay, Marketing and Communications
What to Expect From SD WAN in Enterprise Transformation in 2020
...a seamless service experience also extends to a service provider’s support and customer service. Enterprises are looking for SD-WAN providers that have expertise in both software and networking - software knowledge alone isn’t enough. By selecting a provider with networking expertise, enterprises gain the support of qualified network engineers that can deal with any issues as quickly and efficiently...
By Sanjay Bhatia, VP of Solutions Marketing and Strategy
A 2020 Vision: It’s All About Getting Closer to the Edge
...as more data is being processed outside of the core, held in local storage, cybersecurity risks can skyrocket. This includes the risk of real time communications sessions (voice, data, messaging, video, collaboration) being compromised, so it is essential to consider security as part of any and every edge networking initiative. Edge networks will continue to revolutionize the digital economy...
By Peter Jones, Chair
Ethernet Enables Connected Intelligence in 2020
...technologists are developing new materials and new architectures that will allow these rates to defy what has been impossible in the past. Using powerful simulation tools and building on past experience but with new materials, we will see Ethernet equipment, optical modules, connectors and cables that enable the hyperscale or “cloud” data center operators to continue to scale to new levels of....
By Philippe Morin, CEO
Little Data: The Key to Solving a $20 Billion Problem?
...the potential of 5G machines: topology, to give operators the right level of insight about what is occurring across their network; automation, to help operators reduce the costs of managing connected machines and give them the ability to analyze huge data sets; and finally, AI, to help operators assure 5G services for connected machines without needing human oversight. There will be a degree of trial....
By Chris Neisinger, Field CTO
Public Cloud and Automated AI-Based Networking Define Operator Strategies for 2020
...this trend is all about Explainable AI. Current AI use cases in the network service provider stop at the trouble ticket. Many operators are reluctant to let the AI system directly control their network orchestration systems because they don’t understand why or how the AI decisions are made. They still want a human in the loop for critical network operations decisions...
By Paul Lipman, CEO
2020: Cybersecurity Evolution Meets 5G Revolution
...to combat this, 5G cybersecurity must start at the distributed edge and will require fundamental shifts in how MNOs think about networking and security. Security will need to be edge-to-edge - from the IoT edge, across the core enterprise network, and out to branch offices and multiple public clouds. To do this, everything connected to the enterprise ecosystem needs identification and...
By Steven Van Zanen, Head of Product Management and Marketing
...operators will demand a single license pool regardless of the access technology so they can dynamically switch traffic across technologies. Another factor that contributes to the convergence trend is the increase and fundamental change of security threats. The enormous growth of devices, coupled with fraud across different access networks, has already led to a notable rise of regulator involvement...
By Dan Hastings, Director, Enterprise Solutions
Advancements in Global Collaboration and Customer Experience Will Dominate in 2020
...historically, businesses have provided consumers with access to the brand via multiple touch points, which was perceived as sufficient for a “quality” customer experience. However, as modern consumers become more tech-savvy and Generation Z grows into a formidable customer market, it will become expected that a business’ touch points should have a unified appearance for consumers. Businesses can achieve...
By Mike Wilkinson, Chief Product Officer
5G Experimentation to Intensify in 2020: Enterprise Grade WAN Transport to be Among Early Use Cases
...but the 5G service likely to generate the most actual revenues, at least in the near term, is as a substitute for fixed wireline connectivity. People tend to think that modern service provider infrastructure goes basically everywhere businesses need it, but that’s just not the case. There are still plenty of dark spots, even in mature and saturated markets. 5G fixed wireless solutions can connect them for a fraction...
By Upendra Pingle, SVP, Distributed Coverage and Capacity Solutions
2020 Brings Choice for In-Building Wireless
...additional options for wireless in 2020 are private networks, by either network slicing or private LTE networks. The concept of private networks isn’t new, but CBRS and 5G rollouts are making the conversation a little more interesting. Enterprises realize that by managing their own private networks, they retain ownership of lucrative data that can be leveraged for analytics and machine learning...
By Marc Price, CTO
Future Forward: 6 Telco Predictions for 5G, Cloud and IoT
...pricing strategies around bundling communications, broadband internet, and content/television together have largely worked to date because of the different technologies involved in separate lines of business and networks. As communications and content are increasingly provided via broadband networks, including 5G to the home as one option, and as operators continue to acquire and/or forge tighter deals with content players...
By Igor Gorkov, CEO
The Race for 5G Profits and the IoT Economy to Be Major Themes in 2020
...in 2020, 5G networks will launch in many parts of the world. Unlike in the case of previous generations of mobile networks, with infrastructure technologies reaching their maturity, CSPs will compete on user experience and monetisation models rather than connection reliability and coverage area. The extreme case is the shared 5G infrastructure that all players are jointly building in some markets...
By Steve Papa, CEO
Scaling Up 5G With Cloud Native Networks, OpenRAN and First Standalone Applications
...operators in APAC will be watching operators in EMEA, where there has been a significant move towards OpenRAN, driven by Vodafone in Europe and MTN in Africa. This new approach puts software at the heart of the network. OpenRAN technology can unify all generations of network technology - from 2G to 5G - under the same software umbrella. This can make them easier...
By Richard Piasentin, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer
Where Will 5G Take Us in 2020 and Beyond?
...much of the success of 4G can be attributed to the iPhone, but we have yet to see a similar device to drive 5G adoption. 5G has huge potential for enterprise and government use, but large-scale consumer adoption will require a similarly popular device to increase demand. In 2020, we may see that device emerge - it may even be the new iPhone...
By Paul Hughes, Director of Strategy
A Vision for 2020 - Transformative Telecom Trends to Expect in the Coming Year
...the power of the cloud and the availability of a richer IT service environment on the edge of the mobile network means end customers will benefit at the device level. While still in its early days, 5G network slicing in enterprise-related use cases will likely be the first to take shape, and many enterprise applications will increasingly rely on 5G’s ability...
By Brian Klaff, Marketing Director
Enabling the Network Edge With Hardware-Based Acceleration
...operators must have the agility to adapt to new market demands without having the need to use new hardware when data plane functionality changes. Switch ASICs, though, certainly cannot deliver new functionality and lack the futureproofing that telecoms seek. FPGAs are the platform that is missing to enable true hardware disaggregation, with complete flexibility in both the control and data planes. FPGA-based networking...
By Thomas Nilsson, CTO
Differentiate, Automate and Slice - a Smorgasbord for 2020!
...this adds a new dimension to the challenge of service assurance. In time, operators may be running tens or even hundreds of such network slices (the jury is still out on just how many should be accommodated). So, operators must be confident that their assurance and monitoring solutions can scale, not only horizontally to account for more devices and traffic...
By Tango Telecom
The Revolution Is Here but It's a Little Slower Than Expected
...platform transformation will be a key industry catalyst over the next few years. Compelling new platform technologies that are more useful, intuitive and innovative than anything we’ve seen in the last 10-15 years, are now available to the industry at reasonable cost. These technologies favour cloud-based solutions and therefore we believe that this evolution will be both a technology and...
By Natasha Tamaskar, VP, Global Marketing & Sales Strategy
Predictions for 2020: Open Ecosystems and Disaggregation Are the Key Tenets for Telecom Innovation
...converged orchestration encompasses edge, data center, and cloud native deployments under a single pane of glass for operators, enabling network slicing which cuts across this distributed network infrastructure to be realized. Slice orchestration is essential for executing real-time decisions on slice instantiation, scale out and termination. New services for private 5G networks, IoT, and for enterprises can be enabled by combining...
By Dheeraj Remella, Chief Product Officer
Three Trends Driving 5G for the Enterprise in 2020
...for telecom operators, data is what will prevent them from becoming a utility company serving a “dumb pipe” for over the top (OTT) technologies. Operators will begin striking tighter partnerships with content and cloud companies to provide better end user experience by moving content closer to the edge. The other - and probably more important - monetization avenue for operators...
By Neil Glazebrook, Senior Director, Product Management
How 5G and Edge Computing Will Change the Telecom Industry in 2020
...tournaments create a higher demand for mobile live streaming - and significant backlash if viewers have a less than ideal experience while cheering on their favorite team. Telecom providers can no longer rely on a single server to make seamless video streams across the world, which means more reliance on content delivery networks (CDNs) in 2020. CDNs can deliver mobile live video...
By Russ Ernst, EVP, Products & Technology
...however, as mobile operators, 3PLs, mobile insurance providers and others grapple with the influx of used devices because of trade-ins for flashier 5G models, the use of robots and automation will continue to slowly expand in warehouses this year. Advances in machine-assisted automation will decrease training time for new warehouse operators while increasing overall warehouse efficiency. Companies will continue to...