The race to deploy 5G wireless network technology in cities worldwide continues. With Singapore planning to begin its rollout in 2020, industries across the board and mobile operators are gearing up to leverage its disruptive impacts. Especially in the realm of geospatial technology, 5G serves as a key that will open a whole new host of opportunities for mobile operators.
However, according to the latest predictions from Juniper Research, operator voice revenues will fall by nearly half in the next four years as traditional offerings like fixed-line, mobile and internet services deliver diminishing returns. In addition, increasing regulation, the rise of over-the-top services and a decline in what users are prepared to spend on voice and data packages are all contributing to falling profits.
The future is 5G
However, all is not lost. Telcos still play a fundamental role in providing the omnipresent network connectivity that enables the latest technology trends. Ubiquitous coverage is imperative in managing traffic from OTT broadcasting services, connecting Internet of Things (IoT) devices and transporting the data generated by new technologies like augmented and virtual reality. As growing volumes of traffic are transported across global IP networks, annual spending within telcos is expected to reach nearly $1.5 trillion by the end of 2020 according to a dossier from Statista.
The migration to 5G paves the way for new paradigms of network operation and service creation. But 5G isn’t just about improving the network. It is also expected to fuel an explosion in data from connected devices. These smart IoT devices, sensors and endpoints will become conduits for huge swathes of data that operators will be able to collect and process. Augmented with their existing 4G network assets, operators will have the scope to support a broad range of new, and existing, use cases using rich, diverse data.
For instance, with a 5G connection, your future autonomous car will know your expected arrival time at work, taking the optimal route based on traffic data communicated from other cars and the road network - saving you time and reducing congestion. In healthcare, 5G will enable always-on, secure device connectivity for patients, carers and healthcare providers. A common theme across many of these opportunities is the importance of location and contextual awareness. The advent of 5G and IoT devices will accelerate the proliferation of applications underpinned by geospatial data.
Viewing 5G through a spatial lens
Typically, operators manage the session data that runs through networking pipes - this data about customers and network usage is one of the unique assets that telcos own. As 5G evolves, a new role will be forged for operators. Telcos will no longer be ‘dumb pipes’ for data-hungry consumers, but rather the holders of vast data troves that enable a new level of customer experience and service structure. To handle the huge volumes of data that the connected world is generating and build new revenue streams, looking at it through the lens of location intelligence will provide governments, businesses and citizens a different perspective.
In addition, by collating IoT generated data with information on customer and network usage, and enriching it with location intelligence, telcos can also become powerful data vendors. Information can be analysed and visualised to provide meaningful data services. The diverse range of insights which can be ascertained by collating, analysing and visualising data are huge. Mining insights from hyper-scale data sets will help reduce energy consumption, drive automotive vehicles, enable remote surgeries, guide ships into ports, reduce crime on our streets, improve safety on our roads, and make the country a happier, healthier place to live in for our citizens.
The era of hyper-connectivity
Location intelligence enables telcos to tap into a goldmine of valuable geographical and movement-related data. Operators can offer a range of location- and context-aware services across millions of end-points, backed by a significant change in network control, service quality and personalisation. For example, media companies could successfully deliver contextual and targeted advertising with hyper-personalised recommendations.
The ability to mine, analyse and enrich all of this mission critical information will finally allow operators to make the leap from being a provider of wireless connectivity to being a rich data enabler. It will mean that for the first time, telcos have a truly intelligent network that supports and enables other emerging technologies like AI and IoT to process data at unprecedented scale and speeds, which in turn provide more accurate, real-time results. Operators will once again rise to the top by offering rich services and influencing the customer relationship. This era of hyper-connectivity allows businesses to gear up for an explosion of fascinating and valuable events in the new decade.
