With MWC 2021 around the corner, The Fast Mode ran a brief interview with KORE Wireless CEO, Romil Bahl on their plans for the industry's biggest event. As a leading provider of IoT connectivity and connectivity-as-a-service solutions, KORE Wireless discussed their expectations, specifically on how 5G will drive IoT, while touching on AI and edge computing.
How does it feel to be back at MWC?
It feels like a very long time since the last MWC. February 2019 is not quite 2.5 years ago, but given the pandemic, it might as well have been a lifetime. So indeed it is great to be back. KORE is excited to be here, and excited to get going for real with the decade of IoT ahead - from 12 billion IoT devices in 2020 to 75 billion devices in 2030 - let’s go!
That said, and as difficult a year as it has been, we have seen a spike of innovation. From remote workforces scaling up massively and rapidly to the historic development and deployment of a Covid-19 vaccine, we’ve seen the resilience and brilliance of humankind. We’ve also seen technology become an indisputably irreplaceable part of our lives.
What a time then, to come back together to discuss the agility and successes over the last year and where these key wins will take us as we move into the future.
What’s your showcase theme this year, and what are the key technologies you will be exhibiting/discussing?
Our theme this year is “Stepping into a New IoT Generation: Sophistication in Strategy, Management, and Forward Thinking.”
We’ll be discussing 5G and the impact on IoT, which a lot of our customers are still trying to untangle, because it can mean a lot of things. 5G is certainly going to shape the 2025-2035 time period of IoT, which will deliver on the promise of the ‘connected planet’. But alongside 5G, we also have other key drivers of IoT adoption: eSIM and low power wide area network connectivity.
eSIM is gaining traction in the industry as it opens up the world, quite literally, to IoT. We continue to be a leader when it comes to advancing the cause of true global connectivity through eSIM. As standards take form and tools mature, end users are rapidly seeing the benefits of this key technology.
Distributed and edge computing is going to become more and more mainstream. AI will naturally fit with IoT to create AIoT, and enterprises will learn how to take Big Data and train it into intelligent data for the most effective solutions.
As technology and connectivity options become more diverse, it creates a necessity for a sophisticated end-to-end strategy.
What’s your outlook for telecoms for the rest of 2021?
Telecoms are beginning to see the value of investing in IoT. Whether that’s creating a strong business case for 5G or joining hyperscalers in supporting distributed computing.
To monetize 5G is also to monetize IoT. The low latency of 5G is going to create brand new use cases, and it’s a great opportunity for telecoms to work with developers and IoT solutions providers to determine how to enhance or dedicate networks just for these low latency applications.
Edge computing is a major opportunity, as well. Hyperscalers understand that edge-to-cloud computing is profitable, which is why they’ve entered the game. MNOs and other technology providers can take note of this successful strategy to diversify offerings and become “stickier.”
