With welcoming in the new decade it’s time to investigate what the up and coming trends in the telecoms industry are going to be in 2020. It is an extremely exciting time for the sector with technology constantly improving every single day allowing for greater advancements in solutions across the board. Here are some of the prominent trends, set to make the biggest impact in the new decade:
5G the Long-Awaited Game Changer?
5G launched in the UK last year from the main four mobile networks - Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three. It is set to bring a new era of connectivity and the opportunity for businesses to continue to prosper in the modern data orientated society we now live in. The low-latency of 5G and the much faster data speeds available will bring greater potential to organisations. The excitement of 5G has been around for a few years now with businesses being excited for what it can allow them to do. It won’t be perfect when it first comes out but we are excited to see what opportunities it will bring.
Security and Data Privacy
The phrase “technology is getting better and better every day” is incredible and terrifying at the same time. With technology advancing at such a rate this means that keeping our data secure and private is more difficult than ever. Simply being able to keep up with the fast-paced release of solutions and updates has meant that there is constant scrutiny over upcoming products and how secure they are for business use. There is now persistent pressure that a product must work the way it says and be as secure as possible, to prevent cyber-attacks which could negatively impact businesses.
With much of 2019 being dominated by Brexit and the fact that we will leave the European Union means that GDPR is up in the air. As a result, some organisations will be unsure on what they are to do regarding data and security. However, GDPR applies to all businesses who have customers in the EU so if they continue to trade in the EU they will still need to comply with the regulation and avoid fines.
Continuation of Smart Cities
Smart cities are popping up more and more, by 2040 it’s projected that cities will be smarter than ever, not because of new technology but by improving the everyday human experience of urban life. The Smart aspect is tech solving problems and enhancing experiences rather than just using tech for the sake of it. The Smart City market is set to grow at a rapid rate in the coming years, expected to reach a value of USD 1712.83 billion by 2025 which shows an upward trend as in 2019 it was valued at USD 624.81 billion in 2019.
This has led to cities beginning to realise the importance of protection from cyber-attacks which can cripple organisations if there is a lack of security. An example of this being in the US where most states allocate under 3% of their IT budget to the issue of cybersecurity. This could damage cities in the long run as we see technology advance, leading to more openings for potential threats or attacks. With urbanisation also increasing, this simply means there is more demand for the use of devices around cities which brings in 5G and IoT to bring the connectivity to a new level.
Growth of AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Telecoms industry is commonplace and continues to progress with the new technology available; the use of machine learning and prediction can help businesses enhance their customer services and fraud detection.
Data in the Telecoms sector is vast, especially with the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), this naturally poses security concerns and cyber threats. AI and machine learning can help minimise such threats with the use of network optimisation and machine learning algorithms to spot irregularities from huge data sets and provide real-time reports.
Ultimately AI provides new opportunities for organisations to better protect their assets and improve service delivery.
Full Fibre UK
The government announced over the past two years that British homes will all have access to full-fibre broadband by 2033, this has had its critics on whether it’s achievable or not. This assurance from the government in creating more opportunities for full fibre is promising for the industry as it will create more opportunities and only give more exposure to the exciting sector. There has already been visible progress, in September 2019 the UK’s full-fibre coverage grew to 8% according to Ofcom which is a step in the right direction however it will take a lot of work to meet these targets.
Overall, the telecoms industry is in for an exciting year - with the roll-out of 5G looking to impact business, smart cities and individuals, it seems connectivity is truly advancing at a rate we have never seen before. With the aid of the modern tight-knit security platforms, this year is looking to be one of progression, and a time where businesses can push forward and be the best they can be by utilising modern solutions.
