BROWSING: Opinion

The need to move from ‘call now’ to ‘buy now’ (Reader Forum)

According to the European Commission, over 99% of European businesses are classified as SMEs (small to medium enterprises). To fit in this sector companies need to employ less than 250 staff, and the vast are described as micro-businesses employing less than 10 staff. In the...

The telco industry is running toward Open RAN, and that’s a good thing (Reader Forum)

During the past 25 years, the open-source movement has changed just about everything in technology. By transforming how software is developed, deployed and licensed, open source now powers most of the cloud-based apps and digital services we rely on in daily life. And now...

How COVID-19 accelerated digitalization opportunities and challenges (Reader Forum)

It is said that the world’s adoption of everything digital leapfrogged several years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A hotelier was forced to go out of business during lockdowns before he found fresh air in cloud kitchens and app-based home deliveries. An entrepreneur running...

A deeper dive into 5G Infrastructure (Reader Forum)

Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) can open doors to a more flexible densification strategy, allowing operators to quickly add new base stations using wireless backhaul 5G New Radio (NR) is a global standard that enhances the 5G wireless air interface. NR will provide a much...

Why telecom turned its attention toward the enterprise (Reader Forum)

Historically focused on consumers, telecom providers are now targeting large-scale enterprise customers Let’s start with a simple question: Are you paying more today than in previous years for your home internet service? The speed, efficiency and overall capabilities have certainly evolved, but providers have not...

Why telco survival depends on accelerating digital automation (Reader Forum)

Customer service has never been the telecommunications industry’s strong suit. Between confusing contracts and bills, inconsistent customer support and spotty network quality, carriers regularly struggle to deliver the kinds of experiences that subscribers expect. Exhibit A: Net promoter score (NPS) ratings for telcos, which track...

Kagan: Where are promised 5G wireless speeds?

We’ve been talking about 5G wireless years before it became a reality. It seemed the top three wireless carriers were jumping all over each other trying to be first and best at this next generation wireless technology. A curious thing is happening. Now that...

How LEO satellite networks can help bridge the digital divide (Reader Forum)

Cloud connectivity has been typically delivered via a combination of terrestrial wireline access and cell towers, feeding traffic into local, regional, nationwide and global fiber networks. Additionally, the overwhelming majority of international traffic today is being transported by a global mesh of submarine telecom...

Why the telecom industry needs to look at a multi-tier defense mechanism to combat illegal and malicious robocalls (Reader Forum)

Fraudulent robocalls are a menace across the globe. Many of these utilize call spoofing, a practice by which voice carriers and aggregators intentionally falsify caller ID information to gain an illicit advantage. Call spoofing enables many different types of fraud such as Wangiri (short...

5G will change life for consumers, but not directly — at least not yet (Reader Forum)

While telecoms may be breathing easier after the government recently cleared much of the rollout of 5G near airports, saying it did not pose significant safety issues, the industry and this long-anticipated communications revolution continue to face much bigger challenges. Telcos desperately want consumers to...

The role of multi-network SIMs in the sunsetting of 2G and 3G (Reader Forum)

Despite the UK government announcement on the 8th December regarding the phasing out of 2G and 3G networks in the UK, there remains a lack of clarity in the future of these technologies for the IoT market. This is because most providers are still...

Applying AI to network problems (Reader Forum)

Organizations are getting a ton of network-related data every minute of every day. There has been a massive increase in devices, applications, bandwidth, IoT equipment and cloud-based applications to deal with. Add to that the recent rapid expansion of the network environment (stemming from...

Safer, smarter workplaces – three ways to empower facilities with AI (Reader Forum)

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how businesses view and use their workspaces. While employees have begun returning on-site, concerns about health and safety remain high. As a result, real-time workspace-utilization insights are mission critical. With a data-driven picture of how people are using office spaces,...

The 3G end is near: Why IoT users must upgrade today (Reader Forum)

Upgrade or disconnect? This is the stark choice facing 3G connected device users. The once-revolutionary mobile network is currently being rolled back across the world to make way for new and improved iterations. In doing so, however, millions of older devices face permanent disconnection. This...

Sympathy for the devil – a private 5G story (thoughts on MWC)

This might seem like a cop-out, but the irresistible narrative from MWC over the week, that the grand-standing on the show floor masked (and revealed) a battle between three industries for the soul of 5G, is not quite right. The idea that the traditional...

‘Operators must do more to help communications between Ukraine and Europe’

An open letter from Matteo Gatta, CEO  of  BICS, to EU mobile operators  “We must do everything we can to connect Ukrainian citizens with their loved ones, out of the country. “I am urging EU mobile operators to remove all charges on voice calls coming out...

Why service management and orchestration are essential for CSPs to meet today’s market requirements (Reader Forum)

A zero-touch operational model is becoming increasingly critical for communications service providers (CSPs) to realize the monetary benefits of multi-vendor digital services such as dynamic 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) offerings. However, considerable transformation is required for the CSPs to evolve the service...

Unlocking the farm of the future through connectivity (Reader Forum)

Staying connected means far more than simply catching up on social media or carrying a mobile phone in your pocket; it’s become critical in virtually every aspect of our lives. From providing the network needed to conduct daily tasks such as virtual learning and...

The top five benefits AI brings to the telecoms industry and beyond (Reader Forum)

Maximising the potential of artificial intelligence has proven to be a substantial challenge across industries. However, the benefits of overcoming these barriers are too great to ignore. Robotic process automation (RPA) can pave the way for AI integration and make businesses more competitive in...

Get ready: The era of hybrid fiber & wireless broadband networks is upon us (Reader Forum)

For years, fiber has been considered the gold standard for delivering fast broadband speeds to residential customers, particularly in areas where broadband subscriber density justified the cost. But other areas that fiber couldn’t reach remained mostly underserved, forcing service providers to look for alternative...

Kagan: Pace of change accelerates with 5G, IoT, AI, metaverse

Let me start by saying a sincere and heartfelt thank you! Someone just said to me that I have been an industry analyst and columnist for nearly four decades. How, over that time I have been sharing thoughts, analysis and insight into the news...

Four key ways technology is enabling companies to reap the benefits of diversity, inclusion and equality in the workplace (Reader Forum)

The world has changed in the last two years. Companies have swiftly moved onto the digital bandwagon not to thrive — but to survive. When I began my career almost two-and-a-half decades ago, conversations regarding diversity and inclusion were reluctant and, at times, awkward....

Why telecom is moving to the cloud — and the 3 ways telcos can get there (Reader Forum)

The cloud revolution has been widely adopted within IT, and most businesses are taking a “cloud-first” approach when deploying new applications. Gartner states that 85% of organizations will be “cloud first” by 2025. However, when it comes to adoption in telecom, the pace can...

5G and Wi-Fi will coexist – as ‘gory detail’ of the tech fades (Federated Wireless on 2022)

When you’re launching a new technology, it’s easy to develop a rooting interest. It’s only human – you devote your passion and energy to this new innovation, and you want people to know it’s better than the alternatives. Meanwhile, people working on alternatives argue...