2013 Global Telecoms - Industry Transformation with M2M, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Wi-Fi and New Spectrum

Exciting developments for increasingly vital telecoms industry

There is no doubt that the next ten years will bring further exciting developments to the increasingly vital telecommunications industry. The foundations for change are already well in motion and the continuing deployment of high-speed broadband and 4G technology will provide the infrastructure to ignite the new innovations and revolutions of the future.

There are a number of key trends which have emerged in recent years and will be real-game changers. Machine-to-Machine (M2M) also referred to as ‘Internet of Things’; is one such trend and it will transform every single sector of society and the economy. It will be out of this environment that new businesses – and indeed new industries – will be born.

The large amounts of data generated by M2M developments as well as the increase in user generated communications via social networks and the like will also contribute to towards Big Data progress. Organisations are beginning to recognise the importance of storing and processing the growing amount of data they retain and also mining this data for commercial benefit. In turn, this is leading to a growth in data centres, due to the increasing data storage demands and pressure on companies to appear environmentally pro-active by consolidating and outsourcing their data management requirements.

Cloud computing deployment and development is gaining momentum around the world as the true potential of this technology reveals itself. It has become one of the fastest growing areas for the IT sector and cloud computing solutions are being adopted by enterprises; government and consumers alike. BuddeComm’s general opinion in regards to Cloud Computing is that we acknowledge the enormous economic advantages that cloud computing has to offer - but at the same time recognise that there is a risk of losing control over data and IT systems.

In 2013 it is increasingly clear that Wi-Fi will play a key role in the telecoms environment of the future. The use of Wi-Fi hotspots continues to rise due to increasing popularity from smart phone and mobile device users. The status of Wi-Fi technology is continuing to improve; creating a whole new range of opportunities in the Wi-Fi market. Smartphone users want faster, more ubiquitous and reliable connectivity, while operators are looking to squeeze every last bit of capacity out of their cellular networks. As a result, smarter Wi-Fi is needed so that it can take on a more strategic role as part of the overall mobile network infrastructure. Ultimately users simply want the fastest and most reliable wireless connection they can get.

More spectrum is required too if we want to make the most of all the new opportunities that mobile and wireless broadband technology have to offer our society and our economy. With the voice market saturated, the telcos attention is focused on mobile broadband which requires additional spectrum. Governments around the world are beginning to view the sale of spectrum as a viable revenue raising opportunity in a fragile economy. In 2013 there is increased interest in the re-use of white spaces. It is important to remember that spectrum is nothing more than infrastructure and, as we have seen in the fixed network, if infrastructure becomes monopolised some serious issues arise regarding the use of it.

BuddeComm’s new report, Global Telecoms – Industry Transformation with M2M, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Wi-Fi and New Spectrum, provides important insights into the wider telecoms industry and the key trends which will play an important role in the future. This unique report also includes the key global statistics for the core sectors which make up this diverse industry, including broadband, mobile broadband, Internet use, mobile communications and overall telecoms revenue; CAPEX and leading players. The report then explores some of the hot topics for the industry in 2013 and beyond, including the key role of WiFi, the changing landscape for data centres, Cloud Computing developments, M2M and Big Data trends and the issues surrounding Spectrum and White Spaces.

Examples of key insights:

• The global telecoms market as a whole now boasts some impressive figures.
• Fixed Internet users continue to grow with around 2.7 billion.
• There are around 1.6 billion mobile broadband subscribers worldwide today, far more than the number of fixed broadband subscribers. Asia has the most mobile broadband connections.
• The global market share of consumers using smart phones sits at around 18-19%, the equivalent of around 1.3 billion users.
• Carriers are looking towards a future of mobile broadband services which will require increased capacity and LTE deployment – and spectrum allocation is the key to positioning in these new markets.
• Spectrum management needs to include the role that Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies will have to play, as well as the role of optical fibre networks for the core and backhaul from the towers in the overall plan.
• Cloud computing was one of the key developments to emerge in the last couple of years. However cloud security and privacy are ongoing issues which require scrutiny and there are growing concerns about data “ownership”. If these concerns can be overcome, along with the right standardisations and infrastructure put in place - then we will really see this industry thrive.
• The reason M2M will be so important is that it is needed to more effectively address the many societal and economic problems that people are facing – the environment, energy supply, traffic and people movement, healthcare and so on.
• In 2013 there is a growing awareness of the ongoing maintenance and energy costs to operate data centres.

Data in this report is the latest available at the time of preparation and may not be for the current year