The 6 Mobile Trends driving innovation that Telcos Need to Recognize in 2022

Telecommunications is one of the industries that has seen the greatest changes since the pandemic

According to Deloitte analysis, demand for high-value mobile connectivity has increased dramatically in recent years. This increase in demand has been seen among both consumers and businesses.

As we head into a post-pandemic future, expectations for telecom companies will be no less. One of the most important factors for companies to consider is how they invest in mobile innovation. The rapid increase in the number of consumers using their mobile connection as their primary link to the Internet will put additional pressure on providers.

Add to this the fact that consumers are becoming more demanding when it comes to the brands and companies they deal with, and poor service can easily lead to massive customer losses. The only way for telcos to stay ahead of the curve is to be aware of the key mobile trends that are shaping the future of the industry.

Here are just a few of the mobile trends driving innovation for telcos.

1.    5G Expansion

Mobile networks now carry nearly 300 times more mobile data than they did in 2011, and with new smartphones, subscribers constantly entering the market, and more businesses demanding fast connections in the age of “mobile working,” 5G is becoming increasingly important.

Deloitte’s recent telecom report showed that many younger generations are beginning to use their mobile connection as their only solution for Internet access. If this continues in the future, a 5G connection will allow users to bypass access to broadband even when accessing things like video conferencing or sending files in the hybrid work world.

As users in the business world increasingly rely on their cell phones as a connection point for their daily activities, 5G will be especially valuable in the enterprise environment. If you are not yet investing in the technology to bring 5G into your ecosystem, you could be missing out on phenomenal growth opportunities.

2.    IoT (The Internet of Things)

Similar to 5G, IoT is another disruptive technology that has begun to gain more attention in the enterprise over the last couple of years. With travel reduced and fewer people in the office, we’re increasingly looking into solutions that might allow us to manage machines and initiate tasks from a distance, perhaps through an ultra-fast 5G connection.

With the help of IoT, telecom companies are already accessing benefits like more stable connectivity and improved tracking of telecom data at the edge. As we move forward into the future of telecommunications, it’s likely that a larger number of telecom brands will be investing in IoT to make managing their communication ecosystem more effective.

3.    Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence and ML offer a variety of benefits to the telecommunications landscape, from enhanced capabilities through automation to live chat assistants and self-service systems. Through artificial intelligence, companies can enable their customers to do everything from troubleshooting their own connectivity issues to automatically diagnosing problems.

As we move into 2022 and beyond, the improvements in 5G are likely to act as a catalyst for increased use of AI and ML integration in telecommunications. 5G will enable better data sharing between telecom systems, ranging from predicting traffic spikes to improving connectivity and end-to-end service.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have another significant benefit for the telecommunications industry, namely the ability to combat security and fraud issues. AI systems are already being developed to help immediately identify potential fraud in the telecom landscape, making the communications space safer for everyone.

4.    Increased Analytics and Edge Computing

Linked in many ways to the rise of AI and machine learning, analytics, and edge computing capabilities will also be important trends for the telecommunications industry in the coming years. With the help of AI, which can collect, manage and interpret vast amounts of data in a very short time, telecom companies will be able to become more customer-obsessed. Stronger analytics will even make it possible to predict potential problems with the network so that problems and outages can be fixed before they even occur.

The future of analytics will also be impacted by the use of edge computing. Companies such as ABI predict that synchronizing edge servers with telecommunications infrastructure will represent an opportunity worth about $54 billion within 3 years.

Access to real-time data that allows robots and automated systems to make rapid changes to the telecom environment could help eliminate latency and minimize problems in the communications landscape. Edge computing tools can be deployed in everything from enterprise buildings to vehicles to improve overall performance for individual users.

5.    Greater Focus on Security

Security has always been an important aspect of telecommunications. However, as businesses and individuals become more reliant on their devices and applications, the demand for greater data protection and compliance is greater than ever.

Experts predict that by 2022, approximately $133.7 billion will be spent on cybersecurity alone. Many telecommunications companies will be looking for new ways to secure and protect their networks in the future. This is especially important as more companies connect their employees via mobile connections between offices around the world.

Some of the work to improve the security of data in the telecommunications landscape will come from the field of AI. Biometric tracking, natural language processing, and other important artificial intelligence tools are already changing the way companies secure their data.

At the same time, security will continue to improve in the data centers, software, and devices that enterprises monitor and use every day.

6.    Automation Increases

The demand for automation in the telecommunications landscape has been on the rise for some time, especially as customer expectations reach new heights. Many telecom brands found it increasingly difficult to manage the growing demand from their audiences during the pandemic, prompting them to look for new tools to automate and empower their employees.

To close the gaps in customer experience, many telecom brands will begin using automation for everything from tracking potential demand spikes and changes to guiding customers through self-service troubleshooting sessions.

Automation will also make it easier to gather critical information within the communications landscape and turn raw data into meaningful insights for business growth. On a day-to-day basis, access to higher levels of process automation in the telecom industry could help replace some of the repetitive tasks that otherwise take up critical time and focus from key employees such as technicians and engineers.

Other Potential Opportunities for Growth

As the digital landscape evolves at an incredible pace, the opportunities for telecommunications companies are growing with it. At the heart of many mobile trends facing brands in the sector today are a rapid transition to the cloud landscape and a reduced focus on legacy technology. At the same time, we are seeing a growing interest in concepts such as:

• Blockchain: Distributed ledger technology and smart contracts could help manage security and improve trust in the telecommunications landscape. A decentralized database also allows more flexibility for those who want to participate in a Web 3.0 future and its associated benefits.
• Open RAN architecture: This technology is designed to enable the next generation of RAN infrastructure. It provides the foundation for building virtualized RAN on open hardware and helps network operators build and deploy more 4G and 5G networks.
• Predictive maintenance: With AI and data analytics more readily available than ever before, organizations will increasingly be able to anticipate potential issues and get ahead of outages or problems. Predictive maintenance, combined with things like IoT and automation, could be the key to more effective telecom operations.

While it’s impossible to know with certainty what the future holds for an environment as fast-paced as telecommunications, there are endless growth opportunities in the marketplace for companies willing to take advantage of these mobile trends. Contact Bulb Tech today to learn how we can help you take advantage of the biggest changes in communications.