Converged policy will be critical to monetizing 5G services Operators continue to face an uphill battle to 5G, as the hyperscalers have caused disruptive change by building software-based networks from the ground up. This means they can deliver services to customers over these greenfield deployments much faster than the operators can. Not to mention, they can customize and scale these services more efficiently and hence generate revenues much more rapidly. The reality is that hyperscalers are more prepared to compete in 5G with new services, so operators need to catch up as their relationships ..read more

A case study of how the magic of EMBB, URLLC and MMTC can help people like me and my ‘Mom’ In a recent blog, I discussed the need for edge computing to address the requirements of 5G.  As a reminder, changes in technology to support 5G mobile standards are expected to yield a 10-100X increase in data rates, support 10-100X more connected devices and result in 5-10X reduction in latency when compared to our current standard.  Though this sounds great, it’s really rather academic unless it can be applied as a meaningful use case. Below is a health-monitoring use case that hits home for ..read more

So much attention is paid to how 5G will impact the consumer market that the potential for industrial use cases can be lost in the noise, but this is where CSPs should focus now. From connected cars to connected cows, there is no shortage of hype around all that 5G will enable and how much the market will be worth. While the immediate focus is digital transformation, it is industrial transformation that will bring about the most meaningful change in our society. While consumer-driven services for streaming video, live TV or wireless gaming on social media capture the imagination and seem to b ..read more

A year ago, I became a part of the Oracle Communications Global Business Unit. Here is what I’ve seen and what I think is on the horizon. This has been a year of change for me, professionally and personally. I joined Oracle Communications after a 25-year career in telecommunications, with the last 20 being on the operator side of the industry. My tenure consisted of 10 years with Vodafone (through its Cable and Wireless acquisition) and 10 years at Telstra before that. These companies were headquartered in the United Kingdom and Australia, respectively, so my move to Oracle also represented my ..read more

Most operators think they’ll migrate to a full 5G standalone core within two years of commercial launch, but to get there they need an IT-driven, cloud native SBA with a DevOps mindset. Perhaps you can’t take your foot off the gas pedal of 4G while moving to 5G, but you can gradually apply power for a gentle, more elegant transition from 4G to 5G. Just as we learned in the journey of mobile from 3G to 4G, the transition among the “Gs” will be incremental, with early deployments starting at 5G radio and leveraging existing 4G network infrastructure. In fact, the 4G evolved packet core (EPC) wil ..read more

The impact of COVID-19 on 5G pushes us to adjust our plans according to where we are today, not where we were yesterday. It’s no secret that telcos around the world did an absolutely fantastic job in keeping us all connected, productive and entertained through the crisis. Generally, their networks worked flawlessly even though this event crept up on them without any warning. But rather than flaunt the success, it seems they are going on their humble way. Why? Now, suspended in time as we are, there are choices to be made. Businesses of all types need to adapt and quickly. Change isn't optional ..read more

The second set of specs will improve performance, reliability and time-sensitive networking for IoT and 5G services. Face-to-face meetings have been a mainstay of developing new wireless technologies, specifications and standards, so I’d like to commend 3GPP for finding alternate ways of working in order to complete release 16 in July despite the current disruption to normal processes. This is a milestone that will trigger new use cases in automotive and industrial IoT and URLLC, as well as support operations in unlicensed bands so that opportunities can be explored even in places where licens ..read more

Cloud and SaaS-based solutions can help organizations reimagine customer and user experiences I was struck by a recent insight piece by McKinsey that showed executives who considered innovation a top priority pre-crisis, rate it as much less important today. This was particularly true of respondents in the Communications industry, probably because of the exigent need to meet the demands of both critical industries like emergency services and health care, as well as the day-to-day communications needs of businesses and individuals struggling to stay connected and productive while sheltering in ..read more

According to recent research by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the world’s population is expected to grow to almost 10 billion by 2050. That will pose enormous challenges to agriculture, the world’s largest industry and one increasingly threatened by drought, wildfires and other climate-driven disasters. If we are to make this world more sustainable, Mother Nature will have to coexist with technology. In fact, technology will be as integral to agriculture as are livestock, seeds and equipment today as it provides the best way to balance food security, environmental susta ..read more

Over the holiday season, did you soak in all the ways wireless, digital technologies are transforming retail, making the customer experience more individualized and compelling both in-store and online? Walk into any store in the new year and you might knowingly or unknowingly be impacted by 5G + IoT + AI video analytics + voice recognition/conversation commerce. The advent of 5G-driven, digitally infused communications will not only personalize customer experience, but it will also simplify and automate what used to be meaningless or difficult tasks for shoppers. As retailers learn the pattern ..read more