5G, AI and Telecoms: Advancing Connectivity for the Future
Connectivity is now crucial to the way that humans have structured their daily lives. From reaching for our phones, to working remotely, technology has adapted quickly to suit our post-pandemic existence.
As a result, disruptive technologies continue to perforate the connectivity landscape, as the telecommunications industry seeks to connect people around the world even further.
With the industry now experiencing a mass period of transformation, companies are being forced to confront their current business models and adapt their infrastructure to stay competitive in an industry that continues to change. From consumer demands to technological capabilities.
Technology Magazine hears from leading executives at Ericsson, Nokia and Colt Technology Services about how these technologies will be used to propel innovation forward in the connectivity space, in addition to how businesses can best capitalise on them.
Background: Reimagining connectivity for the digital age
Businesses are now rapidly adopting 5G networks, which is enabling faster speeds, lower latency and greater device connectivity. This in turn is leading to the continuation of innovative projects such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and edge computing to enable more efficient networks.
“5G is the best technology yet for high-quality service,” states Katherine Ainley, CEO of Ericsson UK & Ireland. “We’ve seen robust growth for 5G, particularly in the UK, which has achieved around 85% outdoor coverage by at least one operator. By the end of 2029, 5G is projected to account for approximately 60% of all mobile subscriptions globally.”
However, as Katherine explains, successful 5G rollouts will take time, as operators are starting to shift towards 5G standalone architecture. “Currently, there is a disparity across Europe between total 5G population coverage and bid-band coverage,” she says.
“This will unlock transformative features such as network slicing,” Katherine notes. “It’s also crucial to utilise mid-band spectrum alongside the deployment of 5G standalone, which offers the sweet spot for capacity and coverage.”
She adds: “It’s crucial to bridge the gap in Europe. 5G monetisation remains a key trend, with operators and businesses looking to make the most of the exciting opportunities offered by standalone 5G.”
AI and its rapid evolution has also played a significant role in advancing connectivity, with the technology already being used by operators for customer service, fraud detection and similar applications. As far as digital transformation is concerned, the telecommunications industry is placing its bets predominantly on AI and the cloud.
According to McKinsey’s forecasting, cloud developments are expected to generate up to US$3tn in value by 2030, as more businesses migrate towards the cloud. As demand for cloud services continues to surge, so does the need for faster and secure digital infrastructure, as Buddy Bayer, Chief Operating Officer of Colt Technology Services, explains.
“Cloud-based on-demand digital services, along with power availability to support this demand, are two factors influencing the expansion of physical infrastructure to support growth in cloud connectivity, as well as the continued development of consumption-based Network as a Service (NaaS) solutions,” he says.
“This cloud-based NaaS growth is fuelling the expansion and development of API Market
capabilities. We’re having conversations with customers about how API’s are foundational to
their business, and how they can drive value creation.”
Likewise, those across the telecoms industry are seeking to harness the power of AI to enable more personalised and efficient user experiences. As a result, companies hope to use the technology to vastly improve their connectivity infrastructure, making the industry simultaneously more connected and automated.
“AI and quantum computing applications extend to real-time problem-solving and decision-making scenarios, which are vital for industries relying on instant data transmissions, such as autonomous driving and IoT networks,” comments Matthieu Bourguignon, Head of Nokia’s Network and Infrastructure Division within Nokia for Europe.
“By processing vast amounts of data from sensors and other inputs in near real-time, AI can help predict maintenance issues, manage city traffic flows intelligently and optimise communication pathways, thus reducing downtime and increasing the reliability of connected services.”
Taking innovation to the next level
Once businesses have the capabilities to utilise these new technologies, they can start to harness them to create real impact across their operations. Within this, it’s clear that 5G will play a critical role in meeting continued data demands and enable businesses to upscale their innovative projects.
Organisations around the world are eager to create customer experiences that are equally more connected and seamless. As a result, those within the telecoms sector are looking to find new ways to make operations simpler and harness automation to become more sustainable, thereby creating a range of new use cases for 5G.
“The 5G network facilitates wireless software updates and advanced testing, ensuring quality and efficiency without the need for physical connections,” Matthieu explains. “This includes the renewable energy sector, especially wind farms located in remote areas beyond the reach of commercial mobile services. Organisations can facilitate more accurate and secure operations, ensuring the safety of their workforce in industrial environments, smoother connectivity with IoT devices, and reliable analytics for more efficient decision-making.”
As organisations power ahead with their net zero strategies, it will become even more important to collect and analyse meaningful real-time data.
“This can come from a variety of factors, from emissions to water usage, which requires greater bandwidth and lower latency to measure and communicate outputs in real time,” Buddy adds. “5G is an important part of this solution.”
In this vein, Katherine comments on how increased 5G connectivity could help companies meet their sustainability goals moving forward.
“Compared to 4G, 5G is up to 90% more efficient in terms of energy consumption per unit of traffic (W/Mbps). Combined with enabling enhanced efficiency and automation for businesses, carbon emissions can be lowered,” she says. “Autonomous navigation technology, remote crane operations, connected drones, wearable technology and a connected ecosystem of AI sensors all have the potential to be powered through 5G.”
In order to unlock this potential, businesses can take advantage by integrating these new advanced technologies to improve productivity and enhance efficiencies.
“Connectivity is all about new frontiers,” Matthieu says. “Businesses need to stay competitive and innovative. The rise of AR, VR, and mixed reality (XR) experiences is contributing to the exponential growth in data generation and setting the bar high for network quality-of-service.
“Advanced connectivity also opens doors to leveraging AI and machine learning for data analysis, leading to predictive insights, operational optimisation and personalised customer experiences.”
As businesses seek to build fountains for their futures, connected technologies are now evolving into tools for change.
“We’re entering a phase in which businesses look to their digital infrastructure as a growth driver, monetising their global networks to provide financial as well as technological security,” Buddy notes. “Organisations look to their infrastructure as a value creator: delivering innovative new products and services, digitising systems and processes and leveraging automation and AI to transform the customer experience.
“They use it as a springboard to growth and expansion.”
The role of disruptive technologies is evolving
As AI, 5G and fellow disruptive technologies continue to develop, they will significantly enhance connectivity across a broad range of business sectors. This includes rapid optimisation of network configurations and greater robustness moving forward.
Matthieu notes: “AI algorithms will revolutionise network efficiency and management by predicting and managing network congestion through automatic bandwidth adjustment. This makes use of automation technologies which allow for more responsive and adaptable network management, adjusting in real time to meet demand and conditions.
With a desperate need to improve security across a range of interconnected systems, AI and machine learning technologies could be the key. The technology can be used to analyse data patterns and ultimately thwart any malicious cyber activity. Moving forward, this could be necessary as 5G evolves into 6G.
“Looking ahead to the emergence of 6G and future wireless technologies, AI will be crucial in managing these complex networks, ensuring faster, more reliable connections that can support advanced applications,” Matthieu explains.
AI will continue to hold relevance for businesses as, within multiple industries, it’s becoming an inevitability. This means data centres will have to confront greater power and energy consumption, which could result in businesses struggling to meet their sustainability targets.
Moving forward, it will be integral for organisations to balance innovation with sustainable progress.
“AI has huge potential and presents incredible opportunities for enterprises and society to do better, but overlooking its impact on our planet’s resources would be irresponsible,” Buddy states. “As part of a progressive industry driving the digital revolution, we must trailblaze ways in which we can use AI wisely, sustainably, and responsibly.
“AI is and will continue to be key in advancing connectivity moving forward.”
To read the full story in the magazine click HERE
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