Author: Robin Kent

May 2018 – 5G is being hailed as the next big thing in the telecoms world. It’s seen as the enabler for IoT applications such as autonomous vehicles, healthcare solutions, and robotics – the future in other words, all thanks to its increased data speeds with incredibly low latency. With the number of worldwide 5G connections set to hit 1.4 billion by 2025 , you can understand why its imminent rollout is also music to the ears of equipment manufacturers. Once fully implemented, the likes of Apple and Samsung will be using the “5G enabled” tagline as a key selling-point to an ever-growing smartphone market.  Continue reading Overlook 5G security at your peril

April 2018 – For many years, Network Function Virtualization (NFV) has been the source of a lot of uncertainty for the telecoms industry. And by no means is the fight to dominate this technology over. The slow pace at which virtualization has progressed has meant that feelings of frustration have overcome the initial enthusiasm.  Continue reading NFV: How to get out of a virtual labyrinth

What can network operators learn from SMS when implementing IoT

February 2018 – The Internet of Things market is growing at an exponential rate. It’s set to quadruple in size, growing from $900 billion in 2014 to $4.3 trillion by 2024 , with more than 30 billion connected devices in use. But the huge number of devices and subscribers accessing the network will have consequences for operators. Operators will need to prioritise traffic – can you imagine if the smart grid were to stop working to prioritise advertising boards? Continue reading The IoT Explosion

February 2018 – The Internet of Things offers a wealth of opportunity for the telecoms industry. It presents mobile operators a chance to develop and enhance their consumer offerings and increase market growth. Continue reading Securing the future: why protection is paramount in the age of the Internet of Things

December 2017 – The Internet of Things is no longer the future. It’s very much the present and the market is growing at an exponential rate. It’s set to quadruple in size, growing from $900 billion in 2014 to $4.3 trillion by 2024 , with more than 30 billion connected devices in use. Approximately 7.5 billion of those devices will access a cellular IoT core network, which is three times greater than the number of LTE-connected smartphones today. Service providers have faced waves of game changing technologies influenced by end user demand over the past 20 years, including the rise of SMS and the explosion of Over-The-Top (OTT) applications on smartphones, and IoT is in the same bracket, if not out on its own as the future of the technology world.

Continue reading The IoT phenomenon will equate to nothing if the industry fails to connect the dots

October 2017 – With open source solutions rapidly growing across the telecoms industry, we’re seeing a major shift with the migration from voice and data services to an encompassing set of networking tools. While open source software may still be a new model for the industry, we’re seeing operators moving away from traditional, proprietary-based hardware and software systems, with open source solutions now viewed as a key enabler of transformation and innovation. Open source software has shaken up and disrupted the computing industry, and it now looks set to do the same for telecoms. The argument remains as to whether this is for better or worse, and how the industry will develop.

Continue reading Are open source solutions set to take the high ground in the telecoms industry?

Sept 2017 – The Internet of Things (IoT) is being hailed as the next big thing in the tech world. The way in which we live our day-to-day lives will change forever when all of our products and devices become ‘connected’ – that’s if we’re led to believe everything we see and hear. However, the market has somewhat slowed down. Equipment manufacturers continue to push the IoT-line, but those who need to lay the infrastructure to ensure the phenomenon becomes a reality remain reserved. This hesitancy is highlighted through an industry report which found that a massive 86 per cent of service providers admit they are not ready for IoT and only a few are showing actual progress.

Continue reading The need for an effective packet core in IoT

August 2017 – The way in which we view live events is changing. Go to any football match or music concert and you’ll find a sea of mobile phones held aloft, as spectators try to capture a moment of magic, whether it be a last-minute goal, that fatal red card or face-melting guitar solo via the photo or video function on their handsets. But the excitement doesn’t stop there. Continue reading The battle for internet connectivity is fought in the stands