The new year is almost here, and with it comes exciting new things for the telecommunications industry. While 2016 was a big year for telecom, 2017 promises to also bring some important new trends for the industry. Understanding telecom predictions for the new year can help you better prepare your business for the future. Below, we’ll discuss what is in store for telecommunications in 2017 and what this might mean for your business.
2017 Telecom Predictions
No one can say for sure what the future holds, but if the 2016 telecom trends and innovations were any indication, the new year is bound to bring with it some exciting developments for the telecommunications industry. Here are just a few 2017 telecom predictions and how these trends will continue to impact your business in the new year:
Development of 5G is pushing forward.
There is a lot of exciting talk about 5G and its capabilities for transforming the telecom industry. From better home internet to driverless cars, 5G has many thrilling commercial implications, and many companies are starting to take notice. While companies in the telecom industry have already started to develop 5G architecture across the globe, many other industries like transportation are starting to take up 5G research and development for their own purposes.
In 2017, many of these companies that have started developing 5G architecture will begin their field testing. This can have many applications. With the latest introduction of virtual and augmented reality on mobile phones, the consistent speeds and low latency of 5G will help better power this technology. 5G is also great for IoT as it can more effectively connect many smaller devices in a way that Wi-Fi that struggles to.
Customers will start moving toward Network Function Virtualization (NFV).
In the past year, NFV adoption has been slow. This may be because historically, the cost differences between physical and virtualized devices have not been significant enough for most businesses to take interest. It may also be because most customers expect software prices to be lower, and therefore, they have not seen this as a significant development. However, the business models for NFV will become more obvious in the new year as mature pricing models begin to evolve.
As NFV virtualizes network services, it can offer a variety of benefits to businesses, including accelerated time to market and greater agility and flexibility. 2017 may finally be the year when companies start to better understand the value of moving from a hardware based model to a software service subscription model.
The focus of security is shifting.
Carriers play an important role in fighting new security threats that are emerging. Customers are starting to expect and demand more proactive protection from carriers, and carriers will need to respond to this demand.
Recognizing that their infrastructure is just as vulnerable to attacks as the data that is being sent across the network, network operators are starting to adopt business-wide encryption. As we move into 2017, holistic network security will continue to become important, especially as operators and customers plan and deploy solutions for GDPR compliance.
Is your business ready for 2017? Telecommunication technology and services can have a significant impact on business productivity and growth. If you need help ringing in the new year with the right telecom services and equipment, give us a call today: (888) 823-7373.
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