Month: May 2023

Measuring Mobile User Activity During the Coronation and Beyond

by Rob Pritchard, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate, Internet of Things
R. Pritchard

Summary Bullets:

• Movers Index gives quarterly UK movement data collected by O2 Motion and by polling users to provide insight into behavior of the British public and businesses.

• More than 114,000 people visited central London (England) to be part of the Coronation parade, delivering a boost to business, matched by similar behavior nationwide.

Virgin Media O2 Business’s new Movers Index combines aggregated and anonymized UK movement data collected from its O2 Motion proposition (Virgin Media O2 Business O2 Motion may have been too much of a tongue twister), combined with polling of businesses and consumers ‘to provide quarterly trends and insights into the behavior’ of the British public and UK businesses.

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Generative AI Watch: ‘RingSense’ by RingCentral is Well Positioned in a World That Both Embraces and Fears AI

by Gregg Willsky, posted in IT Leader

G. Willsky

Summary Bullets:

• RingSense marks the latest addition to RingCentral’s AI portfolio and arrives after a noticeable hiatus.

• RingSense closes a competitive gap with rivals who have recently responded to the emergence of ChatGPT with their own generative AI offers.

RingCentral recently launched an open beta of RingSense, a generative AI platform that leverages voice and natural language processing (NLP) to analyze business conversation data. The first iteration is RingSense for Sales, which dissects interactions between sales reps and customers or prospects across calls, emails, and video meetings. Users can assess rep and team performance, discover customer wants and needs, and more. Along with RingSense for Sales, RingCentral plans to release four additional, related offers: RingSense for Revenue Leaders, RingSense for Sales Enablement, RingSense for Customer Success, and RingSense for Marketing. Continue reading “Generative AI Watch: ‘RingSense’ by RingCentral is Well Positioned in a World That Both Embraces and Fears AI” →

IIoT Service Providers Seek Revenue Growth Through Vertical Solutions and Service Enhancements

by Kitty Weldon, posted in Mobilize
Kathryn Weldon – Research Director, Business Network and IT Services – Americas

Summary Bullets:

• While IoT services and connections are growing, GlobalData forecasts that connectivity revenue growth (five-year CAGR of 6%) is lower than other aspects of IoT growth (five-year CAGR of 10%). This is partly due to lower ARPU as IoT connectivity (e.g., for LP-WANs) becomes less expensive.

• To expand services and add revenue, operators are partnering with vertical industry experts, adding technology enhancements to improve operations and customer ease of use, and offering edge services and private networks that complement IoT solutions.

Over the last six months, IoT announcements from AT&T, Verizon, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, Vodafone, Tata Communications, and Telstra included the following:

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Generative AI Watch: Will Generative AI Drive Additional Demand for MEC Services (and 5G)?

by John Marcus, posted in Big Data, Internet of Things, Mobilize
J. Marcus

Summary Bullets:

• There are many potential use cases in the enterprise for generative AI, but many will be enabled by existing cloud solutions.

• Some use cases requiring real-time responses may emerge, generating modest demand for MEC and/or 5G services.

Expectations of demand for 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) services from the enterprise segment are established – in part – on enabling artificial intelligence (AI) to be used in real-time applications. AI requires considerable computing power, usually achieved in the cloud where its demanding requirements can be scaled, but where such resources are too distant (due to network latency) to be relied upon for use cases where seconds or milliseconds in application response time can determine success or failure. There are other reasons why MEC makes sense in this scenario, including both the security benefits and cost savings achieved by not sending massive amounts of data to and from the cloud. With the recent hype around generative AI and the potential impact on various professions, industries, and organizations, it is worth considering whether its uptake will mean even more demand for MEC and/or 5G.

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Ericsson’s Cradlepoint Plays a Unique Role in the Enterprise Mobility Ecosystem

by Kitty Weldon, posted in Mobilize
Kathryn Weldon – Research Director, Business Network and IT Services – Americas

Summary Bullets:

• When Ericsson acquired Cradlepoint in 2020, the latter was focused on enterprise wireless WAN equipment, which was considered an emerging business for the network infrastructure vendor.

• Now Cradlepoint is at the heart of Ericsson’s enterprise strategy, bringing diverse channel partners and new products with which to flesh out offerings to meet a growing demand for wireless connectivity.

When Ericsson acquired Cradlepoint in 2020 for approximately $1 billion, the latter vendor specialized in wireless WAN solutions. It offered 4G/5G mobile and fixed site cellular routers and adapters, vehicle and IoT routers, and network management software available via a cloud-based software-as-a-service platform, featuring zero-touch onboarding. At the time, it had approximately one million subscriptions among US and global enterprises, SMBs, and public sector businesses. Cradlepoint was initially part of the Ericsson Business Area Technologies & New Businesses business unit and sold its products indirectly to businesses through a diverse channel of 1,500 system integrators, CSPs, and resellers, augmenting Ericsson’s traditional channel (and primary customer base) that had long been dominated by CSPs.

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Dual 5G Networks – Still Far from Ideal but Way Better than SWN to Drive 5G Development in Malaysia

by Alfie Amir, posted in Internet of Things, IT Leader, Mobilize, Network
A. Amir

Summary Bullets:

• The details are still unclear, but the Malaysian government’s announcement on dual 5G networks is a positive move that can accelerate 5G developments in the country.

• Telcos should start collaborating and get more involved in the second 5G network for greater control of the infrastructure.

The Malaysian Communications and Digital Ministry recently announced that 5G rollout in the country will move to the second phase, in which Malaysia will have a dual network model upon reaching a population coverage of 80% of the first network. Having dual wholesale networks is still far from ideal compared to separate deployments by the telcos. However, it is a very positive move from the single wholesale network (SWN – for more on SWN, please see “Malaysia 5G Through SPV: One Step Forward and Two Steps Back,” March 8, 2021) as it will provide wider options for telcos/service providers and enable them to differentiate. It can also drive 5G development and accelerate innovations in creating new applications and use cases. All major local telcos (e.g., CelcomDigi, Maxis, and Telekom Malaysia) have already voiced their support for the dual networks while the largest player, CelcomDigi, has announced it will withdraw its equity participation with Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB – i.e., the current SWN provider).

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KubeCon EU: Modernizing IT Operations Through GenAI

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable

C. Dunlap
Research Director

Summary Bullets:
• Intelligent automation solutions will serve as an initial app platform that provides enterprises with access to generative AI (GenAI)
• Security firms will leverage GenAI as a means for enhancing cloud security posture management and attack path analysis

Last month’s KubeCon EU was a big hit in terms of record-breaking attendance and new blood seeking guidance on easing tasks associated across the Kubernetes stack. Many were also looking for answers on GenAI’s new role in app modernization and operational provisioning.
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Telecom Wholesalers will Require an Underlying Strategy for AI

by Rajesh Muru, posted in Big Data, Cloud Enable, IT Leader, Network
R. Muru

Summary Bullets:

• The telecom wholesale segment is behind the AI implementation curve, and companies need to do more by embracing innovation – i.e., exploiting opportunities for generative AI.

• Success for telecom wholesalers will entail developing an underlying AI strategy across the portfolio and company in a connected manner.

Telecom Wholesale Trends in 2023
GlobalData’s discussions over the last year with global leading telecom wholesale providers highlights a commonality in strategy among telecom providers selling wholesale connectivity, both in terms of strategic vision and in the products and services they offer. Where companies differ is influenced by the nature of the core networks that support products and services, global geographical reach, and strength of product/service brand (e.g., antifraud solutions, mobile roaming), and lastly partnerships.

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