Top 5 growth opportunities in the mobile & wireless industry for 2021

5G will Transform Enterprise Communication
5G networks are, by design, expected to be multi-tenanted and will support complex revenue share models. Instantiating network slices for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) or enterprises with distinct use cases will lead to complex revenue sharing models that must be accommodated.

CSPs must Prioritize Use Cases for Sustainable Service Delivery
CSPs must adopt an integrative approach to product innovation. Some verticals may choose to offer end-to-end solutions, while others may limit their participation in offering only transport solutions. Investing in suitable self-serve capabilities to enable approved organizations to manage the service lifecycle is also recommended.

With 5G, CSPs can Achieve Segmentation of One
The promise of delivering personalized services at scale by leveraging next- generation technologies such as cloud- based operations, guaranteed service quality levels and AI-driven customer analytics are driving greater interest in 5G services.

CSPs Must Clearly Identify the Services They Want to Enable
CSPs should work backward from the use cases! They must adopt a phased strategy for 5G, starting with implementing a common foundation to support high priority use cases and gradually adding new service modules to move up the value chain. Network capabilities should be designed to address a baseline set of capabilities, on top of which specific operator-specific capabilities can be implemented.

Partnerships are Essential for 5G Success
5G success depends upon CSPs’ ability to develop joint solutions with industry leaders and support multi- party business models. By simplifying and automating lifecycle management for co-created services through a platform-centric approach, CSPs can achieve the required scale for their service offerings.

The Choice is Clear – Partner or Perish
Functions such as customer education, product customization, and service and support can be handled effectively by strategic partners, including device manufacturers, system integrators, cloud-vendors, IT solution providers, security vendors, open-source communities and standards bodies.

Remember, 5G isn’t Just Another ―G‖
With 5G, the cellular industry will achieve truly distributed computing capabilities by unifying device, edge and cloud computing. The interplay of technologies such as 5G, AI, cloud and virtualization and IoT is emerging as a fundamental component of digital transformation for every industry.

5G Promises Innovation At a Level Not Seen Before in Cellular Communications
On-demand connectivity, distributed computing, and extensive data analytics capabilities are table stakes for 5G. CSPs must consider the various technical and legal implications for data management and service operations for delivering integrated solutions with their partners.

5G is Designed for the Digital Customer
AI-driven contextual and dynamic experiences are the key requirements for success for CSPs in 5G, but the idea of who a customer is will change as well.

Customers Expect Ongoing Service Customization
With the expected growth in intelligent, mobile, and autonomous IoT supported over 5G, the customer base for CSPs will be comprised of more digital‖ than―human‖ customers, which should be supported through real-time network operations, orchestration, analytics, and monetization capabilities

5G Will Generate a Data Tsunami
CSPs have access to massive volumes of data flowing through their network, website, apps, call centers, retail stores, and marketing programs, all of which will be further accelerated by 5G deployment.

AI-driven Automation is the Only Way Forward
Successful 5G operations will only be sustained when ML and AI are used to manage network operations and automate core processes, such as subscriber lifecycle management, network performance optimization, network security, predictive and preventative maintenance, dynamic cross-domain service linking, and supporting edge computing capabilities.

Edge Computing is Likely to be the 5G Growth Engine
Edge computing presents a significant opportunity for CSPs to establish themselves as a key enabler of digital enterprise solutions.

Without Edge Computing, 5G Will Simply be 4G++
By deploying smaller data centers in the network edge, closer to customers, CSPs can optimize application performance and support innovative consumer and enterprise use cases. Through virtualized and containers-based solutions, the edge itself can be managed dynamically, leading to higher network performance.

The Potential of Edge Computing is Significant
The demand for latency reduction in mobile networks for mission-critical applications is increasing in consumer, enterprise, and industrial use cases. A majority of the data will be processed in the edge even before 5G coverage reaches higher levels and use cases mature.

5G and Edge Computing Can Supercharge CSP Growth
Beyond just selling connectivity services for the high-performance IoT and media use cases, telecom operators should work on solutions and services to meet the edge computing requirements of customers. AR/VR, connected cars, mobile gaming, digital video services, data analytics and advertising are some growth opportunities for edge computing in 5G.

Network Slices are the Future of Intelligent Wireless Communication
A core objective of 5G is to enable increased collaboration between CSPs and their partners to co-create new services. Network slicing is central to helping CSPs realize this objective.

Without Network Slicing, There Will be no True 5G
With the new 5G core and 5G standalone network paths, differentiated 5G services such as network slices and session-based charging can be delivered in 5G.

Network Slicing, Where art Thou?
The fact that networks can be configured in near real-time to offer personalization at scale and guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) is a big selling point for network slicing. It is akin to a plug-and-play architecture for network services, wherein template-driven services can be configured on cellular networks.

Partnerships are Particularly Important for Network Slicing Enablement
While CSPs can choose to create network slices (operator-defined slices), it may be best for them to empower their partner ecosystem to create and monetize user- defined slices. Focus on modernizing existing BSS and OSS systems for supporting network slice creation, monetization and end-of-life processes are key for effective service delivery. Frost & Sullivan