How the telecoms sector views edge – data chart

Edge compute holds opportunities for telecoms so why don’t telcos chase it more?

Our chart of the week looks at the sector’s edge readiness.

The chart data comes from our recent edge compute webinar (December 2018). Surprisingly, 32% of respondents claim they’ve a commercial strategy.

We think this is a generous reading of ‘commercial strategy’ or skewed by vendor answers.

Bar chart showing how the industry views edge 2019

We know Ericsson, IBM, Intel and others are mature in defining edge strategies. The same can’t be said for most telcos.

Looking at questions from the session and what we’re asked, there’s work to do. From clarifying what telco edge means and what it looks like, to how it fits into the wider distributed cloud ecosystem.

Importantly, telcos want to know who edge customers are – now and long term. This will let them focus on relevant areas and generate revenue.

Telcos must:

  • consider who to partner with on edge
  • seek a realistic relationship with hyperscale players (to avoid being commoditized by them)
  • draw on lessons from other innovations – like ventures in cloud and API.

Edge implementation should be demand-driven to give best chance of returns.

Like all key innovations, it needs a cross-organisation approach, engaging partners and customers, and underpinned by a solid value proposition.

First published as our chart of the week on 19 December 2018. Our charts are snapshots of data that offer a talking point or prompt to think about a particular market or vertical.