Snapshots from our analyst team's latest research
STL Partners recently updated (November 2021) its Telco Cloud Deployment Tracker, a our comprehensive database of live, commercial deployments of virtualised and cloud native network functions (VNFs and CNFs) and SDN technologies by leading telcos worldwide. It builds on an extensive body of analysis by STL Partners over the past eight years on NFV and SDN strategies, technology and market …
The Coordination Age is all about making better use of new and connected technologies to improve the management of resources. There are few industries that need it more than construction, which: Generates 39% of industry CO2 emissions and where up to 30% of materials delivered to a construction site can end up as waste. Employs 10% of the global workforce, where there …
Let’s stop the next cliche before it even starts Most knowledgeable people now roll their eyes in derision whenever they hear the words 5G and autonomous driving (or robotic surgery) mentioned in the same sentence. But the mobile industry’s hypesters are always casting around for some new trope – and especially the mythical “killer app” that could help to justify …
What’s the 5G-aliser for? In early 2020, as a growing number of operators were launching commercial 5G services, it was clear that there were a wide range of factors that would affect the development of the market, from availability of spectrum and devices, to demand for high bandwidth services and private networks, and maturity of underlying technology and standards. To …
The telecoms industry has a key role to play in reducing global carbon emissions, but as it stands there is huge variety in how close SPs are to achieving net zero. This article explores where SPs are in their sustainability journeys, and their key areas of focus moving forwards. The telecoms industry has a key role to play in reducing global emissions There are over eighty telecoms operators globally that turn over $1 …
In October 2016, AT&T announced it would acquire Time Warner and completed the acquisition in June 2018 for $85.4bn ($108.7bn including debt) branding the business as WarnerMedia. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which created real disadvantages in a number of areas, AT&T successfully launched HBO MAX in May 2020. Indoor restrictions affected its 5,550 retail store footprint, which would have been …
The pandemic, environmental concerns and increasing incidence of natural disasters and social unrest are serving to focus public attention on what can be done to preserve health and ensure the safety of people and property going forward. STL Partners supports the position that telecoms companies are strongly placed to help address these concerns. The vision is that telcos can connect …
The original concept for edge computing in the telecoms sector stemmed from network virtualisation efforts. CSPs were building distributed data centre-like facilities to support their network function infrastructure and consolidating network functions onto server infrastructure in place of functional hardware appliances. This meant there was spare capacity in those facilities to support customer applications and maximise economies of scale by …
A3 (analytics, automation and AI) can be used to improve the customer experience and contribute financial value to telcos. Different types of A3 technologies are more or less important for enhancing different elements of customer experience. For example, analytics and machine learning (ML) can help to make sense of complex data, providing insights into customer behaviour, preferences and experiences to …
There are over eighty telecoms operators globally that turn over $1 billion or more in revenues every year. As major companies, service providers (SPs) have a role to play in reducing global carbon emissions. So far, they have been behind the curve. In the Corporate Knights Global 100 of the world’s most sustainable corporations, only five of them are telcos …
Telecoms operators provide enabling technology to help their customers reduce carbon emissions. However, exaggerating claims of enablement may have adverse consequences. This article explores how telecoms operators should approach these claims.
The 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and agreed upon by all 193 Member States. They are intended to be realised by the year 2030 and provide a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. But the focus on SGDs in telco sustainability initiatives …
Services are driving the evolution from end-to-end physical networks, to seamlessly bridged virtual and physical worlds The above graphic illustrates our view of how: At the beginning, telecoms was pre-computerised and analogue: its core function was as a physical means to achieve a geographical extension of real-world, social interaction – communicating verbally and transmitting documentation from point to point. In …
How to address some of these challenges Lack of relevant skills or experience: In our view, this is not a major barrier. Leading SD-WAN vendors collaborate closely with telcos to facilitate integration of their platforms with telcos’ networks and services. SD-WAN platforms provide management interfaces that are easy for non-technical staff to operate, and offer visibility into application workflows and …
This is our latest article on operators’ transition to net zero and how many operators are (rightly) focusing on energy performance and efficiency as well as sourcing greener power for their operations. It highlights the challenges of green energy sourcing and provides an introduction into the main options.
Where are the ongoing shortages in semiconductors likely to affect the telecom’s industry, from core network equipment to IoT and consumer growth opportunities?
The last couple of years has seen Microsoft and Azure increasing their involvement in telecoms infrastructure and software while building partnerships with telcos around the world. This march into telecoms stepped up a level with Microsoft’s acquisition in 2020 of two independent virtual network function (VNF) vendors with a strong presence in the mobile core, among other things: Affirmed Networks …
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