Research

Defining the future telco — and what it means for operators and their partners


Edge AI – How AI is sparking the adoption of edge computing

AI applications will require low-latency, local compute for rapid inferencing and large scale data collection, triage, and engineering. Edge compute will therefore play a key role in AI app delivery. However it’s not just about infrastructure – commercial scale for edge AI will depend on effective ecosystem collaboration models.

Telco edge manifesto

Since 2015 STL Partners has helped telecoms operators to develop their edge computing strategies. We summarise our learnings from those engagements as a manifesto for how the industry can address the edge computing opportunity.

Telco to Techco: Six tenets for success

This report leverages findings from an extensive research programme conducted in EMEA, including interviews with eight different CSPs and a survey with 54 responses from CSPs across the region. The research explored the progress of telcos within EMEA as they adopt techco practices.

Telco Cloud Deployment Tracker : Is 5G SA getting real?

At the start of 2023, we were hopeful that the year would be that of 5G SA. In the event, only seven deployments materialised in the first 6 months leaving a staggering 30 in our tracker as “in progress” and to be completed in the second half of 2023. In this report, we discuss how likely it is that these deployments will take place in 2023 or at all and if 5G SA still matters.

A3 in open RAN

The use of A3 in open RAN will be an important part of the solution to specific open RAN challenges for telcos. This report reviews the significance of A3 in Open RAN, xAPP and rAPP market opportunities and identifies eleven A3 requirements in developing Open RAN capabilities for telcos.

Making the metaverse useful

Although the metaverse has been engulfed by a wave of scepticism, there are some compelling consumer and enterprise use cases for interoperable virtual environments rendered in 3D. Over time, these use cases will drive demand for connectivity and other telco capabilities.

The Economy of Things: Unlocking the true value of IoT data

The Internet of Things (IoT) market is growing rapidly, but most of the data exists in proprietary siloes. The Economy of Things (EoT) represents a new way to share data across ecosystems, unlocking new monetisation opportunities. We forecast EoT will reach an inflection point within the next few years with over 10% of IoT devices being EoT-enabled by 2030.

enterprises

What do enterprises want from telcos?

Telcos are looking to expand their enterprise services and capture a larger share of the revenue opportunity. But to do this they must carefully consider where they are best placed to compete and how they can build on existing expertise and reputation.

The data-driven telco: How to progress

Telcos are making progress on the data-driven path. We asked experienced Chief Data Officers about their current short- and mid-term priorities to uncover how to successfully steer the telco towards the ambition of becoming data-driven organisations.

Want access to our research?

Our research focuses on how telcos and their partners can embrace industry disruption.

Learn more