How will technology innovation, new use cases and regulatory change impact how telcos and others build and operate networks? Covering 5G, WiFi, fibre, LPWA, spectrum, wholesale and private networks and more, the stream’s reports cover the interplay between different technologies, deployment models and emergent value chains
The 4-yearly ITU World Radio Congress (WRC’19) which sets world policy on radio spectrum, most critically 5G this time, has just ended. What agreements were reached, and what do they mean for traditional telcos, new telcos, telco-sector vendors and regulators?
Telcos in South Korea and China have seen strong early demand for new 5G services. Where else is 5G commercially available, and what are the key lessons from early movers on 5G investments and positioning?
Mobile operators are not the only companies that can deploy 4/5G cellular networks. The rise of IoT and 5G is driving huge new interest in running mobile infrastructure, presenting new opportunities as well as threats for telcos.
While 5G continues to occupy 90% of the industry’s focus, Wi-Fi is quietly entrenching its role for consumers, especially in the home. It is central to media consumption and domestic IoT. In its 20th anniversary year, how will the new WiFi6 – along with whole-home meshes – make it even harder to displace? And how should telcos and others play?
The advent of 5G and network slicing offer the prospect of a shake-up of the structure of wholesale and MVNO models. What should telcos, regulators, current MVNOs and potential new MVNOs do?
After considerable hype and uncertainty, the near term developments for 5G are now much more apparent, including which nations will go first, chip and handset availability, and the use of different spectrum bands.