
Networks for AI: Segmenting the growth
AI will create large potential opportunities for telcos in connectivity and use case enablement. But telcos must manage expectations and prioritise their investments carefully.
AI will create large potential opportunities for telcos in connectivity and use case enablement. But telcos must manage expectations and prioritise their investments carefully.
This report outlines the main findings of our latest quantitative research on the global demand for edge computing services towards 2030. We identify the total revenue across the value chain and explore the growing demand for network, regional and on-premises edge across 20 use cases and 16 verticals globally.
The huge wave of AI has accelerated demand for cloud, but it has also triggered questions on whether deploying in centralised environments is always suitable, or if enterprises should instead consider the edge. Our edge AI forecast identifies the value of this opportunity, pointing to the use cases and the verticals that are driving growth, and determining the extent to which AI will stimulate more revenue at the edge.
There is much debate in the industry on the topic of telco edge computing, but little clarity for players within the telecom industry and potential customers on how much capacity will be available.
In this report, we provide insights from our annual industry survey on the state of network edge, including the key triggers for deployments.
This report analyses the edge computing strategies of the ‘big three’ cloud providers – Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. We assess how successful they have been at developing solutions across the edge continuum, including on-premise, network and regional edge, and determine who leads this nascent market.
This report analyses the positioning of each of the three hyperscalers – AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure – in the telco vertical (outside of China). We assess how successful they have been at convincing telcos to migrate their business to the public cloud.
The market for edge IoT presents a significant opportunity for technology solution providers but has yet to reach its full potential. In this report, we present the results from a four-part research series conducted in partnership with Volt Active Data, focusing on how to capture this value. This report addresses critical aspects such as the technical challenges, ecosystem dynamics and ultimately, the pathway to monetisation for edge IoT solutions.
To avoid becoming pure utilities, telcos must evolve their core businesses into more efficient and flexible infracos. But if they also want to accelerate growth and capture the full value of their network investments, they should strive towards building services businesses and becoming telecom techcos. We explore different pathways leading operators are taking to get there.
Legacy billing systems were built for legacy telco services and are too inflexible to deliver next-generation services. We explore how operators can modernise to unlock key benefits such as cost reduction, accelerated time to market and enhanced customer experience.
Our report forecasts $462bn in global demand for edge computing services in 2030. We explore the global demand for on-prem, network, and regional edge represented by 20 use cases and 16 verticals. The forecast helps telcos and other edge providers to identify which areas of the market and the value chain are most suitable for them to capture.
There is much debate in the industry on the topic of edge computing, but little clarity for vendors and potential customers on how much capacity will be available. STL Partners’ Network Edge Data Centre Forecast estimates the number of network edge data centres and their capacity from 2021-2027. We also breakdown who will operate these sites: telcos, hyperscalers or other third parties.
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.
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.
Deployment of digital twins by telcos runs significantly behind some verticals as they have less compelling use cases. However, they are now going live in multiple network-related areas. What are the key drivers and barriers of digital twin adoption in telecoms?
In this update, we present a review of telco cloud deployments for the whole of 2022 and discuss trends that will shape the year ahead. Fewer deployments than expected were completed in 2022. The main reason for this was a delay in previously announced 5G Standalone (SA) core roll-outs, for reasons we have analysed elsewhere. However, we expect these deployments to be largely completed in 2023.
There is now a valuable but specialised opportunity in building out fibre to support small 5G cells in high value areas. Which players should address it and how?
Analysis of the edge computing market highlights video analytics as a short-term opportunity with a large edge-addressable market. We examine the video analytics market today, the role of edge in stimulating growth, and the actions telcos can take to achieve success in this space.