The future of (really) useful smartphone personal assistants
Who is most likely to win the battle for contextually aware personal assistants on smartphones – and is there an opportunity for telcos?
Tag: SK Telecom
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.
MWC 2025: A tech show, not a telecom one
It was no surprise that AI dominated MWC this year. But there were lots of other notable trends on the rise – including cybersecurity and data centres – and some that were disappointingly overlooked. Find out what the STL Partners team saw and missed at MWC 2025.
AI: Good or bad for sustainability?
As AI’s energy consumption rises, so do sustainability concerns. This report explores why this technology is so power-intensive, how to mitigate its impact and whether it can help reduce emissions. It also examines four possible scenarios for future energy consumption – from unchecked growth to greater efficiency – and their sustainability implications.
Telco Cloud Deployment Tracker Q2 2024: Is AWS winning in hyperscale telco cloud?
Telco cloud deployment activity slowed down in Q2 2024 with only 20 deployments added to the tracker, eight of which were completed in earlier years. The remaining 12 included five 5G NSA cores (four already launched) and three SA cores, all of which we expect to go live by the end of 2024. In this report we analyse the prospects for 5G SA including a deep-dive on the state of deployments on the public cloud.
The utility trap: Staying on the right side of regulators
As society becomes ever more dependent on connectivity, telcos face a growing risk of being regulated like traditional utility companies. This report details how operators can avoid falling into “the utility trap” and drive growth in the next decade.
MWC 2024: More than AI and APIs
STL Partners’ Research team present their observations from and analysis of the biggest mobile industry event of the year. There was a lot of buzz around AI and API but behind the tech jargon, we saw evidence that our industry continues to morph to become more open and customer-focused.
Telco network edge computing: Lessons from early movers
Drawing from the experience of Lumen, SK Telecom, Telefónica, Verizon and Vodafone, this report identifies the steps, partnerships and expectations of a successful telco edge strategy.
Generative AI: Why and how telcos should skill up for success?
Generative AI is expected to create significant value across the telecommunications industry. To capitalise on the opportunity, telcos must build new skills across their organisations. Getting this right is critical given the scale of implementation challenges and the significance of impact on how employees work.
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.
Digital identity: Four steps to maximising value
Digital identity has become a critical aspect of modern life, but security and user experience are suffering from market fragmentation and limited visibility or control for end users over how their personal data is used. How can telcos build on their existing services to solve these challenges?
Telco Cloud Deployment Tracker: Will vRAN eclipse pure open RAN?
In this update, we present data and analysis on progress with deployments of vRAN and open RAN. It is fair to say that open RAN (virtualised AND disaggregated RAN) deployments have not happened at the pace that STL Partners and many others had forecast. In parallel, some very significant deployments and developments are occurring with vRAN (virtualised NOT disaggregated RAN). Is open RAN a networking ideal that is not yet, or never will be, deployed in its purest form?
The three telco Metaverse strategies
Beyond just connecting it, there are three broad telco strategies for the Metaverse that are being developed and led by Verizon, Telefónica and SKT.
MWC 2022: Sensing the winds of change
We found subtle but significant shifts at the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress 2022 that show how the market’s need is changing to ‘connecting technologies’ rather than ‘connectivity’. This has deep implications for the industry and telcos in particular.
Telco edge computing: How to partner with hyperscalers
Both telcos and hyperscalers want to capture the value at the edge, but they need to work together to deliver of edge computing solutions and generate demand among customers. How can operators collaborate with hyperscalers while strengthening their role beyond connectivity?
Telco edge computing: What is the operator strategy?
Edge computing is a strategic opportunity for telcos. We examine the driving needs and applications for telco edge computing, describe the market and the options for telcos, discuss their partnerships with hyperscalers and recommend key actions.
5G strategies: Lessons from the early movers
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?