With growing customer demands and an increasing need to remain competitive and profitable, major operators and CSPs will channel growth in the development of new technologies, partnerships and entry into new sectors.
Collaborations between large players
This year will be about large players forming big partnerships, not just between CSPs and operators but also with utilities and vehicle companies. While the result of these collaborations may not be immediately felt in the next 12 months, 2015’s collaborations will lay the ground for some notable market shifts in the future. Some CSPs and technology companies may even enter the mobile market by themselves as a reseller or MVNO, without needing to partner with an operator.
Vehicle Telematics
A sector set for growth, interest in incorporating vehicle telematics is likely to continue to grow with major car manufacturers,Telecoms operators will also be keen to provide their network infrastructures as they seek to grow revenue opportunities. Even without the support of telecoms operators, we expect big systems integrators such as TATA, IBM and Oracle to also make moves in the industry.
SDN/NFV
This will be the big buzz topic for MWC 2015 with telecom service providers believing this to be the future for delivering new types of customer network services that simultaneously allow operators to successfully monetise their infrastructures. Currently in its infancy, the new technologies are expected to grow significantly over the next 12 months and solidify its position in the mainstream market.
Timo Ahomäki is the CTO at Tecnotree.