All you need to know about 5G, Analytics and the rise of the ‘Remote’ economy

5G is the catalyst of the digital life 

Up to two years ago, 5G was a faraway concept that sounds futuristic even to the most technological persons among us. 5G presented us with the “connected & automated” life. It brought cities that are connected to the internet, smart venues & campus, connect vehicles and AR/VR all around us.

I can see why you could not imagine that within just two years, 5G will be right around the corner or in some locations already a reality. But 5G is not only how we connect; it is the core catalyst of our digital systems. In the new era of the corona pandemic, it will augment all aspects of our lives and accelerate the new normal of “Remoteness”.

The rise of the “Remote” economy

COVID—19 shuffled all the cards and changed the way we live, work, learn, and entertain. If I need to choose one card which defines the new normal we live in, it will be “Remote”. We have learned how to do everything remotely, even visiting our elders for dinner, over Zoom. Forecasting how the future will look like - I believe “remote” is here to stay, and even when the pandemic will be over, most of our humanity will already get used to operating remotely in many aspects of our lives. I call it, the “Remote” economy.

What is 5G?

High usage needs a better network. Just like your old iPhone is not sufficient anymore, and you aspire to upgrade, so does the old 3G/4G networks are just not good enough for the new usage trends. People, machines and devices, stream lots of data; We need to work remotely, we need high-quality video calls, we need to operate machines, and commute people and equipment without humans on the steering wheel. That’s where 5G comes in. As an example, while 4G might transfer 1GB per second, 5G will be able to commit for 20GB per second. The innovation lies in the use of millimetre-waves and optimizing speed and coverage needs, with network slicing and edge.

Who needs 5G?

By now, it should be clear that we all need 5G. Here are some examples on how 5G is enabling the “Remote” economy.

For consumers, the demand for 5G is coming from few different sectors. The gaming sector, which during the pandemic spiked the network and almost doubled. The AR/VR market which might be part of gaming, but also offer new experiences in sport and entertainment. The video market which capture and stream, from markets such as smart venues like campuses and stadiums. 

For the enterprise, the demand comes from multiple areas 

• Security – mostly around live video streaming
• Industry 4.0 – mostly around smart machinery 
• Connected vehicles – to transport people and equipment
• Collaboration –with real-time video and activities

How shall CSPs be prepared to offer 5G?

Telcos should prepare themselves for the 5G era. Not supplying a faster network can cause loss of customers and subscribers who will search for a better solution to align with their high usage and new business models. To provide 5G to consumers and business, the CSPs must deploy new solutions such as network slicing, end to end ‘service life-cycle’ orchestration, service assurance and a very flexible BSS system for charging. On top of all those, the CSP need to deploy a new intelligence layer which will monitor the offerings and drive exponential monetization. As part of the most recent release of Panorama’s flagship product, Necto, we released different analytical capabilities which support and enable a 5G monetization strategy. The new Monetization Analytics allows the CSP’s sales and accounts teams to conduct flexible "what if" scenario analysis of their offerings to their customers; Quickly create specific offering tailored to their customer's needs, while understanding the exact life-cycle financial impact and finding the best custom-made offer for both the customer and the CSP. CSPs who will deploy such solutions will be able to drive better financial outcome from their massive investment in 5G.

When will 5G be available?

The 5G revolution started few years ago, but now got accelerated because of the pandemic. With nearly 100 operators worldwide deploying 5G in those very days and many others which follow, I believe it is safe to say that 2021 is the pivot year for 5G.

How will 5G affect our life?

5G provides faster and more reliable communication to everyone, consumers, and businesses alike. It enables new business models and drive the “Remote” economy. 5G is the ultimate catalyst of our digital lives. With 5G, CSPs will have the ability to answer any customer demand at any given time - fulfill, assure, analyze, and improve.

CSPs need to plan for an “autonomous telecom intelligence” cycle - It is a closed-loop from the business/consumer asking for a service via the BSS system, to a digital service life-cycle in the OSS, and execution in the network. Autonomous intelligence augments each of those processes, from network intelligence to service intelligence and up to BSS intelligence, which optimizes the monetization of the service.

We urge every telecom executive who is going to take part of the 5G revolution to test drive the new capabilities of Panorama in 5G deployments, Digital Transformation, AI, Multi-play (including IoT/M2M & B2B2x), Cloud migration, and the Agile-Telecom.