Welcome to 2025: A Year of Possibilities

The New Year is here, as are our predictions for what's ahead. Predicting the future is an age-old tradition, but the secret to getting it right is having the inside scoop. That's where we come in.

With our expertise in automated testing and assurance, we're not just guessing—we're shaping the future of growth and efficiency for your technologies. Ready to see what 2025 holds for next-generation testing? Let's dive into the trends and innovations that will define the year ahead.

And don't miss a sneak peek at our annual 5G Report!

The future of AI networking

Data centers are rapidly evolving to support AI's exponential growth, deploying advanced hardware accelerators and networking fabrics to meet GenAI's performance demands. While InfiniBand has historically dominated AI networks, Ethernet is quickly emerging as the preferred choice due to its standardization, scalability, and advancing port speeds—from 400G today to 800G this year and 1.6T by 2028. At the same time, organizations are shifting from full reliance on public cloud to hybrid AI models, driven by regulatory requirements, performance needs, and cost concerns. Sovereign and on-premises systems are increasingly attractive for their control and compliance advantages, while hybrid approaches balance scalability and governance. Telecom operators are also stepping in with AI-optimized Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service (NIaaS), offering scalable, secure, low-latency solutions. Meanwhile, agentic AI is transforming network automation, enabling intelligent systems to adapt dynamically. Continuous testing remains crucial to ensuring these advancements are effective, secure, and transformative.

Countering GPS spoofing - Ensuring safety in the skies

GPS and GNSS spoofing is a growing threat to commercial aviation, with aircraft navigation systems increasingly targeted to provide false location data midflight. Unlike traditional jamming, which disables signals, spoofing causes systems to appear functional while reporting inaccurate positions. This insidious tactic is becoming more common, especially in conflict zones, and is moving beyond the defense sector, posing significant risks to civil aviation operations worldwide.

Spoofing disrupts not just navigation but critical systems like autopilot, terrain warnings, and traffic management, substantially increasing pilot workload and complicating safe flight operations. The industry is working on solutions, including encrypted GNSS signals and alternative sensors, but widespread adoption will take years. In the meantime, GPS jamming and spoofing detection services provide essential mitigations. These systems analyze aircraft data to identify disruptions and issue alerts, giving crews and controllers the situational awareness needed to implement fallback procedures and maintain safety in increasingly contested airspace.

5G's second act: Unlocking new potential

By 2025, 5G will enter a transformative second act, with significant momentum anticipated after a period of slow investment. Despite widespread adoption, less than 10% of operators have deployed 5G Standalone, leaving substantial untapped potential for differentiation and value generation. We expect a wave of commercial upgrades as operators finalize vendor selections and implement key 3GPP Release 16 and 17 capabilities. The rollout of 5G-Advanced (Release 18) will target AI and vertical industries, with Asia and the Middle East leading the charge. Reduced Capability devices will expand industrial and consumer IoT applications, bridging performance and cost gaps. Additionally, 5G Fixed Wireless Access will grow, with over 250 networks and more enterprise offerings live by year's end. 5 G's evolution promises transformative new opportunities across industries.

Sneak peek - 5G in 2025

Our annual 5G Report is your guide to market drivers, insights, and considerations for this year and beyond. We can't wait to share our insights for 2025. Until then, here's a tidbit for you to chew on.

2025 will mark an acceleration in 5G Standalone and 5G-Advanced deployments. While visible progress was limited in 2024, significant behind-the-scenes advancements took place, including extensive testing on performance, security, and resilience. With strong momentum from CSPs and hyperscalers, large-scale rollouts and transformative new 5G capabilities are poised to take off.

How do we know? We're on the frontline of innovation with nearly 400 new global 5G engagements last year alone. Stay tuned for the full report coming in February 2025!

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