By 2025, 5G connectivity will account for 20% of all mobile connections. Mobile operators are heavily investing in next generation 5G architecture. Looking at this region, the Middle East prepared for 5G faster than other regions globally, with mobile 5G commercially launching mid-2019 and in 2018 for fixed wireless services. In fact, in 2019, the UAE was ranked first among the Arab countries and fourth globally in launching and deploying 5G networks. Moreover, 5G network speeds in the UAE are among the fastest in the world.
The blistering speed of 5G enables high volume real-time applications, opening a world of opportunities around leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML).
The telecom industry has long viewed 5G as a game-changing technology that would usher in innovative applications such as connected cars, remote surgery, and smart cities. The advent of 5G wireless communications constitutes a new era of network connectivity that will revolutionise many aspects of commerce and our personal lives.
Opportunities and challenges
5G is a game-changer because it brings together wireless technology and cloud computing in a way that has never been done before. As we all know, cloud computing plays a crucial role in enterprise IT infrastructures due to its flexibility in supporting agile service deployments. 5G also allows carriers to integrate cloud technology within their wireless access infrastructure to bring service agility to the edge. This capability enables enterprises to host low-latency applications at the carrier edge, making it possible to deploy a new generation of applications for digital transformation that were not possible until now. These capabilities serve new and exciting consumer applications like cloud gaming and AR/VR and low-latency Industry 4.0 applications for enterprises at the edge.
The new and improved technology gives businesses access to lightning-fast data transfer speeds and enhanced network reliability.
5G offers opportunities to consumers and businesses alike, and it provides a massive opportunity for innovative ideas, new products and services, and transformed business models.
However, operators also face significant challenges because improved connectivity alone will not generate the revenue needed to justify investments. Market leaders will have to drive new business models and partnerships with enterprises and governments that will allow them to offer tailored high-value services like dedicated network slicing, private 5G campus networks, and other hybrid setups. Many providers are not used to delivering these advanced architectures, so it is vital for them to understand enterprise applications and traffic patterns. Service providers must offer an optimal network to their customers, which is only possible when you know exactly what is happening on the network.
Visibility in 5G networksÂ
5G gives mobile operators an innovative and powerful technology platform, but to extract all the benefits from its technological advances, they must choose wisely among many options. Each operator must investigate its network and the services it supports to select its own path forward and fine-tune the network. Visibility enables operators to maximise the impact of 5G innovation and the return on their investment in 5G.
It may seem commonplace to say that visibility encourages innovation. Isn’t visibility useful in 4G or even 3G or 2G networks? Most certainly, it is. But in 5G, visibility is not just useful. It is necessary for charting a practical path through the increased range of innovation options that 5G offers.
The evolutionary paths to 5G are part of a more comprehensive digital transformation and a more profound role of wireless connectivity with the fourth industrial revolution. Operators need visibility to navigate across the innovation paths that digital transformation opens and pick those that best meet their needs. Visibility is also valuable for operators to decide when it is the right time to move to 5G and the pace of the evolution to 5G. Each operator has different network evolution needs and different timelines to meet them. Rushing to 5G may end up not delivering the desired cost and performance efficiency.
Mobile network operators are an essential part of the digital transformation impacting daily life. While 5G offers many opportunities for these providers, it also presents a new set of challenges to overcome. Those who want to capitalise on this technology’s promising new revenue streams must put service assurance at the forefront. Ultimately, businesses which understand the opportunities and challenges that 5G present will move ahead of the curve.
