The IoT links networks and objects to improve data collection and management. It has taken many industries by storm, and the telecommunication industry is no different.
It uses the internet, mobile devices, and sensors to obtain data points between objects and improve interactions. However, Internet of Things is not limited to smartphones, laptops, and computers. It can be used to operate any device that communicates using the internet.
Safe, efficient, and sustainable telecommunication benefits not just consumers but also industries and society as it reduces costs and generates revenue.
Let’s talk about the impact of IoT in telecommunication on different sectors. We’ll also have a look at the benefits and challenges faced by individuals and industries due to these changes.
How It Impacts Us
The IoT helps telecommunication providers offer value in new ways.
Consumers get to enjoy better services at lower rates, and providers get to enjoy more revenue as they can cater to more customers.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the IoT is writing the next chapter of telecommunications. However, it has the support of various other technologies including optical fiber, cloud, and 5G networks.
The telecommunication sector is among the fastest growing sectors thanks to a growing demand for data services. Emerging technologies can be credited for this growing demand, but some experts are not sure of where we’re going.
“We are trying to predict where the market is going. For us, we think Artificial Intelligence is not just about words, it’s something that is real, it is coming. It is already being commercialized in several industries,” said Vanessa Barbé, the Product Director of Capacity Europe.
IoT has started a conversation. It’s bringing different providers under one platform, giving consumers a chance to enjoy improved services and products but at the same time, it is also putting up new challenges.
IoT in Telecommunications and Challenges
Managing and acquiring a large and geographically dispersed network is not entirely impossible today, but things can go wrong.
Here are a few challenges of the growing technologies:
Reliability: While 100% is the ideal uptime, you will not find many companies offering 100% reliable services due to the risks involved.
We are used to seeing 99% uptime, and while it may sound like a good idea, it can be quite an issue in many apps when it comes to IoT.
This is why we cannot use IoT in all applications yet. Firms face the challenge of finding ways to ensure appliances or apps can provide 100% runtime to ensure there are no setbacks.
This may not look like a difficult thing on paper, but it’s a significant challenge as it can render many concepts void.
Improved Infrastructure: Giuseppe Valentino. The VP of Line of Business IP & Data at Sparkle explains this well while speaking about the future of telecommunications.
He says, “The technological evolution, like 5G and the Internet of things, for instance, makes the need for intelligence, or extra calculation power more and more relevant from a performance point of view, as we will increasingly use sophisticated machines. So, there will still be large infrastructures like the big data centers processing most of the information, but we will also need more intelligence far away from these infrastructures, close to the outskirts of the network.”
Security: Security is a significant challenge when it comes to telecommunications as all devices that use the internet to interact can be hacked.
This is a significant risk that the telecommunication industry is yet to tackle. However, blockchain appears to be the solution.
“Blockchain is now playing a role in terms in how companies interact. In particular, how telecommunications companies do business together, conduct transactions together. So it underlies a new type of technology which is going to facilitate all sorts of different transactions in the telecommunication space,” said Kevin Vachon, MEF CEO.
In addition to this, privacy is also a major concern as there is too much data to handle. While we have the means to process data, we still lack a foolproof way to protect it.
Data privacy has become a significant concern thanks to changing regulations.
“Data protection is something that is a big trend at the moment, with GDPR coming into play in the European Union and Europe, it is something that everyone is talking about; our customers at the end of the day want what protects their final users,” said Barbé.
However, There’s Also Good News
Do not solely concentrate on the challenges as the IoT is doing the industry some great favors as well.
IoT data allows businesses to manage networks without much issue. It also benefits the end consumer as we get to enjoy better services.
The industry is concentrating more on value generation, and it ultimately benefits consumers. Users get great freedom while providers enjoy fantastic control. There’s healthy competition, and revenues are growing at a stable rate of 3 percent.
Plus, thanks to the importance of sharing data, there are now more integrations and collaborations than ever. Many experts believe that the industry is more prominent than they initially thought to be. Hence opportunities are many.
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