US and European Operators See Private Cellular Network Traction

Kathryn Weldon – Research Director, Business Network and IT Services – Americas

Summary Bullets:

• GlobalData’s new report (please see ”Private LTE/5G Network Services”) profiles AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica, and BT. These operators announced new wins/deals and diverse technology and use case-specific alliances over the last six months.

• Announcements disclose not only the expanded use of private cellular by customers, but also plans to deploy 5G more widely, leverage technologies such as AR/VR and edge, and to deploy low-latency applications.

Private LTE/5G network services are offered by leading mobile operators and are aimed at business customers looking for dedicated connectivity, security, and data privacy combined with the flexibility of cellular technology and its support for advanced use cases within industrial manufacturing sites and other geographically constrained environments such as utilities, mines, ports, and campuses. Many of these businesses are leveraging private 4G; others are deploying or planning to use 5G to take advantage of its high speeds and low latency, often in combination with edge computing. Private 5G is also positioned as a follow-on and/or complement to in-building/campus WiFi networks. Leading mobile operators are gaining new customers from private networks and anticipate substantial future revenues for connectivity, as well as value-added services such as design, testing, proofs of concept, integration, application enablement, edge computing, and ongoing management. According to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association, there are 889 commercial deployments of private cellular networks globally, including only one deployment per customer per country.

What the UK Economic Rollercoaster Might Mean for Enterprise Telecoms

R. Pritchard

Summary Bullets:

• Reaction times to extraordinary events have improved, but the economic crisis is different as interest rates are rising with the potential of exposing under-performers.

• ‘Zombie’ service providers and ‘zombie’ customers will be exposed, leading to supply-side consolidation and increased competition for a smaller base of corporate and SME business.

Since the ‘mini budget’ of September 23, 2022, things have become extra-extraordinary in the UK with billions of pounds being thrown around to counteract the resultant economic impacts and to protect citizens from the knock-on effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine. While the general public worries about paying mortgages, the rising daily cost of living, and global instability, telecoms service providers must plan for a range of potential future scenarios and outcomes and develop ‘what if?’ thinking in response to evolving market circumstances.