• Movers Index gives quarterly UK movement data collected by O2 Motion and by polling users to provide insight into behavior of the British public and businesses.
• More than 114,000 people visited central London (England) to be part of the Coronation parade, delivering a boost to business, matched by similar behavior nationwide.
Virgin Media O2 Business’s new Movers Index combines aggregated and anonymized UK movement data collected from its O2 Motion proposition (Virgin Media O2 Business O2 Motion may have been too much of a tongue twister), combined with polling of businesses and consumers ‘to provide quarterly trends and insights into the behavior’ of the British public and UK businesses.
• There are many potential use cases in the enterprise for generative AI, but many will be enabled by existing cloud solutions.
• Some use cases requiring real-time responses may emerge, generating modest demand for MEC and/or 5G services.
Expectations of demand for 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) services from the enterprise segment are established – in part – on enabling artificial intelligence (AI) to be used in real-time applications. AI requires considerable computing power, usually achieved in the cloud where its demanding requirements can be scaled, but where such resources are too distant (due to network latency) to be relied upon for use cases where seconds or milliseconds in application response time can determine success or failure. There are other reasons why MEC makes sense in this scenario, including both the security benefits and cost savings achieved by not sending massive amounts of data to and from the cloud. With the recent hype around generative AI and the potential impact on various professions, industries, and organizations, it is worth considering whether its uptake will mean even more demand for MEC and/or 5G.
• The details are still unclear, but the Malaysian government’s announcement on dual 5G networks is a positive move that can accelerate 5G developments in the country.
• Telcos should start collaborating and get more involved in the second 5G network for greater control of the infrastructure.
The Malaysian Communications and Digital Ministry recently announced that 5G rollout in the country will move to the second phase, in which Malaysia will have a dual network model upon reaching a population coverage of 80% of the first network. Having dual wholesale networks is still far from ideal compared to separate deployments by the telcos. However, it is a very positive move from the single wholesale network (SWN – for more on SWN, please see “Malaysia 5G Through SPV: One Step Forward and Two Steps Back,” March 8, 2021) as it will provide wider options for telcos/service providers and enable them to differentiate. It can also drive 5G development and accelerate innovations in creating new applications and use cases. All major local telcos (e.g., CelcomDigi, Maxis, and Telekom Malaysia) have already voiced their support for the dual networks while the largest player, CelcomDigi, has announced it will withdraw its equity participation with Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB – i.e., the current SWN provider).
• Tech buzzwords work when they successfully communicate innovation in a catchy phrase.
• The emerging ‘AIoT’ construction is awkward, but it may help IoT providers communicate their value to knowledgeable tech audiences.
The concept of combining AI and IoT has been around for a few years. More recently, some tech market players have begun using the phraseology ‘AIoT’ to capture it. A good technology buzzword helps communicate instantly to tech and non-tech audiences what the innovation is all about, or at least provides a sizable hint. Both ‘artificial intelligence’ and ‘Internet of Things’ have been pretty good at this, but the mashup term AIoT (or ‘artificial intelligence of things’) is awkward, not self-explanatory, and ultimately, unhelpful.
• NB-IoT and LTE-M took several years to build market momentum due to the significant work required upfront by service providers and device makers.
• Despite that, low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs) remains a fundamental aspect of leading IoT service provider strategies.
LPWANs for IoT did not achieve the kind of growth that analysts, network operators, device makers, and even potential users (like utilities and local governments) predicted 10 years ago. Even five years ago, the IoT industry confidently expected the advent of narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE-M standards to kickstart deployments on a vast scale.
Kathryn Weldon – Research Director, Business Network and IT Services – Americas
Summary Bullets:
• 2022 saw not only market leaders exiting the IoT platform market but also other changes in the IoT vendor ecosystem, including Semtech’s acquisition of Sierra Wireless and Telit’s acquisition of Thales’ IoT module business.
• These changes may signal a much-needed consolidation of a crowded, fragmented market but also show the difficulty of monetizing IoT platforms as standalone offerings.
The IoT platform market is more-or-less divided into two sub-markets. The first sub-market is the connectivity and device management platform market that has long been led by Ericsson and Cisco, both of which sell them to CSPs that in turn position them as enablers of managed services to enterprises along with IoT connectivity. CSPs generally have a revenue share arrangement with these third-party platform vendors. Many mobile operators such as Vodafone (GDSP), Telefónica (KITE), and Verizon (ThingSpace) have also developed their own platforms, as this gives them more control over feature sets and product lifecycles with the ability to add on capabilities such as hyper-precise location, rapid on-boarding, and usage visialization and analytics. It also allows the operators to avoid the revenue share deals, which erode profits. Operators use these platforms to enhance the value of their IoT connectivity services with the ability to offer VAS for management and visibility. In some cases, they do not charge the enterprise separately for connectivity management but use it as a built-in capability with which to entice enterprises to deploy IoT services via an easier to use end-to-end solution. Several operators have their own platforms but may use third-party solutions for particular customers. There are also vendors such as Huawei, Software AG, Nokia, and Telit that offer IoT platforms directly to enterprises.
• The Global Mobile Suppliers’ Association (GSA) report demonstrates continued growth in private LTE/5G network deployments within key sectors and regions.
• The report is mostly consistent with GlobalData’s own market tracking data, but not always; variances in definitions and available data sources can account for discrepancies between the different databases.
The GSA has published its latest quarterly report on private cellular networks, adding data from another 66 new networks in Q3 2022 (and 214 during Q1 2022 to Q3 2022) for a total of 955. Its aggregate tracking statistics provide perhaps the most comprehensive view of trends in private LTE and 5G technology deployment over the last few years, given the participation of GSA members such as Ericsson, Huawei, Mavenir, and Nokia in the data collection. Among its key messages for Q3 2022 is that the three fastest-growing industry sectors had been mining, defense, and manufacturing. It also reports that manufacturing, education, and mining remain the three largest sectors in terms of number of deployments, although the actual size and scale of deployments varies by user type.
• Businesses depend on infrastructure to deliver energy, communications, and related services. Regular inspections of infrastructure are critical to maintaining a consistent supply.
• Optelos software utilizes the drone camera, providing actionable insights for the inspection of infrastructure such as damaged insulators in the electrical grid.
Asset inspections represent a significant cost for companies involved in industrial processes. According to GE Capital, on a worldwide basis, companies and governments spend $40 billion per year on asset inspections. Historically, inspecting and auditing infrastructure involves placing employees in dangerous places such as chemical refineries or underground ventilation shafts. Utilizing drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) removes the injury risk to employees who no longer need to be exposed to site-specific dangers. This reduces the likelihood of serious injury to workers still using traditional inspection methods that require the inspection team to be physically present.
• Hyperscalers are making a move in ASEAN, expanding their footprints in key markets.
• Telcos will need to redefine their product and go-to-market strategies in the cloud, edge, and enterprise 5G.
Hyperscalers Are Making a Move in ASEAN Leading hyperscalers are aggressively expanding their presence globally, with ASEAN being one of the key markets (for more, please see ”Hyperscalers Making a Move in ASEAN,” September 27, 2022). From Singapore, hyperscalers expanded to Indonesia and are now further expanding their footprints in the other key ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced its Local Zones in the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam; Google Cloud is building new regions in Malaysia and Thailand; Alibaba Cloud opened new regions in the Philippines, and Thailand and has the widest presence in ASEAN; and Microsoft is planning to open new data centers in Indonesia and Malaysia. The move was driven by the growing demand for cloud services in the region accelerated by the pandemic. ”GlobalData Global IT Customer Insight 2022” shows that 75% of 166 ASEAN enterprises have increased their spending on cloud in 2022 while ”GlobalData Market Analyzer” (last viewed in September 2022) estimates that the cloud market in the region will double in the next five years from $16.3 billion in 2021 to $33.8 billion in 2026.
• NTT and VMware integrated their respective private network and edge compute offerings – both were originally launched in 2021 – to offer the new Edge-as-a-Service.
• The partners will go to market jointly and coordinate sales, marketing, and customer co-innovations, with NTT delivering the managed service across its global footprint.
NTT Ltd. and VMware launched Edge-as-a-Service, a fully managed edge compute platform that runs on the Intel network and edge infrastructure and is complemented by NTT’s existing private LTE/5G offering based on technology from Celona. NTT is using VMware’s Edge Compute Stack, an integrated virtual machine (VM) and container-based stack to help organizations modernize and secure edge-native apps close to end users, while VMware – despite already offering a private cellular connectivity platform built on components from Druid Software and ASOCS – is now adopting NTT’s Private 5G as part of its edge solution.
IT Connection 
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