Telecom Is the Las Vegas of the Business World

Pokemon is being played by kids all over the world, a Clinton is running for president of the United States, and Blink 182 just released a new album…and no, we did not travel back in time to 2000. Nostalgia anyone? This is still present day, 2016, and these things are happening. However, even with these blasts from the past, our world is changing at a rapid pace. 5G is in its initial stages, robots are taking pizza orders, and the telecom industry is changing with their eyes on the future. We are going to focus on that last piece and try to explain what is really going on.

Wireless is growing, and landlines are dying. Just look at telecom giant Verizon, they have been selling off their landlines and bought Yahoo, acquiring its 1 million monthly users. Verizon is also changing the services they offer, one example being their new “virtual network solutions.” This move reflects a similar decision from another telecom giant, AT&T. In an article posted on TechCrunch, Verizon chief executive Lowell McAdam is quoted saying, “The network will always be the foundation, but if you just do that you’re going to be relegated to being a commodity,” he says. “You’ve got to really build on that foundation in order to be relevant going forward.” Or in other words, you have to adapt if you want to survive.

We know wireless is taking over, but what are the reasons? A hardline connection worked in the past, why doesn’t it now? The first reason is one you can easily observe sitting just about anywhere. People want their information right at their fingertips, as they are constantly on the move. We live in a world that constantly has the “go, go, go” mentality. Another option is that more people in the developing countries are “connected.” Wireless for them is much more convenient and cheaper than a copper or fiber system. Hardline connections still work, we just live in a world that wants faster, better, and cheaper options…wireless services provide just that.

Another shift in the telecom world is the boom of the Internet of Things (IoT). Our machines are becoming smarter and smarter everyday. The picture used above is somewhat comical, but it’s also real. Our appliances can now remind us to get something, tell us they need maintenance, or just about anything else. Everyone is connected to everything, and this trend is only going up. Gartner reported that 6.4 billion “connected things” will be in used in 2016. They also estimated that number will reach 20.8 billion by 2020…that’s a lot of talking refrigerators.

So we have all of these things, producing all of this data…but where does it go? And what do we do with it? However, we are not the only ones addressing how the cloud is changing the industry. Adam Famularo, global channel VP at Verizon, had this to say at a recent panel discussion, “Every single one of our customers is driving the partners to think about how the cloud is being orchestrated as part of their IT stack. That drives [partners] to actually look deeper into full solutions, from the network to the software to the applications, straight through to the cloud service that it runs on. That’s a change in the game.” If something comes along that is making the telecom giants of the world change how they operate…it’s a pretty big deal.

We have all our wireless gadgets, our talking appliances, and all this data being stored on the cloud…along with all our other information. While this is a golden age for technology, it’s also a golden age for hackers. All this information is out there, all up for grabs if you can “crack the code”…it’s a scary thought. So with all the improvements in technology, there must also be improvements in our security. IT professionals will have to “get in the weight room” to strengthen their skills. They will have to implement new strategies, as well as detect and respond to threats as quickly as possible.

There are many other things going on in the world of telecommunications. Las Vegas is known as “the city that never sleeps”…telecom may be “the industry that never sleeps.” How do you think the telecom industry is changing? Have you and your company gone wireless yet? Let us know and comment below…and as always, we hope you enjoyed your reading!

Written by Morgan Cummings –  morganc@espyservices.com