LONDON, Dec. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- European mobile network operators (MNOs) have long been trying to shape their role in a digital society. According to Frost & Sullivan predictions for 2014, the biggest opportunity for MNOs will come in re-focussing business models to truly leverage their unique position in the communications value chain: as a network provider, device channel, digital service provider and – most importantly – a trusted custodian of valuable customer data.
"One of the main trends that will continue to gather pace is machine-to-machine (M2M); more than three-quarters of European MNOs will offer M2M in 2014," said Frost & Sullivan Research Director, Information & Communication Technologies (ICT), Adrian Drozd. Increasing competitive pressure will accelerate product development and innovation in industries such as Retail and Industrial Automation as MNOs aim to capture a bigger piece of the M2M opportunity beyond more traditional Automotive and Energy applications.
2014 is set to be the year when the focus of both IT buyers and providers shifts to the Internet of Things (IoT). The explosion of IoT activity in 2014 and beyond will be driven by the nexus of low cost sensors, connectivity networks, cloud computing, advanced data analytics and mobility. The first issues that MNOs will address will be around reliable connectivity and enterprise grade cloud computing services. Without reliability and performance qualities, IoT adoptions will be disappointing and affect the overall pace of development.
"MNOs will also make greater use of their network assets and available data to apply analytics to enhance their role as digital service providers," added Drozd. Big Data projects are increasingly being viewed as priorities. Demand for tools that can visualize the data gathered will increase in 2014 as organizations seek to improve evidence-based decision making. "The role that MNOs can play here relates back to their network and subscriber data that can be aggregated, anonymised and overlaid with relevant datasets for new applications. Eventually, we expect certain MNOs to successfully establish themselves as trusted custodian of data," he said.
The demand for data, particularly from mobile devices, is placing increasingly burden on existing telecommunication networks. New applications, services and new visions such as IoT are likely to exacerbate this situation. While 2014 will see continued heavy investment in 4G infrastructure to meet the insatiable demand for data, telecommunication networks need a new approach, designed around capacity, energy efficiency and cost optimisation.
"Market leaders will emerge based on their willingness to embrace and adopt innovations in their network capabilities. Through superior network quality, MNOs will be able to avoid price wars, retain customers and eventually create broad customer satisfaction," concluded Drozd.
If you would like to learn more on Frost & Sullivan predictions 2014 in mobile communications, please contact Joanna Lewandowska or Chiara Carella, Corporate Communications, at joanna.lewandowska@frost.com or chiara.carella@frost.com. Please include your full contact details in the query.
