GSMA Intelligence
Search

Showing page 1 of 50 - 1861 results

  2. Media Centre

    Dell Technologies World 2025: Day Two (even more AI, sustainability, dogs, data, …)

    Author: Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence The weatherman explained this morning that Thursday is likely to be the first day of the year when Las Vegas registers a 100 degree temperature (Fahrenheit, natch). Luckily, I’ll be on a plane home long before that; several years of living in the UK has made me allergic to balmy weather. In the meantime, the 2nd day of Dell Technologies World picked up where the first left off. What does that mean? Think extensions to show themes, things I simply missed yesterday, and a minor degree of randomness. AI – It’s the Same, But Different. You’d expect Dell to position AI as just another IT workload. It’s risen to the top of everyone’s agenda over the past few years, but Dell – or any of their competitors, for that matter – would tell you that it’s an application they can support in the same way they’ve always supported an evolving set of diverse applications. But, across sessions and conversations, there was a clear understanding (from Dell and partners) that AI is different. New silicon needs, sure. But new powering, scalability, cloud, and architecture decisions to be made. Even the silicon question isn’t so clear; some use cases may require GPUs, but many will be fine on CPUs…laptop CPUs, even. In many ways, this mirrors the AI-driven data traffic considerations operators are looking at. Whether or not AI drives a massive amount of new traffic, operators are not sure. But they are much more certain that it will drive traffic patterns. Is Data an AI Afterthought? I mentioned yesterday that Day One Dell Technologies World announcements included enhancements to its AI Data Platform. The Dell SME on the show floor was eager to talk about it. Almost too eager. Unlike servers brimming with GPUs or the flashy use case demos, the crowd around the Data Platform pod was…well, it wasn’t quite a crowd. You could, partly, blame Dell for this; the pod was somewhat awkwardly positioned between AI Factory demos vs. integrated into the middle of them. That said, we know that the importance of clean, well-managed data is often not top of mind. For example, in our work with telcos on AI maturity, only 30% claimed Data Quality and Complexity was a top three barrier to AI adoption. Amidst all of the other potential deployment challenges, this might not be surprising. Nonetheless, it’s a clear risk – for telcos and the broader market. Sustainability > Efficiency. The default sustainability message for many IT companies is straightforward: our servers are energy efficient. Energy efficiency is clearly part of being sustainable, but only one part. Packaging practices. Use of recycled materials. Product buy-back and recycling. Sustainability services. To its credit Dell’s dedicated sustainability demos had it all. Where they fell somewhat short was a limited focus on the sustainability implications of different network architectures or deployment models. Depending on the use case, some network architectures will be more energy efficient than others. Dell had plenty of stories attesting to this, stretching all the way to running AI models on powerful PCs vs. cloud resources. Quantifying or showcasing those decisions in a simple way – even as a conversation starter for their Services team – would be more powerful. Everything’s Better with Dogs. Just before you get to entrance of the Dell Technologies World Expo there’s a fenced in area. At CES, the fences are meant to contain drones. Here, they’re holding back service dogs…and lots of people coming to greet them with ginormous grins. Airports and hospitals long ago recognized that a friendly pup can help to defuse a stressful situation. Tradeshows aren’t quite as stressful, but benefit nonetheless.  Smart Cities at the Edge. Another day. Another demonstration of AI at the edge. Unlike the compelling inventory management story from Chooch on Day One, the standout on Day Two – use of AI in traffic management by the City of Bellevue, WA – involved an operator. In this case, AT&T was running AI workloads on Dell servers in its network to process video from traffic intersections in order to improve pedestrian safety. Much like the Chooch example, though, costs were a primary driver of the decision to leverage edge resources; transport costs for massive amounts of video traffic would simply make the use case untenable. 

  4. Media Centre

    Dell Technologies World 2025: Day One (AI, more AI, RAN and a smart telco engagement strategy)

    Author: Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence London has been unusually warm of late, but still no match for Las Vegas this week. That said, there’s no time for outdoor activities or lounging by the pool since I’m here for Dell Technologies World 2025. Compared with massive industry get-togethers like MWC, single company events are a very different beast. You obviously get a more single-sided view of the market. But company positioning and strategies can also tell you a lot. With Day One in the books, here’s what I came away with. Keynotes, Agendas, Announcements, and AI. Conference content and sessions often get ignored in favour of non-stop meetings. At an event driven by customer engagement, you might expect this to be the case. And, if you were one of those people locked in meetings at Dell Technologies World, take solace in the fact that product and solution announcements tell you where a company is putting its attention. Not surprisingly, that attention has landed on AI, as showcased by its Dell AI Factory enhancements and new solutions with NVIDIA. Circa 2025, nearly every tech company needs shareholders and customers to know it’s focused on AI innovation. A solution ticking all the key boxes – servers, mobile workstations, data platforms, and professional services…backed by a deep partner roster – testifies to the focus. Edge AI in Practice. AI is a wide-ranging topic. An incredibly wide-ranging topic. This is good, to the extent that it means solutions are being built for a variety of diverse use cases and customer demands. It also means that putting AI to use may seem particularly daunting. For me, a showcase on AI in support of healthcare inventory management, backed by machine vision specialist Chooch, brought it down to earth with a real-world example. In the process it also highlighted the importance of edge-deployed AI (in order to address data privacy and cost concerns) as well as the reality that putting AI to use requires much more than AI applications, making system integrator, telco, and IT partner decisions key.  The Telco Suite. Executive suites for hosting meetings or demoing kit in a (less noisy) space off the show floor are not uncommon at trade shows. Dell’s Telco-focused suite at Dell Technologies World serves the same purpose. But it’s also used to host presentations and intimate discussions with partners from non-telco verticals. Where operators have been targeting digital industries as a growth opportunity since before the 5G Era, attempting to be a bridge into the enterprise is an undeniably smart strategy.  The RAN Solution you Might Not Know. One piece of kit on display in Dell’s Telco Suite is a 4T4R cellular radio. It’s not from a partner and it’s not a mock-up. It is a commercially available radio developed by Dell. It can be paired up with Dell servers running Dell’s own RAN software. Add in mobile core assets from a partner and the result is a complete miobile network. Unless you follow the company closely, you probably don’t know about this offer; it never got a press release or a flashy launch. It points to modest near-term RAN aspirations and a cautious approach to competing with current RAN partners. It also provides a reminder that as the RAN gets increasingly digitized, suppliers like Dell should be in a position to benefit.   

  16. Media Centre

    Fibre to the Room (FTTR): Revolutionising Home and Business Connectivity

    Author: Sahil Itkan, Research Manager, Strategy In the ever-evolving landscape of digital connectivity, the advent of FTTR (Fibre to the Room) marks a significant milestone. Imagine having fibre connectivity in each of your rooms, ensuring seamless and high-speed internet access wherever you are within your premises. This technological advancement is set to redefine the way we experience internet connectivity, both at home and in business environments.The Limitations of Traditional FTTHTraditional FTTH (Fibre to the Home) setup typically involves optical fibre coming into an ONT (Optical Network Terminal), with a router physically connected to it via a network cable in order to provide coverage to your entire house via Wi-Fi. However, walls and interference can attenuate the signals from routers, resulting in lower speed and data throughput for connected devices in rooms further away from the router. Service providers often install Wi-Fi mesh networks and extenders to enhance coverage, but these fixes can downgrade the overall network experience due to reduced performance and inconsistent connectivity.FTTR: A Game-Changer in Home ConnectivityTo address these challenges, FTTR emerges as a transformative solution. In today's digital world, the surge in data consumption drives the need for reliable, high-speed networks that can support multiple concurrent applications, notably within large households. FTTR caters to these modern demands by providing high-speed connectivity to every nook of your house. It eliminates patchy network experiences and potential dead spots, offering gigabit connectivity and ensuring seamless performance for your connected devices across rooms.Applications and Benefits of FTTRFTTR is best suited to support usage of a wide array of increasingly mainstream applications simultaneously, such as online education, video conferencing, gaming, immersive extended reality (XR), and smart home devices such as security cameras. The growing number of smart and connected devices in modern homes and the flux in data-intensive applications across industries are anticipated to drive the rollout and adoption of FTTR solutions worldwide.Global Adoption and Market TrendsService and solution providers globally are recognising the potential and capability of FTTR technology. By the end of Q1 2025, around 39 service providers in 27 markets had either already launched or are planning to launch their FTTR offerings. The commercialisation of FTTR technology is generally driven by countries with relatively high fibre penetration.  Extensive fibre infrastructure facilitates the adoption of FTTR technology by providing the necessary infrastructure to support its deployment, thereby enabling seamless, high-speed connectivity and driving the growth of advanced digital applications and services. FTTR technology is not only revolutionising home connectivity but also transforming business environments by providing reliable, high-speed internet access.FTTR-B: Extending FTTR connectivity beyond homes to businessOperators are expanding their FTTR offerings to cater to the connectivity needs of their business customers by launching FTTR-B (Fibre to the Room for Business). By the end of Q1 2025, service providers in Brazil, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, and Thailand, have either deployed or planning to deploy their FTTR solutions for business customers. This technology is ideal for industries like hotels, providing guests with a seamless experience and ensuring consistent, reliable connectivity in each room. FTTR-B in hotels can also attract corporate clients for conferences and events, supporting a larger number of simultaneous users and applications like live streaming and virtual meetings. FTTR-B can also address the connectivity needs of educational institutions. Schools, colleges, and learning centers are stepping up from conventional ways of learning to new digital learning experiences which results in multiple smart devices operating simultaneously across the campus. FTTR-B could empower the students and staff with high-speed connectivity and a seamless learning experience.Future Outlook and OpportunitiesThe growing momentum around FTTR technology is likely to continue with more operators rolling out and testing their fibre-to-the-room offerings for both commercial and residential users. This presents an opportunity for OEMs, as the architecture involves more CPE to be installed at the premises. FTTR technology will also fuel growth in the IoT ecosystem, smart connected home devices, ultra-high-definition (8K) streaming, gaming, and more. The popularity of FTTR-B among business owners and administrators worldwide provides opportunities for service providers and operators to further monetise their existing fibre network infrastructure.For an in-depth analysis and insights on the future of FTTR and the broader fixed broadband and FWA markets, don't miss our latest quarterly report, “Fixed broadband and FWA, Q4 2024: developments and outlook". This comprehensive report delves into the latest trends, market dynamics, and future projections, offering valuable information for industry stakeholders. Additionally, our spotlight on FTTR, "FTTR: Taking Fixed Broadband Connectivity to the Next Level," provides a detailed look at this groundbreaking technology and its potential implications on the broader ecosystem.

We're here to help!

Have questions or need support with our reports and data services?

Contact usExplore our services