With the impending 5G commercial deployments across the Asia Pacific, Niometrics, a network analytics company that specializes in deep tech solutions for telco carriers, launched a study underlining how software-defined architecture and analytics are key building blocks in the delivery of IoT (Internet of Things) solutions powered by 5G networks.

The study saw that 5G technology will drive an increase in the returns on telco carriers’ investments in 5G network technology.

According to the report highlighting revenue opportunities that 5G technology presents for telco carriers in the Asia Pacific, despite the buzz around consumer opportunities upon 5G deployment, the study reveals that real incremental revenue opportunities lie in the enterprise space. Telco carriers highlight agriculture, environment and the development of smart cities and buildings as some of the top enterprise 5G use cases, enabled by 5G benefits such as network slicing and ultralow latency.

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Investments

“Regionally, investment in 5G is estimated to consume a hefty USD 159.5 billion from 2019-2023, or 31% of telco carriers’ total capital expenditures,” said Kostas Anagnostakis, founder and CEO, Niometrics. “In China alone, investments are expected to amount to a whopping $128.8 billion. This means that telco carriers are anticipating considerable returns on their leverage of the network technology and need to find the right solutions to spur these returns.”

With the right architecture and artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics solutions, the study shows that telco carriers will gain an ability to deliver a stronger network performance, conduct hyper-granular data analysis and enable partners to streamline and manage their operations from a centralized location.

AI, machine learning

The study also reports that 94% of telco carriers in developed markets and 77% in emerging markets view AI and machine learning in back-office processes as a top use case of 5G investments. With these numbers being 92% and 94% for data monetization such as mobile location analytics. These reflect the numerous revenue and growth opportunities that 5G benefits can afford telco carriers, their partners and customers, as well as enable backend productivity and operational efficiency.

With more than 50% of Asia-Pacific telco carriers citing analytics as a top investment priority to drive 5G, the understanding around its potential is strong, and the study highlights the importance for telco carriers to invest in building their analytics and AI capabilities and to choose the right analytics partner. This is crucial to reap the benefits of 5G and deliver a seamless experience to customers while extracting insights that can drive more targeted business strategies and customer experiences.