Distributel Wholesale’s Telecom Predictions for 2022 Trends

We’re excited. In 2022, we’re expanding our network. In addition, real-time porting will become a reality for our wholesale customers. Imagine being able to choose the best time to port numbers. And the best part? The ability to do it with the click of a button, freeing up your time and resources. 2022 will be a year of change. What are the driving forces and trends that will affect our industry? Here’s our list.

Connectivity: The move from IoT to IoE

There will be a shift from simply facilitating use cases involving the Internet of Things (IoT) to applications that leverage the Internet of Everything (IoE). What exactly is the difference between IoT and IoE?

IoT connects machines while IoE extends beyond connecting mobile devices and facilitates intelligent connections between all types of data, processes, people, appliances, and things.

IoE is a concept that extends IoT’s emphasis on machine-to-machine (M2M) communications to describe a more complex system that also encompasses people and processes.

The concept of the IoE originated at Cisco (PDF alert). They define it as “the intelligent connection of people, process, data and things.” Because all communications in the IoT are between machines, the terms IoT and M2M are sometimes considered synonymous. Besides M2M communications, the more expansive IoE concept includes machine-to-people (M2P) and technology-assisted people-to-people (P2P) interactions.

Automation, Artificial Intelligence, & Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are essential to automation efforts. They provide massive benefits in areas such as predictive maintenance, automated customer service including chatbots, automating data delivery, access, sharing, and anonymization, which ensures that compliant data is available for telecom automation projects—whether developed internally or with ecosystem partners.

Reducing latency to the lowest possible level requires maximizing edge computing and edge data processing. But successfully processing data at the edge, without then overloading your data centres with the raw data resulting from that processing, will require the application of advanced analytic models, notably artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

Increased Competition in Broadband Markets

Distributel works in partnership with network infrastructure builders, through its community broadband initiative, to bring high-speed internet and phone services to underserved communities. Our goal is to completely shift the digital landscape for rural and remote communities, giving access to an exponentially faster internet experience. In 2019, the Canadian government published Delivering Choice: A Study of Competition in Canada’s Broadband Industry.

The demand for connectivity will give choices to underserved communities, who have in the past not had access to speeds that enable remote education and work. Networks in rural and remote areas are generally slower, and served by fewer companies, than those in more urban areas. In large population centres, 99% of Canadian homes have access to 50 Mbps or higher speed services whereas only 37% of rural and remote homes have access to these faster connections.

With ever-expanding options for high-quality communication and internet services from telecom, cable, wireless, and satellite internet providers, consumers will enjoy enhanced flexibility in purchasing and consuming services in the future.

5G Will Make It Impossible to Ignore Cybersecurity & Risk Management

In the rush to become more connected by relying on digital, did we forget about security basics? There was clearly a rush in 2020 to adopt new innovations. In 2022, there will be an array of AI and ML solutions. However, as organizations rush to integrate these innovations, it’s inevitable that some will ignore or forget about cybersecurity fundamentals. These can span essentials like endpoint detection, credential security, and firewalls, which are vital to ensuring the success of emerging technologies and protecting the organization from attack.

It’s critical that businesses are mindful of security as they integrate these cutting-edge technologies; otherwise, they will leave themselves exposed. The widespread adoption of 5G offers many benefits, but it also creates new security concerns and challenges.

Smart Cities

Smart cities are becoming more and more numerous in the world. By effectively leveraging telecommunications technologies, smart cities can connect various “things” (e.g., sensors, devices, analytics tools, etc.) to each other, either directly or via the internet.

It is equally crucial for city managers to partner with an IoT integration partner who can help recommend the right technologies and implement the different platforms and/or components necessary for a city’s specific needs. The foundation of any smart city is a modern smart infrastructure composed of devices that are connected through telecom networks back to data repositories. This data is leveraged by various systems and platforms to make decisions, initiate activities, and address the needs of users via services and applications. For a smart city, the most defining characteristic is connectivity.

A city can only be smart if operational decisions are made based on usage data and sensor insights. That means a smart city first requires a level of connectivity between the users (citizens), the service providers (services and utilities companies & private businesses), and the decision-makers (city governments).