Industry developments in 2023
- Refocus on the Enterprise: The entire telecom industry seems to have a renewed emphasis on the enterprise, and the business sector, as the main growth vector. Rajeev believed that the power of cellular technology has been underutilized in this domain and now perceives that the entire industry echoes this sentiment.
- Growth in Private LTE and 5G: The private LTE and 5G sector, particularly private networking, has matured significantly. It has transformed from a nascent stage to one where businesses are genuinely evolving. Discussions revolved around the shift from POC installs to real, tangible deployments that are delivering genuine business transformation - and these implementations are showing measurable outcomes.
- Celona's Vision and Real-World Implementations: At Celona, there has always been a firm belief in the underutilized potential of cellular technology, particularly in the enterprise. At MWC Las Vegas, there was broad agreement, across all industries, that this is true. Highlighting this trend, Celona announced a significant partnership with T-Mobile around the "Bring Your Own Coverage" program. This collaboration was further solidified with Stanford Healthcare selecting Celona's architecture – that combines both private networks and Neutral Host services. This move is indicative of the direction the industry is heading,with a focus on the rapidly maturing private LTE and 5G spaces.
Predictions for 2024
- Rapid Adoption of Production Networks: We expect that the initial implementation of networks, like the ones at LyondellBasell, will serve as templates. Over the next 12 months, many enterprises will adopt this model to address their connectivity challenges, leading to a high-momentum industry where thousands of enterprises will deploy private networks swiftly.
- Convergence in Telecom: The telecom industry's focus on the enterprise sector will likely drive a convergence between private cellular and public sector connectivity. Neutral Host - and other models using MVNO IoT SIMs - will emerge, offering customers an integrated connectivity experience.
- Seamless Connectivity: There's an anticipation that the partnership model between companies like T-Mobile and Celona will become the norm, with other operators joining in. This will mean more customers, regardless of their telco provider, will be able to deliver a seamless experience from outdoor to indoor spaces.
