2023.01.27 – Open Broadband News

Touching BASe in 2023

It was estimated that over 5 billion people used the internet in 2022. With the remaining billions still to be connected, the demand for fast and reliable broadband access will increase significantly as everyday lifestyles such as home working and gaming become even more popular around the globe.

To satisfy consumer needs and requirements, the entire broadband industry is tasked with unlocking the cutting-edge of technologies and best practices to help drive the broadband ecosystem forward. Operators, regulators, and technology innovators need to come together to work with and educate each other.

That’s why the Broadband Forum is focused on accelerating broadband innovation, standards, and ecosystem development. Our industry education events provide both essential networking and peer interaction, as well as opportunities to learn and gain insight and direction of the industry. Created by tech leaders for tech innovators, the Broadband Acceleration Seminar (BASe) series delivers exactly this!

Read the full blog from Broadband Forum Chief Marketing Officer & Marketing and BASe Chair Bernd Hesse here: https://www.broadband-forum.org/touching-base-in-2023.

5G IoT connections are set to hit a major milestone this year

A new study has identified 2023 as a huge turning point for 5G IoT (Internet of Things) connections globally, and the next three years are set to see those come into their own.

Juniper Research estimates that, already, there are 17 million 5G IoT connections worldwide this year, however the figure is set to expand by 1,100% over the next three years to the point that 116 million connections will be active in 2026.

The research anticipates that the healthcare sector and smart city services will make up the bulk of these connections.

“5G will enable more efficient and dynamic healthcare provision that was not feasible with 4G or Wi-Fi,” said Olivia Williams, Research Co-author. “However, healthcare providers must first implement 5G in areas which provide a strong return on investment; most notably connected emergency services.”

Parks: 92% of U.S. Internet Households Use Wi-Fi at Home

New data from Parks Associates finds that even as download speeds increase for U.S. internet households, value-added services and the Quality of Experience are increasingly more important factors in how subscribers evaluate their high-speed internet service.

Currently, 92% of U.S. internet households use Wi-Fi at home, and more than a quarter say they value quality of service more than price.

“U.S. households have 16 connected devices on average, and these products rely on an uninterrupted Wi-Fi connection and solid network to deliver on their benefits,” Jennifer Kent, VP, research, said in a statement. “There are also multiple people in the household, each using these products for different reasons and with different expectations, so providing the support to deliver on these expectations is critical to the success of broadband service providers.”

Deloitte on SC&E: Telecom efforts to be more green are more important than you might think

Sustainability, climate and equity (SC&E) are becoming increasingly important to telecom and broadband providers. A new report from consulting firm Deloitte offers some eye-opening data that illustrates why this should be a top priority for the industry.

Energy constitutes 20% to 40% of network operating costs for telecom operators, Deloitte notes.

“Thus, there may be a financial as well as societal motivation for improving energy efficiency,” the report authors said.

They also noted that stakeholders — the public, groups within the organizations, industry groups, regulators and investors – seem to increasingly evaluate companies on how they “frame and communicate their sustainability agenda” and create value for themselves and society.

2023 could see Altnet consolidation, research says

Investment has been pouring into UK fiber rollouts over the last five years leading to rapid growth in small, localized alternative providers.

However, recessionary shocks in the wider economy are leading analysts and market watchers to forecast a cooling off in 2023, leading to a frenzy of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) among the altnet community.

“There’s still a lot of investment available to fuel further fiber growth, but it’s only around one-third the level of ask in the market at large and this is likely to trigger more consolidation among providers in the year ahead,” said Guy Miller, telecoms entrepreneur and CEO at MS3 Networks.

“Understanding the market dynamics at a local and regional level will be incredibly important to building M&A investment cases, particularly for operators looking to build a concentrated subscriber base or branch out into underserved areas.”