(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)Third generation networks were deployed just two years ago; we haven't even had the time to explore the full potential of 4G/LTE and already we are looking towards a 5G future.
Information and communication technology (ICT) expansion is exploding and while there is little question that technology has the potential to fundamentally transform how we organise our lives business and society; it will completely alter how entities behave and interact with each other together with the machines surrounding them. We are entering the networked society where connectivity is becoming a culture and future networks will need to address completely new needs arising from technological and consumer behavioural changes. Technology that was only being imagined yesterday is being developed and deployed today. How many even considered just a decade and a half ago when "Bicentennial Man" was being released in the cinemas that we would already have artificial intelligence in the form of robots that vacuum your house mow our lawns and mobile devices that talk to you. Looking towards a smart future the increasing trend of smart citizen behavior is not expected to plateau; machine to machine connections and the internet of things being intuitive collaborative and seamless is more of a reality than ever before. In fact by 2020 consumers expect the presence of artificial intelligence models to be the norm in every household. In the future everything that can be connected will be - and this future will rely on exceptional network performance to function seamlessly. The CTO of Asiacell recently spoke of the importance of outstanding and seamless network performance on consumer behavior he said "Ericsson's network improvement program inaugurated in 2014 has optimised our network performance and boosted the overall user experience. This has cemented customer loyalty among our users many of whom are now willing to pay for better-quality services." Network performance is the bedrock of the future and poor implementation and execution will have a tremendous effect on the lives of individuals organisations governments and society as a whole. Networks are rapidly transforming the industries of today. The utilities industry for example is converging onto a smart grid system which gives households greater control over their bills and environmental impact and allows renewable energy sources to be better integrated. The smart grid relies on 4G/LTE for optimum function. It is vital for operators to lay down a foundation that will manage not only today's revolutionary requirements but those of the entire networked society in 2020 and beyond. Speaking of the importance of continued network improvement for operator longevity Jean-Francois Thomas CEO of Orange Jordan said: "Ericsson has been our exclusive partner of choice for over a decade supporting us in our strategic expansion objectives and our ongoing efforts to provide subscribers with the best possible connectivity. We have made significant contributions to the telecommunications sector and have ensured its continued evolution. It is through our valued partnerships with industry leaders such as Ericsson that we have been able to provide the high-quality connectivity that solidifies our position as an industry leader in Jordan." In 2015 alone LTE subscriptions in the Middle East and North Africa region will triple and data traffic is expected to grow 14 times from 0.8GB to 5GB per device by 2020. "Kuwait has witnessed an exponential growth of data traffic in the LTE network. The overall data traffic since 2013 grew by seven folds or 600 per cent. We are positive that our partnership with the reputable Ericsson will further boost our capacity and provide a differentiated user experience to our customers" said Mohammad bin Abdulla Al Thani GM and CEO of Ooredoo Kuwait. This growth and the increase in the number of connected devices will rely on sound agile network performance to provide seamless mobility and connectivity and aid in transformation. Individuals and businesses already exist in a digital environment. Mobile broadband is the preferred mode of connection indoors over faster mobile networks with only 29 per cent of users preferring Wi-Fi. Toggling between connections is decreasing. Furthermore a greater number of small to medium enterprise businesses have moved or are in the process of moving their IT infrastructure to the cloud. This is already putting pressure on network performance and just imagine the strain that the networked society of complete connectivity will have on network infrastructure. In the Mena region alone mobile subscriptions are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6 percent amounting to 970 million by the end of 2020. Of those 40 per cent will be from smartphones due to the decrease in price and increase in availability of smartphone technology. In Saudi Arabia the smartphone is already the primary device amongst users for both indoor and outdoor internet consumption. This reliance on mobility perpetuated by the growth of smartphone adoption is fast becoming conventional and widespread throughout the region. It is predicted that users will continue being more mobile in everyday actions for example the consumption of mobile video traffic will continue to accelerate at such an extent that in 2015 consumers will stream more video content than watch broadcast TV. Connectivity is becoming a new culture and individuals will expect machine to machine connections throughout their personal lives in 2020. Connected cars are already a reality and we can already start them remotely soon we will witness more and more connected everyday appliances and machines to which we will have remote access. Smartphone owners are already expressing the need for artificial intelligence in the form of sensors in the home to alert them to water and electricity issues. Consumers also expect to be able to read their surroundings by 2020 in terms of traffic volumes energy usage and water quality all in real time and all without delays. Smart citizen behavior is not a trend; it is a way of life which is informed by the advent of ICT in their everyday lives. For children in 2020 tangible internet resources and digitised classrooms will be the norm. The future will create a powerful combination of individual empowerment and with an exponential rate of technological change that outpaces every other technological revolution in history. All of this describes the networked society and it wholly relies on network performance to provide seamless connectivity with zero latency. The networked society is not a future dream it is already here and the potential is enormous. Future populations industries governments and the entire society will all expect the network infrastructure to cater to their needs which will all be based on connectivity. The transformation we are experiencing goes far beyond simple technological innovation. Entire industries are relying on the digitization which calls for operators today to raise the bar on network performance. Network operators will need to reshape entire business models and infrastructure environments in order to create the capabilities that serve both industries and individuals. The writer is vice-president and head of operations at Ericsson Region Middle East and North East Africa. Views expressed by him are his own and do not reflect the newspaper's policy.
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