While you mull over how much your life is going to be changed by AI and generative AI, check out one of our hottest reports to date on AI in Networking, available from NextGenInfra.io (our joint resource site with partner Converge Digest). It’s one of the few reports in the industry that takes a comprehensive view across all networking domains (RAN, transport, core, data center, enterprise campus, etc) and lifecycle (design, deployment, management and operations, optimization). The aptly titled report: “Pipe Dreams and AI Realities — Networking’s Midlife Crisis” reflects the fruits of our research with networking practitioners and cutting-edge technology experts at the leading vendors.

Also, watch the on-demand version of our report launch webinar. The lead analyst for the report, Archana Khetan, a former Cisco executive, joined Roy to discuss key findings and field audience questions. It has over 2K views with 96 likes so far. Please watch it, and if you enjoy it, please give us a thumbs up!

Oh, and subscribe to our NextGenInfra YouTube channel while you’re there (we just crossed the 24K subscriber threshold). Meanwhile, our team is prepping for a busy Fall season. Check out the rest of our newsletter for updates from the AvidThink team:

Roy’s Monologue — Bemoaning the end of Summer, Fall preparations
Latest Reports — AI in Networking, Campus NaaS, Telco APIs
Recent Articles— Non-Terrestrial Networks, Linux Foundation ONESummit
NextGenInfra — AI in Networking Resource Site – it’s still hot!
August News Roundup — 5G advances, Cisco and Intel’s woes, AI and more AI
Other Content — AvidThink in the News, Webinars, Meet Us Live!

Stay tuned for upcoming reports on Carrier NaaS/Middle Mile, Telco Cloud and Edge, SASE/SD-WAN/ZTNA, and Datacenter Networking for AI and Cloud in the next few months. Interested in sponsoring any of those? Drop the AvidThink team a note at [email protected].

Roy’s Monologue

Summer is wrapping up in the US, and kids are heading back to school. The Fall conference season is rapidly approaching, and I have mixed feelings about the busy upcoming travel schedule and wonderful opportunities to see friends and colleagues again across the globe. Such is the life of an analyst.

Featured Upcoming Events

Join me at FutureNet Asia in Singapore in two weeks, Looking forward to moderating a panel with Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Airtel, Thomas Hundt, Group Chief Strategy & Technology Officer, Axiata, Yu Leong Lim, Vice President, Group Strategy, Engineering and Innovation (Group Technology and Networks), Singtel, and Joe Hogan, Networks CTO, Amdocs. If you’re not planning to be there, I’ll presumably see you at TM Forum’s Innovate Americas 2024 in Dallas, Texas (24-25 September).

Jim Carroll and I will also capture videos for our NextGenInfra.io site at MWC Americas in Las Vegas from 8 to 10 October—drop us a note if you’ll be there. Next, we will both be at OCP Global Summit 2024 in San Jose (15-17 October), California, and the MEF Global NaaS Event in Dallas, Texas (28-30 October).

Rounding out the year will be Upperside Conferences’ SD-WAN and SASE 2024 Summit, held earlier than usual from 12-13 November in Paris (if you missed the Olympics, here’s your excuse to visit Paris — and no, I do not intend to take a dip in the River Seine). That’s followed by the Network Automation Forum’s AutoCon 2 in Denver, Colorado (20-22 November). Of course, I have my annual trek to Las Vegas post-Thanksgiving for AWS re:Invent 2024. I’m getting tired just typing out the list of conferences and locations. And the above doesn’t include private vendor events and analyst-only meetings like 5G Americas Analyst Day.

As we go to press with our newsletter, rumors are swirling about Samsung acquiring Nokia’s mobile assets, while Nokia flatly denies that. That didn’t make our August news selection below, but I’m sure we’ll have more to say next month, regardless of how it turns out. The overall tech industry is volatile — bolstered by promises of generative AI but reeling from deep cuts at Intel, further cuts at Cisco, and ongoing malaise in the 5G market with slowing RAN buildouts and little growth in private 5G. The embrace of telco and network APIs won’t immediately change telco fortunes. However, a combination of cost-cutting and innovation from ongoing projects in infrastructure modernization, cloud adoption (private and public), increased automation, and judicious and careful use of AI/ML with generative AI could bring about incremental change — it’s a step-by-step journey with few shortcuts. No one said it was easy!

Regardless, enjoy the rest of the newsletter and this month’s news, and I hope to see some of you while on the road — that’s what keeps me going! Have an excellent September until our next edition.

— Roy for the AvidThink Team

2024 August News Roundup

AI

AI-RAN Alliance to integrate AI in telecom
The AI-RAN Alliance, led by Nvidia, SoftBank, and others, aims to integrate AI into RAN for real-time network optimization. The Alliance is chaired by industry veteran Alex Jinsung Choi.

Lumen’s AI deals boost stock amid network expansion
Lumen’s stock surges following AI-focused deals with Microsoft and Corning, supporting network expansion for interconnected AI data centers, despite the company’s heavy debt load.

Gartner: AI project ROI measurement challenges lead to 30% abandonment rate
Gartner predicts a 30% abandonment rate for AI projects by 2025 due to difficulties in measuring ROI, despite companies spending up to $20 million annually on generative AI initiatives.

5G

Japan’s 5G adoption accelerates with widespread connectivity
Japan’s 5G deployment benefits from nearly ubiquitous coverage, enabling new use cases like ChargeSpot’s battery packs and driving innovations in retail, banking, and hospitality through QR code-based transactions.

Countries vie for 6G leadership, but companies drive standards
Despite ambitions from countries like the U.S. and China, 6G standards will be shaped by organizations like 3GPP and ITU, along with companies like Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Huawei, which invest heavily in R&D and hold key patents.

Deutsche Telekom’s 5G to cover 99% of Germany by 2025
Deutsche Telekom plans to reach 99% 5G coverage in Germany by 2025, with 12,500 antennas deployed in the 3.6 GHz band. The operator is already using 5G SA functions like network slicing for live TV and campus networks.

Singtel advances with over 1,500 5G base stations
Singtel’s nationwide 5G SA network includes advanced features like L4S for enhanced latency, used in high-traffic events like the F1 Grand Prix. The network, based on 3GPP Release 18, supports network slicing and app-based performance boosts.

5G SA networks see varied speed outcomes
Ookla reports some 5G SA networks experience reduced speeds as customer loads increase. However, T-Mobile USA’s 5G SA network shows rising median download speeds, boosted by mid-band spectrum deployment.

Maxis and China Mobile to accelerate 5G in Malaysia
Maxis partners with China Mobile to drive 5G adoption in Malaysia through private networks, smart park solutions, and AI-focused R&D projects. Maxis also collaborates with Huawei on 5G-advanced technology.

Intel may cut 5G investment amid financial losses
Intel faces a potential reduction in 5G investment following a $1.6 billion loss, as the company shifts focus to AI and cloud workloads, reflecting a broader industry trend of reduced 5G spending.

Three UK’s 5G network covers 62% of population
Three UK’s 5G network now covers 62% of the population, with services in 656 locations across 4,900 sites. The operator plans to shut down its 3G network by end-2024 to focus on 4G and 5G improvements.

Claro Argentina chooses Nokia for 5G rollout
Claro Argentina selects Nokia for its 5G deployment in major cities, leveraging Nokia’s 5G AirScale portfolio and Interleaved Passive Active Antenna for a range of spectrum frequencies.

China Unicom and Huawei deploy 5.5G network in Beijing
China Unicom collaborates with Huawei to deploy a 5.5G network covering key areas in Beijing, supporting services like UHD live streaming and cloud gaming. The network features 4,000 base stations.

Is the window closing for 5G SA deployments?
Standalone 5G deployments lag behind expectations, with only 50 global networks launched. Concerns about public cloud security and a lack of commercial use cases beyond network slicing hinder adoption.

Signals Research: 5G SA boosts uplink throughput and efficiency
A study by Signals Research Group highlights 5G SA’s uplink MIMO and UL-Carrier Aggregation, which double speed and spectral efficiency, improving coverage and battery life.

APIs

Nokia and Bounteous x Accolite aim to resolve 5G API challenges
Nokia partners with Bounteous x Accolite to develop 5G APIs for healthcare, gaming, and other industries, addressing the slow progress of 5G API adoption by leveraging Nokia’s Network as Code platform.

Private networks

Itron tests private network for smart metering
Itron receives FCC authorization to test a private cellular network for smart metering, using spectrum from Anterix and Omega Wireless and base stations from Amerisoft, Ubiik, Nokia, and Ericsson.

Ericsson gains ground in private networks
Ericsson ranks third in the private 4G/5G networking space, with projected revenue growth up to $1.5 billion by 2027. The company’s acquisition of Cradlepoint has bolstered its enterprise push.

Paris Olympics showcase private 5G networks
Private 5G networks powered live broadcasts of the Paris Olympics, with Cisco and Orange providing separate 5G SA networks covering key venues, including Stade de France and Arena Bercy.

Cloud

Cisco cuts jobs to focus on AI and cloud after Splunk acquisition
Cisco announces a 7% workforce reduction to optimize resources post-Splunk acquisition, reallocating efforts toward AI, cloud, and cybersecurity. This follows earlier layoffs of 4,000 employees.

China’s cloud market to triple by 2027, says think-tank
China’s cloud market, valued at $85.5 billion in 2023, is projected to grow to over $293 billion by 2027, with a growth rate of 36% per year, outpacing global trends.

Amazon’s AWS backlog reaches $156.6 billion
AWS reports a $156.6 billion backlog in cloud services, up 19% YoY. CEO Andy Jassy predicts significant growth in AI-driven cloud services, despite 90% of IT spending still being on-premises.

Open RAN

Turkcell and Ericsson trial 5G Cloud RAN
Turkcell partners with Ericsson to trial 5G Cloud RAN, a cloud-native solution that virtualizes RAN

functions, with plans to integrate Open RAN in its service management framework.

North America to lead O-RAN market through 2028
North America is expected to dominate the O-RAN market, maintaining leadership through 2028, while O-RAN, cloud RAN, and multi-vendor RAN will account for a significant share of the global RAN market.

ATIS to adopt O-RAN Alliance specifications
ATIS and the O-RAN Alliance collaborate to ensure O-RAN specifications align with ATIS standards, advancing the adoption of open RAN technology in North America.

SD-WAN

Broadcom adds satellite support to VMware VeloCloud
Broadcom introduces satellite connectivity for VMware VeloCloud, enabling IoT device connectivity in remote areas. However, the lack of a ruggedized version limits its use in harsh environments.

Fortinet enhances SASE with AI and sovereign options
Fortinet updates its Unified SASE solution with AI capabilities and introduces sovereign SASE options, providing customers with a single console for managing SD-WAN and SASE, improving data control and security.