Telecommunication is the heart and soul of global communication and we are heavily dependent on them to provide us with reliable services. They do this by incorporating modern technologies that meet changing market demands.
Historically, technology has played a big part in the development of telecommunications and you can read all about it in our Brief History of Telecommunication blog.
Today, technologies changing telecommunication are very different and they will shape the way we use telecommunication in the coming decade. Let’s look at a few technologies changing telecommunication in our modern world including technologies like 5G and big data.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning
Today, AI and Machine learning is used in the telecommunication industry in many ways. They are used in their customer service as chatbots or virtual assistants, data driven analytics and even fraud detection.
For customer service, chatbots and assistants reliably improve customer satisfaction while cutting down on time and manual input. Automated chatbots can analyze queries for responses and identify sales opportunities to present products and services, all without human intervention.
AI and machine learning can also give data driven insights to prevent any outages that may slow down productivity of telecommunications. This predictive maintenance allows to anticipate any form of failure within telecommunications and fix it before failure occurs.
AI is also used to optimize networks and even design new ones, which optimize and analyze on their own to efficiently provide a more consistent service. Machine learning in telecommunication can help detect fraud faster than ever.
Malicious activity like fraud, theft or unauthorized access is marked when algorithms use enormous data sets to determine what is ‘normal’ and notify of any irregular activity almost immediately. AI and machine learning are technologies that help the telecommunication industry a lot.
Not only are these technologies changing telecommunication, but they are also making it much better, faster and safer than ever before.
Big Data
An estimated 149 zettabytes of data will be created, captured, copied and consumed worldwide by 2024. Such massive volumes of data are almost impossible to analyze by humans, which is why big data, along with AI and machine learning, is doing it for us.
Big data is an integral part of data driven modern activities and telecommunication uses it to improve their services all the time. Telecommunication companies can collect massive amounts of data from mobile devices and other data collection points to improve their services.
This data can create volumes of data sets for their AI and machine learning to access and detect anomalies almost instantly when they occur. Big data keeps these companies competitive and helps them identify old and upcoming security threats much faster than ever before.
Moreover, the collected data allows telecommunication companies to monitor their networks for better optimization, evaluate products and analyze and improve their customer services. Like in most industries, big data is one of the few technologies changing telecommunication for the better every day.
5G
As most people are aware, 5G is the fifth generation, and the latest, technology for broadband cellular networks and the successor to the widely used 4G networks. 5G brings the promise of bigger channels for speedy data, more responsive lower latency and the ability to connect more devices at once.
First deployed by cellular companies in 2019, it truly is a big step up from the previous generations. It provides tenfold speeds and minimum latency to improve user experiences by bringing them to instantaneous light speed connectivity.
It is another one of the latest technologies changing telecommunication drastically and while it may not be so accessible right now, it is something that will continue to transform telecommunication throughout the next decade.
The European Union already has an action plan in place to provide uninterrupted 5G coverage in all urban areas and transport paths by 2025. One important feature of 5G that affects telecommunications is its ability to connect a hundredfold more devices per unit area.
This will change the way we access bandwidth and provide a low latency seamless experience no matter how many users are accessing the network. This can dramatically change the role of telecommunication by shifting the industry toward providing more services in the future.
Cloud Services
Today, cloud computing is changing our lives in many ways. It is changing our businesses, marketing, scalability and security among many things and telecommunication as well. The changes may not be apparent but they are very real and effective, nonetheless.
Cloud computing is helping telecommunications scale, reduce costs and improve the overall effectiveness to meet market demands. Telecommunication companies are using cloud computing for their business and also shifting toward becoming cloud service providers themselves.
They are actively shifting important functions of their business toward cloud technology to benefit from its efficiency and reliability. This makes their services more secure and effective and will continue to do so in the future.
Cyber Threats & Security
Cyber threats may not be considered technologies changing telecommunications per se but they are an everchanging cyber problem that alters the way telecommunications approach and utilize technologies.
The modern world is dependent on telecommunications and we take its numerous benefits for granted. Individuals and businesses all rely on the telecommunication infrastructure to reliably deliver our demands at all times.
The nature of this infrastructure is networks, which are susceptible to cyber threats such as malware or denial of service attacks. These networks store and transport volumes of sensitive data and in order to protect us and their businesses, telecommunication companies have to be prepared.
With growing cyber threats, cybercriminals are finding new and innovative ways to attack telecommunications and this subsequently changes the way telecommunication companies interact with technologies.
The coming years will certainly see changes in telecommunications through technologies but also through technology-based cyber threats and cyber security.
Conclusion
Technologies are always changing our lives for the better and the new and upcoming technologies changing telecommunication are similarly changing it for the better. Although, telecommunication companies will have to be careful and resilient in their approach.
Technologies like 5G and big data pose a number of new security threats that will need to be addressed. Luckily, there is always ongoing development on these fronts, and we can be certain that our data and networks will be protected by the highest standards.
Communications Solutions, Inc., connects businesses to technology through Audio Visual, Structured Cabling, Physical Security, and Unified Communications and has been the premier provider of telecommunications systems and support in Northeast Florida for 20+ years.