The pace at which digital transformation is incorporating modern business is rapidly changing.
In such a scenario, telcos’ interoperability with other ICT players plays a significant role in providing the ultimate connectivity delivery for the best customer experience. Collaboration allows both companies to capitalize on their core capabilities and brings exceptional digital experience to the table. Latest technologies including cloud, IoT, VoIP, etc., are expected to drive growth of the global B2B telecommunication market in the coming future. Key players in the market are focused on offering services such as cloud and internet to enterprises to facilitate the growing demand for said services for business applications.
For instance, modern CSP enterprise use cases including virtual reality (VR) gaming and augmented reality (AR) for inspecting factory quality, sport events applications, edge connectivity, etc. Together, Orange group and Ericsson are strengthening their ideas to meet the telco’s customer demands.
The Ericsson Local Packet Gateway is providing a dual-mode, 5G core user plane and network slicing to the edge, enabling both mobile broadband and enterprise use cases, from small user plane deployment in a CSP core network to routing to local applications. Orange needed to create a virtual private network on its public network for enterprise customers and they needed to create a hybrid private network relying on shared equipment in the Orange network and dedicated equipment at the customer's site for critical flows and data. Ericsson’s 5G Core for standalone, including the Local Packet Gateway, provided the solutions for both needs.
Collaboration has become the best strategy in adapting to the current digital trend and expanding telco business by delivering not just connectivity. Telcos need to leverage the edge ecosystem for content and digital solutions in order to harness the power of the gaming industry for telecom partners.
Supporting SMBs
The important role which small- and medium-sized enterprises play in economies of Middle East Markets cannot be stressed enough. They are proactively adopting B2B telecommunication services based on availability of internet-based services and cloud-based technology. From secure data storage to flawless connectivity, the new technologies are a boon to SMBs for their cost-efficiency and reliability.
Telco services stand at a vantage point to earn revenue by offering B2B services including cloud-based conferencing, network upgrades, or even social media integration. The GCC market has accelerated its adoption of digitization with plans for deeper integration of newer technologies for better market solution.
Collaborative strategic partnership with trusted stakeholders can support customers’ digital transformation by combining the unique capability of networks, hyper-scale infrastructure, and partner solutions to drive economic growth, sustainability, and societal well-being. Recently, the UAE’s Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs announced the launch of various initiatives which comes as part of the three main programs presented by the National Programme for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). These programs provide Emirati entrepreneurs the support they need in expanding their projects and contribute to the country’s economic diversification efforts and growth in line with the goals of the ‘Projects of the 50.’
Seamless 5G transition
Marking an important milestone for the UAE’s digital transformation objectives, the country’s leading telecom operator, Etisalat UAE, part of ‘e&’ (formerly known as Etisalat Group), in collaboration with Ericsson and Huawei have deployed and tested the first E2E live multi-vendor VoNR (Voice over New Radio) ecosystem worldwide. VoNR is a call service that uses the standalone architecture of the 5G network, providing lower latency and improved quality, resulting in an elevated calling experience and high-speed data. VoNR Call has been made and verified over a live multi-vendor ecosystem consisting of Core and Radio 5G SA related nodes from both Ericsson and Huawei. This innovative milestone is an important step towards the commercial introduction of seamless 5G voice services in e&’s cloud-native network.
The global B2B telecommunication market was valued at $37,668.7 million in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.0% between 2019 and 2027. The most recurring hiccup in adopting advanced technological solutions by enterprises has been the issue of security. Despite advanced security services, the incidence of data theft has not shown signs of abating. Fortunately, a new breed of ethical hackers offering their services to the industry could prove fruitful as a solution to many cybersecurity breaches which highlights the importance of arming the digital workforce with the best of digital skills the industry can accommodate.
