Juniper Research predicts that operators will find revenue growth through the monetisation of enterprise markets, such as cellular IoT, to capitalise on the US$900 billion global telecommunications market this year.
Despite their significant investment in 5G networks, operators have struggled to monetise the widespread adoption of 5G by consumers. Failing to gain a significant price premium over 4G services has been a key issue.
The IoT API opportunity
Turning to enterprises, the report recommends operators invest in cloud technologies that enable new services such as CAMARA-compliant APIs to better manage IoT services over networks. An API will enable third-party software to communicate with specific applications present in telecommunications networks.
IoT connectivity worth US$23bn Market
5G is the key enabling platform for operator growth in the IoT market, owing to the high degree of software‑defined processes allowing the swift deployment of APIs. However, to maximise this growth, operators must provide APIs that enable real-time management of devices, remote configuration and integration with third-party solutions.
This will position operator networks well to capitalise on the opportunity for IoT connectivity revenue; a market forecast to grow from US$10 billion in 2023, to US$23 billion by 2028.
Federated learning enables operators to minimise security risks
At present, the majority of machine learning models are trained via data sources that are stored in a single location, making opportunities for fraudulent players a simpler task. In response, the study recommends that operators transition to federated learning models, a subset of machine learning that leverages a decentralised data approach to minimise the chances of data fraud over IoT networks.
Federated machine learning limits the exposure of sensitive IoT data, thus reducing the threat of data breaches. Research author Alex Webb remarked; “As the number of cellular IoT connections grows, both platforms and operators must ensure data is secure in transition and on the device. A failure to do so will dissuade IoT users in industries with sensitive data from using a cellular IoT-based approach to connectivity.”
