Rapid growth of the digital eco-system is transforming our society, changing how contexts are exchanged among people and things. To unlock the digital opportunities, the underlying telecom layer needs to expand its capabilities and flexibility to accommodate various applications.
This calls for new technologies, often collectively referred to as “5G”. While many technology concepts are on proposition, such as massive MIMO, control-/ data-plane split, and virtualization, they each have business implications and require investment. Conversely, changes in the business environment, such as access/ service separation, commoditization, and the Internet of Things (IoT), have implications on what technology should deliver. This paper uncovers such mutual implications, highlighting the essential issues that need to be addressed to substantiate digital opportunities.
This white paper was originally posted on the NGMN Alliance website