Data: The Perennial Challenge Of The ICT Industry
Almost everything BMI’s Information Communications Technology (ICT) team writes about this year will come down to a single word: data.
Data usage has exploded in the past few years and there are no signs so far of a slowdown. In fact, new networks and new devices entering the market will only serve to boost the amount of data we’re talking about – petabytes, exabytes, zettabytes and beyond! This makes data the centre of practically all developments and trends we are likely to see over the next few years. This is both a developed market and emerging market phenomenon.
Chances are, you are reading this on a smartphone or tablet. Data usage over mobile networks continues to grow as handsets become more sophisticated and use more data-heavy applications. In the home, we are already seeing the advent of smart TVs and streaming overtake traditional broadcasting, not to mention the rumblings of smart metering and connected fridges.
Telecoms operators are already struggling to persuade customers to spend more on their data but still need to be able to finance network upgrades that will allow users to keep increasing their data usage. In these tough economic times, it can be difficult to encourage spending. There will be opportunities for network equipment manufacturers to upgrade networks and offer solutions for efficient network management. As networks improve, more services can be offered over the infrastructure by IT companies, new software and service developers, or by the telecoms operators themselves.
As we move to the cloud and storing our data online, new challenges present themselves. Technology often moves too fast for regulation to keep up and data storage does not have to have geographical limitations. Rules and regulations may well inhibit the growth of the cloud industry, even as consumers clamour for more.