Digital Lifescapes

The COP26 Summit (in Glasgow, Scotland)  brought parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Meanwhile, the circular economy is a key sustainability strategy adopted by industry leaders in their efforts to achieve progress. While the circular economy is still in its infancy in terms of data and metrics, it's a growing phenomenon where technology sectors -- such as the Internet of Things (IoT) for asset tracking -- are set to grow rapidly within the next five years. Global technology intelligence firm ABI Research forecasts that the world will achieve over 10.5 percent circularity by 2030, as sustainability efforts and incoming legislation start to take effect. Circular Economy Tech Market Development "The circular economy is an often-misunderstood concept that goes much further than waste management and can become a blueprint for cities. It is a movement away from our take-make-waste economy ...

When you consider all the industries most impacted by the economic disruption in 2020, telecom service providers likely do not come to mind. However, global mobile communications revenue was significantly impacted last year. Moreover, within the United Kingdom, the situation for incumbent mobile service providers will become even more complex and challenging during 2021, and beyond. All because of Brexit. International Mobile Roaming Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the number of international mobile roaming subscribers dropped by 73 percent to 243 million globally in 2020 -- caused by travel restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Juniper analysts predict that an improvement in mobile roaming subscriber numbers will take until 2024 to exceed 2019 levels; reaching 918 million by 2024, as the international travel industry embarks on a prolonged recovery from the long-term impacts of the pandemic. The new market study finding...

Information technology (IT) investment within the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region is on track to further growth.  IT spending in EMEA is forecast to reach $1 trillion in 2018 -- that's an increase of 4.9 percent from 2017, according to the latest market study by by Gartner. In 2017, however, all categories of traditional IT spending in EMEA under-performed the global averages. According to the Gartner assessment, currency effects played a significant part in the weakness during 2017, and will also contribute to the forecast shortfall in 2018. EMEA IT Sector Market Development "The UK has EMEA’s largest IT market and its decline of 3.1 percent in 2017 impacts the forecast heavily," said John-David Lovelock, research vice president at Gartner . "Weak Sterling and political uncertainty since Brexit are reducing UK IT spending in 2017, while other major IT markets in EMEA grew steadily." Another significant currency effect is the rapid appreciat...

Telecom network operator revenues from international mobile roaming are expected to experience an 11 percent decline in 2017, as service providers introduce ‘Roam Like at Home’ packages in key markets -- including Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. ‘Roam Like at Home’ enables mobile users to utilize their monthly voice, data, and messaging allowance while roaming on other service provider networks, without incurring additional charges. Implications for Mobile Service Providers Juniper Research forecasts that the annual revenues, worth an estimated $54 billion in 2016, will decline to $48 billion in 2017 as revenues generated from increased usage in many markets fail to offset those lost by lower roaming charges in the EU countries. "This decline in global revenues is due to a 33 percent fall in European roaming revenues, following the EU regulation to end roaming surcharges," said Nitin Bhas, head of research at Juniper Research . While they expect roaming tari...

IT security is top-of-mind for most UK business leaders. A recent Juniper Research market study revealed that three quarters of survey respondents believe they're secure -- even though half of those organizations also reported having previously experienced a cyber attack. While more companies are moving their IT infrastructure online, the transition could make them more vulnerable to security threats. Yet, the study found that despite increased concern and spending on cyber security over the last year, there is a high degree of complacency. Overall, 86 percent of respondents believe they are doing enough to mitigate the impact of cyber attacks. Most respondents still think it’s enough to have the IT or security department involved in mitigating the effect of cyber attacks, with 33 percent considering the IT department solely responsible for security threats. Inconsistent Security Plans are Common Moreover, almost two thirds of respondents stated that cyber security is not t...

Technology industry analysts have shared their initial view on the impact from the political and social unrest that's sweeping across Europe. In particular, concerns about the outcome of the United Kingdom (UK) European Union (EU) membership referendum has added to the region's volatility. After 7 percent growth in 2015, European technology spending will remain flat at €707 billion this year and grow by just 0.8 percent next year, according to the Forrester Research midyear forecast. Business and political uncertainties after the decision by UK citizens to leave the European Union (Brexit) on top of already slow economic growth have led Forrester to reduce its original projection for EU tech market growth for 2016 and 2017 by about 2 percent. At a country level, UK tech spending will see the sharpest slowdown, growing by just 1.3 percent in pounds in 2016, with no growth in 2017 -- representing a drop of 4.2 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively, compared with Forrester’...

Online video entertainment has disrupted most legacy media companies that refused to acknowledge the market opportunities beyond traditional pay-TV services. This shift has become a global phenomenon. The impact and implications are far-reaching. Western European over-the-top (OTT) television and video revenues will more than double between 2015 and 2021. However, growth rates within each nation will vary considerably, according to findings from the latest market study by Digital TV Research. "OTT adoption is already high in Scandinavia, the Netherlands and the UK, but it has been much more muted in other countries -- such as France, Spain and Portugal," said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research . European OTT TV Market Development OTT TV and video revenues in Western Europe will reach $14.64 billion in 2021 -- that's up from $6.40 billion in 2015. From the $8.25 billion in revenues to be added between 2015 and 2021, the UK will contribute $2.30 ...

While the traditional North American pay-TV industry has yet to respond to market share losses associated with Over-the-Top (OTT) video subscription services, this entertainment phenomenon is now gaining significant momentum in other parts of the world. Parks Associates announced new international data showing OTT video usage in Western Europe is continuing to expand, with 55 percent of UK broadband households and 51 percent in France watching TV programming and movies online -- that's compared to 70 percent in the U.S. market. However, the number of paid subscriptions in Europe is significantly lower, where 30 percent of broadband households in the UK and 17 percent in France subscribe to OTT video -- that's compared to 64 percent of U.S. broadband households. Video Subscription Service Market Development "OTT is definitely gaining traction across Europe. We are seeing new OTT video services spring up but not as many as in North America," said Brett Sappingto...

British CIOs are reaping the benefits from the take-up of cloud computing. Now, 63 percent of UK enterprises are planning to move their entire IT demand to the cloud in the near future, according to the latest market study by the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF). The cloud adoption rate among UK-based organizations in 2015 was 78 percent -- that's about the same as 2014, but much higher than when the CIF study was first conducted in 2011, when it stood at 53 percent. Of those organizations that use cloud services, 77 percent use at least two services and 12 percent have deployed five or more. This represents an increase in cloud computing service penetration in UK businesses from the levels reported in 2014, suggesting that the application of cloud offerings is deepening. "This is the sixth major body of research we have conducted into the UK end user community, and while we are continuing to analyze and report on trends and adoption rates within the UK, we also wanted to expl...

Government leaders in nations that seek to prosper in the Global Network Economy must ensure that they have the broadband internet access infrastructure that enables them to compete -- technology capabilities and retail price -- with the recognized market leaders around the world. Incumbent telecom service providers typically set the pace of infrastructure investment. However, broadband capabilities sometimes don't keep up with market demand and a stimulus is required. In the U.S. market that provocation came from the launch of Google Fiber deployments. In the UK market, the government regulator, Ofcom , has provided the catalyst for progress. One of the keys to economic growth in the 21st Century is access to adequate telecom networks. Raising Expectations for UK Broadband The UK will outperform other major European countries on a range of fixed telecoms measures for the next five years, and become one of the best performing countries worldwide by 2020, according to the l...

The mobile marketing channel is gaining momentum in the UK. Why now? Over one in four British consumers owns a media tablet, as advertisers spent a record £6.3 billion in 2013 to reach people via the mobile internet, according to a market study for the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB), conducted by PwC. Over one third (36%) of people accessing the internet are now doing so via their personal tablets, as tablet ownership grew 63% year-on-year from 11.0 million to 17.9 million Britons in February 2014. Almost six in 10 (57%) tablet owners online say it's their go-to device to browse the internet at home. Two-thirds of owners (66%) say it’s easier to go online using a tablet. Almost two-thirds (65%) like to use them while watching TV. Survey data shows that advertising on the internet and mobile phones overall increased, like-for-like, by 15.2% or £853 million to £6.30 billion in 2013 -- that's up from £5.45 billion in 2012. "Digital advertising continues to grow ...

I recall when I first met Kam Star at the SXSW 2012 Festival, he shared his aspiration to make the Digital Shoreditch Festival as successful as the now infamous annual vent in Austin, Texas. After I attended the UK event that his team organized in 2012, I offered some suggestions for his consideration. I still believe that the creative culture in London is different -- and that's a good thing. London's creative digital talent strengths tend to be focused on the fashion, architecture and design sectors. The financial services sector also has a renewed focus on technology-enabled innovations. Digital Shoreditch Festival 2013 is expected to double in size, bringing together a community of 15,000 digital creatives to showcase and debate the latest advances in digital and technological innovation. The event held in East London last year attracted over 6,000 delegates with support from more than 40 sponsors and partners. This year the event is even bigger -- reflecting Lon...

How much did UK advertisers spend on online platforms in 2012? How will spending on paid search, display and other digital advertising formats develop in the UK during the next four years? And, how much ad spending in the UK will be devoted to mobile platforms between 2012 and 2016? These are the key questions that eMarketer considered in their latest market study. As the UK economy struggles to gain new momentum, their major marketers continue to spend. As a result, the UK advertising industry is apparently doing better than many other sectors, according to eMarketer's assessment. In particular, the ongoing shift from traditional to digital advertising is boosting the overall market outlook. eMarketer reported that total media advertiser spending increased by a paltry 1.8 percent, to $23.2 billion, in 2011. However, during 2012, traditional advertisers benefited from the increased media attention gained from major sporting events -- particularly the focus on the London O...

Some of the largest traditional PC manufacturers reported record revenue and profit declines in the last quarter, as desktop and notebook sales continue to slide downward. Clearly, the bright outlook for the media tablet upside will not benefit those vendors that failed to grasp the significance of this market transition. Moreover, some regions of the world will present greater challenges than others. Take Europe, as an example. According to the latest assessment by eMarketer , two countries in the EU-5 that are being impacted by the dramatic financial turmoil in the region are understandably posting the slowest adoption of tablets. Although tablet growth in each country was above 100 percent during 2011, and users will double again this year, that's considered minimal progress when compared to their peers in Western Europe -- according to the latest estimates by eMarketer. France grew their tablet user base by 173 percent in 2011. In 2012, Germany's base will grow 149...

British consumer products advertisers have been looking forward to the London 2012 Olympics. The total media advertising spend is set for a significant increase in new growth this year -- due partly to Olympics related promotional activities. eMarketer now estimates that with total spending forecast to reach $24.21 billion -- it's increased by about 4.5 percent. In a tough European economic environment, that's considered to be a big bonus. And, according to the results of a recent market study, a record amount of that ad spending will be online. eMarketer estimates that fully one in three ad campaign spending in the UK will be digital this year -- a figure that will rise to nearly one in two by 2016. Mobile ad spending is on an even stronger growth trajectory, estimated to be up by 70.3 percent this year after a record rise of 144.8 percent in 2011. Mobile spending is still growing from a small base, however, and as total spend increases, growth will moderate. By 20...

IMRG released the results from a comprehensive market study of the e-commerce potential for every region in the world. Their report, the "IMRG B2C Global e-Commerce Overview 2012" also focuses on 15 of the most developed up-and-coming e-commerce countries in detail -- identifying trends, issues and opportunities in each. Total B2C e-commerce sales in 2011 are estimated to have grown to €690 billion (£599bn, $961bn), an increase of close to 20 percent. IMRG estimates that growth will continue in the coming years, passing the trillion-euro mark in 2013 -- that's a year earlier than forecast in the first edition of this report published last year. The world leader in B2C e-commerce remains the USA, followed by the UK and Japan. Asia-Pacific is continuing to power ahead in terms of growth, with China’s e-commerce market in particular rising over 130 percent in 2011. The mature markets in the world such as USA, UK and Japan will continue to grow slightly slower, but s...

As you may recall, I've reported in the past about the amazing broadband internet service offering competition in France, which has helped to drive down subscriber costs and increase the adoption of enhanced information and communication technology (ICT) applications. That being said, eMarketer reported that France has trailed the rest of the EU-5 (Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) in microblog usage during 2012, but growth recently accelerated as French politicians sought out voters on social media during a very close presidential election. The presidential race is over, but eMarketer estimates that the popularity of social networking -- especially via mobile devices, such as smartphones -- will continue to increase throughout the country. eMarketer expects social networks to attract 21.9 million users in France in 2012, increasing to 23.6 million in 2013. While the total number of social network users in the country is impressive, the number of social network users acces...

I’ve previously shared a summary of observations during my attendance at the 2012 South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive events earlier this year. What I didn’t mention was that I had the opportunity to briefly meet Kam Star, while he was in Austin, Texas attending SXSW. As the founder, Kam explained his aspirations for the Digital Shoreditch Festival -- to replicate some of the success of the SXSWi legacy within the London marketplace. Why should this bold goal matter to the British public. For starters, it’s about the potential economic impact. Case in point: for the second straight year, in 2011 the SXSW Interactive attendance fueled the impressive increase in event attendance -- although SXSW Film and SXSW Music also enjoyed banner years as well. The City of Austin’s hospitality industry benefitted from the outside visitors with two very profitable weeks. SXSW’s direct booking of more than 10,500 individual reservations totaling 47,500+ room nights -- that was an in...

The upcoming London 2012 Summer Olympics is being billed as the most connected sporting event the world has ever seen. The United Kingdom has one of the world's most developed digital ecosystems -- the ICT, software and digital content sectors are estimated to be worth £100 billion combined. According to the latest market study by eMarketer , the UK is considered a leading Digital Nation -- measured by the percentage of the British population that accesses the internet regularly, and the amount of time spent online by those internet users. A near-ubiquitous, multi-layered web infrastructure drives increased adoption. Internet usage is expanding to all demographic segments and it's being accessed via a wider variety of wired and wireless digital devices. "For the three-quarters of the UK population who are web users, the internet is everywhere," said Karin von Abrams, eMarketer senior analyst. "British consumers are accustomed to managing several web-ena...

Some UK retailers have apparently found a reason for celebration -- even within a historically weak economy. British consumers spent £5.8 billion online in March, 2012 -- that's the equivalent of £114 per person, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. This equates to a year-on-year growth of 14 percent for the e-retail sector and a 9 percent increase on February. With more and more tech-savvy Brits using smartphones and tablets outfitted with purpose-built applications, shopping via mobile devices has become an important driver of online shopping via the internet. As a result, mobile retail (m-retail) has recorded huge growth, up a staggering 254% on March 2011 and averaging 300% year-on-year growth for Q1 2012. Interestingly, the conversion rates for mobile  -- those shoppers that visit a retail site via a mobile device and make a purchase from it -- remains very low at 0.7 percent in Q1 2011, increasing to 1.4 percent in Q1 2012, and that's compare...