Digital Lifescapes

The global 5G mobile communications sector continues the remarkable progress across many key markets. As of Q3 2023, the world added 537 million 5G wireless connections, bringing global totals to 1.6 billion, which represents an increase of 71 percent over the past year. This growth trajectory suggests an optimistic outlook for the future of 5G adoption according to 5G Americas, and the latest market data from Omdia research. "The global 5G landscape shows positive momentum as innovation and collaboration continue to be the mainstays for long-term progress," said Chris Pearson, president of 5G Americas . 5G Networks Market Development Looking ahead, Omdia forecasts that the global 5G connection base will likely reach 1.8 billion by the end of 2023 and 7.9 billion by 2028, as 5G-Advanced network improvements are implemented and work towards 6G is completed. While this represents a significant expansion, it is important to note that this growth may not be linear.  Factors such ...

In an era defined by rapid technological advancements, the automobile sector has emerged as a vanguard of innovation, boldly steering into the digital technology era. And, this is just the beginning of an amazing digital transformation. Automobile manufacturers face the considerable challenge of transferring their legacy products to Electric Vehicles (EVs) while balancing the need to maintain revenue and profits to afford the switchover from internal combustion engines. Automobile Digitalization Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, automobile manufacturers will have invested $83.3 billion in digital technologies in 2023, growing by a CAGR of 8.5 percent to surpass $188 billion in 2033. "The transfer to EVs is driving demand for software, as manufacturers need to design new vehicles and simulate the vehicles' performance. The new production lines will also need to be simulated before launch," said Michael Larner, research direc...

Across the globe, millions of people don't have a bank account -- they're the 'unbanked' masses. Mobile Financial Services (MFS) are alternative financial instruments that allow individuals, without an account at a traditional banking institution, to engage in financial activity via their mobile device -- such as a low-cost smartphone or media tablet. Since the inception of 'mobile money' services from the telecom provider in Kenya over ten years ago, these solutions have been instrumental in enabling financial inclusion in emerging markets, where large segments of the population have been unserved, or underserved, by traditional banks. Mobile Financial Services Market Development With the ability to reach anyone who owns a mobile device and the benefit of rolling out cost-effective agent networks, MFS players have managed to fill a gap which has been a challenge for traditional financial institutions within emerging markets. According to the latest worl...

Distributed ledger technologies (DLT) will gain new momentum this year. Worldwide spending on blockchain solutions is forecast to reach $2.1 billion in 2018, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). The industry analyst expects blockchain investment to grow over the 2016-2021 forecast period with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 81.2 percent -- with total spending to reach $9.2 billion in 2021. Blockchain Application Market Development "Interest and investment in blockchain and distributed ledger technology is accelerating as enterprises aggregate data into secure, sequential, and immutable blockchain ledgers, transforming their businesses and operations," said Bill Fearnley, research director at IDC . The United States market will see the largest blockchain investments and deliver more than 40 percent of worldwide spending throughout the forecast period. Western Europe will be the next largest region f...

Effective IT infrastructure security is a growing concern to most organizations that have expanded their use of eCommerce applications. It's especially important to senior executives at public companies that are held responsible for security breaches and any related impact on customers. IT security expertise demand is increasing worldwide, including managed services. As an example, the Latin American managed security services (MSS) market is transforming as CIOs focus on higher levels of security and risk management for their IT infrastructure. According to the latest market study by Frost & Sullivan, this is due to increasing threats such as targeted Internet attacks, advanced persistent threats, more sophisticated distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, and of course ransomware. IT Security Services Market Development "Traditionally, the mindset about cyber security in Latin America has been more reactive rather than proactive, with investments occurring af...

Cloud computing adoption and growth is a worldwide phenomena. Every region of the globe now has markets where traditional IT infrastructure applications are migrating over to public cloud platforms. That said, prior on-premises IT infrastructure continues to play a key role in digital transformation projects. The Latin American cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) market is set to grow as cloud service providers flock to the region to take advantage of the massive customer pool. Public, private and hybrid cloud service models as well as customized, best-fit solutions are accelerating the adoption of IaaS solutions. Latin America Cloud Market Development Hybrid cloud models will be particularly popular among enterprises due to their ability to support clients' strategy implementation, migration, and infrastructure management requirements. "To ensure the optimal use of existing infrastructure and compliance certificates, most companies will invest in hybrid cloud dep...

Smartphones and media tablets are proven business technology tools within most work situations today. Mobile enterprise communication continues to grow across the globe, as more organizations make mobility software apps an essential component of their digital transformation agenda. The global mobile workforce is forecast to increase from 1.45 billion in 2016 -- accounting for 38.8 percent of the overall workforce -- to 1.87 billion in 2022, thereby accounting for 42.5 percent of the workforce. Mobile Internet Market Development Trends Globalization and continued advancements in mobile internet technology and applications will increase levels of mobility among executives, consultants, sales professionals, and many other professions, according to the latest worldwide market study by Strategy Analytics. "In overall terms, the traditional workforce in the United States and Canada have been aging, along with the world's population in general," said Gina Luk, senior ana...

5G Americas shared mobile subscriber data for the end of year 2015, which included an industry milestone with LTE connections reaching over one billion worldwide. North America greatly contributed to global LTE connections with 237 million of the 1.1 billion, as of the fourth quarter (4Q) 2015. North America Market Update "It is no surprise that LTE has become the standard mobile technology for the North America region and continues to flourish as more consumers are adopting the technology year after year," said Chris Pearson, President of 5G Americas . The rapid increase in 4G LTE connections, not only in North America but worldwide, is leading the industry on the right track to the commercial standardized deployment of 5G in 2020 and beyond. LTE in North America covers 54 percent of all mobile connections in the region. This data compares to the next leading world regional markets of Western Europe and Oceania & Asia Pacific both with 24 percent market share for...

There are a variety of reasons why senior executives and IT managers will choose to adopt cloud computing services. While a business transformation goal is often a high-priority for many, IT investment and operational cost reduction is also very important to most decision makers. Like any other significant procurement, buyers ultimately seek the best value for their IT spend. 451 Research released its latest assessment of the worldwide public cloud computing market, analyzing the variances in service pricing across the globe. The findings show that U.S. cloud service pricing is the most competitive globally, overall. Moreover, on average, it typically costs between 7 percent and 19 percent more to host the same cloud application in Europe and 14 percent to 38 percent more in Asia-Pacific region -- the variance is usually due to the complexity of the cloud application. There are, however, other factors to consider. Regional Assessment of Cloud Offerings According to the 451 Rese...

Traditional wireline communication investment has stagnated in numerous developed markets around the globe, but there's still some upside opportunity for new infrastructure deployment within the emerging markets. Case in point: the number of fixed lines for voice and Internet services in Latin America will reach 163.8 million in 2015, that's an increase of 2.3 percent over 2014 deployments, according to the latest market study by Pyramid Research. This represents a broadband penetration rate of just 12 percent and a voice telephony penetration rate of 17 percent of the population. Clearly, the forward-looking growth potential is still significant. While the overall number of fixed lines will grow at a CAGR of 2.1 percent, fiber-to-the-home or business (FTTH/B) connections will increase at a CAGR of 34.9 percent over the next five years. "Growth within fixed communications markets will be mainly driven by the increase in broadband lines," said Marcelo Kawanami,...

Over the Top (OTT) television and video entertainment revenues in Latin America -- across thirteen countries in the region -- are forecast to reach $2.91 billion by 2020, that's up from the $1.13 billion expected in 2015. From the $2.13 billion in revenues to be added between 2014 and 2020, it's estimated that Brazil will contribute $938 million and Mexico $437 million, according to the latest market study by Digital TV Research. "Subscription video on demand (SVOD) will remain the region’s largest OTT revenue source," said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research . This emerging SVOD market is forecast to contribute $1.75 billion by 2020 -- Murray says that's up from next to nothing in 2010. Pan-regional video services -- such as Netflix, Clarovideo and Movistar -- are now reported to be making an impact and are adding a competitive edge to the SVOD sector in Latin America. According to their latest assessment, Digital TV Research estim...

The video entertainment sector is still going through a period of transition, as consumer viewing habits shift and evolve. Besides, in the mature markets -- such as North America -- more subscribers are expected to totally abandon pay-TV due to the rising cost of traditional services. Meanwhile, the worldwide pay-TV market is expected to surpass 920 million subscribers by the end of 2014, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. Overall, pay-TV average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to drop slightly due to increasing price competition, but at a lower rate compared to the ARPU drop in 2013. "The growing number of high-definition (HD) subscribers as well as major sporting events such as the World Cup 2014 have contributed to improving ARPU," said Jake Saunders, VP and practice director of core forecasting at ABI Research . As a result, the total pay-TV service provider market is expected to generate over $269 billion by the end of 2014. Notably, Dire...

One of the most interesting applications for embedded M2M technologies is with commercial vehicle fleets. Fleet Management is about improving commercial fleet vehicle operations. New mobile technology applications are an example of practical uses for concepts that are known as the Internet of Things. Intelligent fleet management solutions based on proven wireless technologies -- such as GPS-based telematics -- are helping fleet operators to enhance their efficiency in terms of improving vehicle performance and fuel mileage, enhancing reliability or safety, scheduled maintenance planning and optimizing delivery routes. The growing competitiveness among the transportation service providers, CO2 emission control norms, and rising fuel prices are making Fleet Management Systems an essential component for the business operation of the fleet vehicle operators. The overall Fleet Management market is expected to grow from $10.91 billion in 2013 to $30.45 billion by 2018 -- that's at a ...

In the course of the past 5 years, the mobile phone device has transitioned from a mechanism for person-to-person communication to a multi-purpose facilitator of essential everyday activities. Making payments has been an integral part of this transition, and the emergence of the mobile wallet is a key to ongoing market development. Juniper Research has found that 1 in 5 mobile handsets will have mobile wallet functionality by 2018 -- that's compared with less than 1 in 10 at the end of 2013. Growth will be driven by two distinct wallet models. In emerging markets, SVAs (Stored Value Accounts) are increasingly enabling first time financial access for unbanked individuals. Empowered by this model, it's anticipated that there will be a surge in deployments across sub-Saharan Africa, developing Asia and Latin America. Meanwhile, Juniper believes that wallet launches across developed markets -- such as North America and Western Europe -- are increasingly expected to feature co...

The upcoming 2014 World Cup football tournament in Brazil will raise the region's profile this summer, as soccer fans across the globe tune-in to watch their national teams. Besides, Latin America will also be on the minds of global economists this year, as the region's infrastructure gets a much-needed investment boost. ABI Research expects growth of 10 percent in mobile telecom service provider capital expenditure (CapEx) within Latin America, rising to $6.1 billion. Upgrades and expansion of 3G WCDMA and 4G LTE coverage will result in radio access network-related spending capturing 40 percent of CapEx. Investment in small cell base stations is gaining momentum -- with a forecast of 40 percent year-on-year growth in 2014 to $484 million. "Mobile telecom capital expenditure in Latin America is expected to grow rapidly in 2014 as investment in 4G LTE starts to accelerate. Significant amounts of capital expenditure are still required to build out 4G LTE coverage,...

The Latin American video entertainment market is a focal point of many industry analysts, as growth in most of the established markets within developed nations reached saturation. Broadcast TV and pay-TV offerings in Latin American countries have a significant upside potential. Digital TV adoption is already growing in Latin America -- from only 18.1 percent penetration of TV households at end-2010 to just over the halfway mark by end-2014 and onto 94.5 percent by 2020, according to the latest market study by Digital TV Research. Put another way, 132 million digital TV households (in 19 countries) will be added between 2010 and 2020 to take the total to 157 million. Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) will provide half of the additional digital TV homes to be added between 2010 and 2020. "Much of this growth is being driven by satellite TV, especially lower-cost and prepaid packages – although these subscribers are forcing down average ARPU figures," said Simon Murray,...

Communications infrastructure investment is having a substantive impact on economic development within Latin American. By the end of 2013, Latin American cellular mobile phone subscriptions are expected to grow by 3.9 percent to reach 709.4 million, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. An expanding population base and positive economic indicators for a number of Latin American markets means the region continues to stimulate the interest of foreign and regional telecommunications companies and other investors. At the end of 3Q-2013, while the mobile service prepaid ratio stood at 79.5 percent, the smartphone user base was just 16.1 percent. But smartphone adoption is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 31.7 percent between 2013 and 2018. "Smartphones are presenting mobile carriers with an opportunity to upgrade prepaid subscriptions to postpaid subscriptions," commented Jake Saunders, VP and practice director at ABI Research . An example of this mobile inter...

4G Americas reports that HSPA and LTE mobile broadband has grown to 192.5 million subscriptions in North America, representing 52 percent of the more than 373 million total mobile subscriptions in the region at the end of the second quarter of 2013, according to the latest market study by Informa Telecoms & Media . The North American market remains in the leadership position of LTE market share worldwide with 51 percent of the world’s 126 million connections at the end of June 2013. In Latin America, the HSPA and LTE mobile broadband market share has risen to 21 percent with 147 million connections of the total 693.7 million mobile connections, with the latter mostly GSM technology. North America’s LTE penetration rate is significantly higher than the rest of the world -- with 18.3 percent LTE penetration compared to the next leading world regional market of Asia-Pacific with a penetration rate of 1.4 percent. All other world regions, including Western Europe at 0.7 percent...

The mobile internet is like a pathway to progress in the emerging markets. But only three regions of the world -- Latin America, Middle East, and Africa -- will experience mobile internet service revenue with double-digit growth between 2013 and 2018. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, this significant new growth is underpinned by the strong per subscription data consumption increasing at CAGRs of 45-49 percent. In other words, data traffic doubles in less than every two years on average, thanks to the increased availability of affordable smart devices in the near future. In 2018, Latin America and Middle East are expected to see an average user contributing more than 2.5 Gigabytes of traffic per month. Low literacy rate has resulted in the low messaging volume in Africa. However, with the fastest mobile subscription growth and over-the-top applications being less prevalent, it will be the only region to enjoy consistent positive messaging service revenue gro...

According to the latest market study by 4G Americas, the number of LTE connections worldwide passed 100 million in May -- with the U.S. and Canada capturing 57 million subscriptions of that global total. There are 172 operators in 70 countries with LTE mobile networks and more than 250 commercial LTE networks are expected by the end of 2013. "We are pleased to report that 20 Latin American operators have commercially deployed LTE networks and the number of connections in the region is quickly increasing," said Chris Pearson, President of 4G Americas. The following are highlights from the latest worldwide market assessment. For more information and to view a variety of statistical charts on the 3GPP family of technologies, visit www.4gamericas.org Global Market Highlights 172 commercial LTE networks today; 250 commercial LTE networks expected by the end of 2013. Over 450 total commitments to LTE deployment by wireless operators to date. 68 million LTE connec...