Digital Lifescapes

The telecom industry stands at a pivotal moment of transformation. As mobile network operators grapple with the challenges of creating new revenue streams, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as an enabler of next-generation capabilities. The recent Juniper Research worldwide market study illuminates how AI is not merely an add-on but increasingly the foundation of transformative cellular network evolution. According to the study, network operators are projected to invest more than $86 billion in developing and deploying AI in their platforms over the next four years. Mobile Network AI Market Development Annual investment is expected to grow from $13.5 billion in 2025 to $21.9 billion by 2029, representing a substantial 62 percent increase. This investment surge is primarily driven by operators' pursuit of zero-touch operations, where human intervention in network management is minimized or eliminated entirely. What's particularly notable is that while AI is being deployed...

Small cells and Wi-Fi off-load are proven to be the most powerful tools that mobile network operators have to increase data communication capacity for their subscribers. These technologies enable them to meet the demand from a growing number of customers who use smartphones and tablets that are generating rapidly increasing mobile network traffic loads -- due largely to video content consumption. According to the latest market study by Senza Fili, mobile network operators that deploy small cells and Wi-Fi concurrently can reduce their wireless data per-bit costs up to two-thirds -- when compared with legacy macro-cell costs. Most mobile service providers don't get to choose whether to use small cells or Wi-Fi. To meet their capacity density targets in the high-traffic locations where subscribers gather, they need to deploy both small cells and Wi-Fi, side by side. And subscribers demand both: Wi-Fi for fast and inexpensive wireless access, and cellular for mobility and cove...