Skip to main content
  • login
  • contact
  • language
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Português
    • Deutsch
    • Italia
    • 简体中文
    • 日本語
  • search
X
GEP Logo GEP Logo
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Customers
    • Partners
    • AI-First at GEP
    • Sustainability at GEP
    • News
    • Events
    • Culture
    • Mission & Vision
    • Awards & Recognition
  • Solutions
    • Software
      • GEP SMART  
        • AI-First Source-to-Pay
        • Procurement Software
        • Product Accessibility
        • Direct Procurement Software
        • Indirect Procurement Software
        • Intelligent Category Management
        • Digital Procurement Transformation
        • Master Data Management
        • AP Automation
        • Spend Management
        • GEP COSTDRIVERS
      • Midsize & High Growth Enterprises  
      • GEP NEXXE  
        • AI-First Supply Chain Management
        • Supply Chain Visibility and Execution
        • Supply Chain Planning
        • Supply Chain Collaboration
        • Supply Chain Control Tower
        • Should-Cost Modeling
        • Inventory and Warehouse Management
        • Direct Material Sourcing
        • GEP Multienterprise Collaboration Network
      • GEP CLICK  
      • GEP MINERVA  
      • GEP BUILD  
      • GEP ASSIST  
      • GEP SPECTRUM XA  
      • GEP GREEN  
      Strategy
      • Procurement Consulting  
        • Procurement Transformation
        • Digital Procurement Transformation
        • Opportunity Assessment
        • M & A Services
        • Strategic Cost Management
        • Supply Risk Management
      • Supply Chain Consulting  
        • Environmental, Social and Governance
        • Socially Responsible Sourcing
        • Supply Chain Strategy
        • Supply Chain Diagnostics
        • Inventory Optimization
        • Network Optimization
        • GEP Total Inventory Management Solution
      Managed Services
      • Procurement Outsourcing  
        • Source-to-Contract
          • Spend Analysis
          • Strategic Sourcing
          • Category Management
          • Supply Market Intelligence
          • Tail-Spend Management
          • Procurement Support Services
        • Procure-to-Pay
          • Cost Recovery & Invoice Auditing
          • Accounts Payable
      • Supply Chain Outsourcing  
        • Planning & Forecasting
        • Inventory Management
        • Logistics Management
        • Supply Chain Data Management
        • Supply Chain Risk Management
  • Industries
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • Energy & Utilities
    • Financial Services
    • Government & Nonprofit
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Life Sciences
    • Oil & Gas
    • Private Equity
    • Retail
    • Telecommunications, Media & Technology
    • High-Tech
    • Media & Entertainment
    • Software, Social & Platforms
    • Telecom
    • Travel & Hospitality
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Explore by Topic
      • Artificial Intelligence  
      • Digital Transformation  
      • Software & Technology  
      • Strategy & Planning  
      • Operations  
      • Procurement  
      • Sustainability  
      • Inflation Strategies  
      Explore by Type
      • White Papers  
      • Research Reports  
      • Bulletin  
      • Case Studies  
      • Webcasts  
      • Blogs  
      • Podcasts  
      • Insights From the Top  
      • Glossary  
      Global Supply Chain Volatility Index

      Latest Insight

      Navigating shifts Read More  

      Rethinking Supply Chains for Greater Efficiency, Resiliency, and Sustainability Read More  

  • Careers
    • Join Us
    • GEP Per Se
    • Campus Connect
  • Partners
   
  • GEP Software ›
    • GEP Software
    • ‹ Back
      • GEP SMART ›
        • GEP SMART
        • ‹ Back
          • AI-First Source-to-Pay
          • Procurement Software
          • Direct Procurement Software ›
            • Direct Procurement Software
            • ‹ Back
              • Bill of Materials Management
              • Data Analytics & Reporting
              • Inventory Management
              • Master Data Management
              • Quality Management
              • Supplier Collaboration Portal
              • Supply Chain Operations
          • Indirect Procurement Software ›
            • Indirect Procurement Software
            • ‹ Back
              • Source-to-Contract
              • Spend Analysis
              • Savings Project Management
              • Category Management
              • Contract Management
              • Savings Tracking
              • Sourcing
              • Supplier Management
              • Procure-to-Pay
              • Guided Buying
              • Procurement Portal
              • Catalog Management
              • Order Processing
              • Invoice Management
          • Intelligent Category Management
          • Digital Procurement Transformation
          • Spend Management
          • Master Data Management
          • AP Automation
          • Product Accessibility
          • GEP COSTDRIVERS
          • Midsize & High Growth Enterprises
      • GEP NEXXE ›
        • GEP NEXXE
        • ‹ Back
          • AI-First Supply Chain Management
          • Supply Chain Visibility and Execution ›
            • Supply Chain Visibility and Execution
            • ‹ Back
              • Inventory and Warehouse Management
              • Logistics Visibility
              • Control Tower
          • Supply Chain Planning ›
            • Supply Chain Planning
            • ‹ Back
              • Supply Chain Control Tower
              • Should-Cost Modeling
              • Demand Planning
              • Supply Chain Bill of Materials
              • Supply Chain Direct Sourcing
              • Supply Planning
          • Supply Chain Collaboration ›
            • Supply Chain Collaboration
            • ‹ Back
              • Forecast Collaboration
              • Purchase Order Collaboration
              • Quality Collaboration
              • Capacity Collaboration
              • Quality Management Software
          • Supply Chain Control Tower
          • Should-Cost Modeling
          • Inventory and Warehouse Management
          • GEP Multienterprise Collaboration Network
      • GEP CLICK
      • GEP MINERVA
      • GEP BUILD
      • GEP ASSIST
      • GEP SPECTRUM XA
      • GEP GREEN
      • Innovation ›
        • Innovation
        • ‹ Back
          • Emerging Technologies
          • Native to Cloud
          • Native to Mobile
          • One Unified Platform
          • Security
          • User-Centric Design
  • GEP Strategy ›
    • GEP Strategy
    • ‹ Back
      • Procurement Consulting ›
        • Procurement Consulting
        • ‹ Back
          • Procurement Transformation ›
            • Procurement Transformation
            • ‹ Back
              • Procurement Strategy
              • Org. Design & Implementation
              • Capability Building
              • Change Management
              • Governance & Performance
              • Processes & Policies
              • S2P Operations
              • Sourcing & Category Management
              • Technology
          • Digital Procurement Transformation
          • Opportunity Assessment
          • M&A Services ›
            • M&A Services
            • ‹ Back
              • M&A Clean Room
          • Strategic Cost Management ›
            • Strategic Cost Management
            • ‹ Back
              • Zero-Based Budgeting
          • Supply Chain Risk Management
      • Supply Chain Consulting ›
        • Supply Chain Consulting
        • ‹ Back
          • SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE
          • Environmental, Social and Governance
          • Socially Responsible Sourcing
          • Scope 3
          • PLAN
          • Digital Planning, S&OP, S&OE
          • Collaborative Planning
          • PROCURE
          • Source To Contract
          • Procure To Pay
          • MAKE
          • Inventory Strategy & Management
          • Operations & Manufacturing Excellence
          • GEP Total Inventory Management Solution
          • DELIVER
          • Network Strategy & Optimization
          • Warehousing & Transportation Management
  • GEP Managed Services ›
    • GEP Managed Services
    • ‹ Back
      • Procurement Outsourcing ›
        • Procurement Outsourcing
        • ‹ Back
          • Source-to-Contract
          • Spend Analysis
          • Strategic Sourcing ›
            • Strategic Sourcing
            • ‹ Back
              • MRO
              • CAPEX
              • Logistics
              • Packaging
              • IT & Telecom
              • Energy
              • Direct Materials
          • Category Management ›
            • Category Management
            • ‹ Back
              • Contract Management
              • Supplier Performance Management
              • Savings & Compliance Tracking
          • Supply Market Intelligence
          • Tail-Spend Management
          • Procurement Support Services ›
            • Procurement Support Services
            • ‹ Back
              • eSourcing
              • Supplier Performance Management
              • Savings & Compliance Tracking
              • Sourcing Support
          • Procure-to-Pay
          • Cost Recovery & Invoice Auditing
          • Accounts Payable
      • Supply Chain Outsourcing ›
        • Supply Chain Outsourcing
        • ‹ Back
          • Planning & Forecasting
          • Inventory Management
          • Logistics Management
          • Supply Chain Data Management
          • Supply Risk Management
  • Industries ›
    • Industries
    • ‹ Back
      • Automotive
      • Chemicals
      • Consumer Packaged Goods
      • Energy & Utilities
      • Financial Services
      • Government & Nonprofit
      • Industrial Manufacturing
      • Life Sciences
      • Oil & Gas
      • Private Equity
      • Retail
      • Telecommunications, Media & Technology
      • High-Tech
      • Media & Entertainment
      • Software, Social & Platforms
      • Telecom
      • Travel & Hospitality
  • Knowledge Bank ›
    • Knowledge Bank
    • ‹ Back
      • Explore by Topic ›
        • Explore by Topic
        • ‹ Back
          • Artificial Intelligence
          • Digital Transformation
          • Operations
          • Procurement
          • Software & Technology
          • Strategy & Planning
          • Sustainability
          • Inflation Strategies
      • Explore by Type ›
        • Explore by Type
        • ‹ Back
          • Insights From the Top
          • White Papers
          • Research Reports
          • Bulletins
          • Case Studies
          • Webcasts
          • Blogs
          • Podcasts
          • Glossary
      • Global Supply Chain Volatility Index
  • Company ›
    • Company
    • ‹ Back
      • About Us
      • Leadership
      • Customers
      • Partners
      • AI-First at GEP
      • Sustainability at GEP
      • News
      • Events
      • Culture ›
        • Culture
        • ‹ Back
          • GEP Core Values
          • Women@GEP
          • Diversity
          • GEP Cares
      • Mission & Vision
      • Awards & Recognition
      • Contact Us
  • Global Presence ›
    • Global Presence
    • ‹ Back
      • Americas ›
        • Americas
        • ‹ Back
          • English
          • Español
          • Portugués
      • Europe ›
        • Europe
        • ‹ Back
          • English
          • Deutsch
      • Asia-Pacific ›
        • Asia-Pacific
        • ‹ Back
          • English
          • 中文
      • Middle East ›
        • Middle East
        • ‹ Back
          • English
          • العربية
  • Contact Us
  • Careers ›
    • Careers
    • ‹ Back
      • GEP Per Se
      • Campus Connect
  • Language ›
    • Language
    • ‹ Back
      • English
      • Français
      • Español
      • Deutsch
      • Italia
      • Português
      • 简体中文
      • 日本語
  • BLOGS
  • Strategy
  • Technology
  • MIND
Contact Us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Breadcrumb

  1. HOME
  2. BLOG
  3. MIND
  4. TRACKING THE TOP TELECOM TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IN 2021
Blog Image

Tracking the Top Telecom Technology Trends in 2021

  • The global economy avoided unprecedented turmoil thanks to robust and resilient connectivity
  • Telecom service providers are gearing to scale up their infrastructure and technologies in 2021
  • As technologies evolve and mature, we can expect some key shifts in telecom in 2021

February 19, 2021 | IT & Telecom

Increased 5G Capabilities

While people shifting to remote working ramped up demand for telecom services, there wasn’t much action in the 5G arena in 2020. Massive remote working has since exposed several flaws in the current network. Hence, telecom companies are refocusing their priorities on boosting their 5G capabilities due to the need for higher throughput and lower latency.

In 2020, T-Mobile, which merged with Sprint, announced that they will be offering nationwide 5G coverage in the United States, serving almost 200 million people by the end of 2021. This also increases pressure on its competitors Verizon and AT&T, who are also getting ready to make their presence in the 5G space.

Telecom companies are also collaborating with device manufacturers like Samsung to bring in 5G compatible devices. In Asian countries, including India and China, telecom companies are also expected invest and boost their 5G and 6G businesses.

The Surge of Internet of Things

The pandemic saw the rise of IoT usage and its impact on the telecom industry. From smart factories to remote healthcare, from touchless deliveries to proximity sensing in public places, IoT has laid the foundation of an ever-connected future.

This revealed a new opportunity as telecom companies partnered with IoT solution providers to enable connectivity for millions of devices in different application areas around the globe. While AT&T partnered with Vivify Health for remote patient monitoring, Orange partnered with Siemens for industrial IoT platforms.

In 2021, the demand for newer IoT applications is expected to surge in every area, thereby increasing the interest and stakes for telecom service providers.

Rise of Edge Computing

The mammoth migration to remote working caused a paradigm shift in networking requirements. Before 2020, edge computing was promising but still in development. But in 2020, the remote working scenario unveiled unprecedented potential threats around data security, which prompted organizations to seriously consider edge computing.

According to Forrester, new business models in 2021 will facilitate the deployment of edge in production. They also predict that public cloud spending will slow in 2021 in favor of edge computing. Some industry experts foresee that edge computing will command over $7 billion in revenue by 2025.

The Shift From SD-WAN to SASE

First introduced by Gartner in 2019, Secure Access Service Edge, or SASE (pronounced “sassy”), is an emerging cybersecurity concept, which encapsulates SD-WAN capabilities with several network security functions, with everything delivered from and managed on one cloud platform

Gartner expects that digital organizations, who are cautious about network security, will migrate to SASE at the earliest. They believe 40% enterprises will work on explicit strategies for SASE by 2024.

Turn ideas into action. Talk to GEP.

GEP helps enterprise procurement and supply chain teams at hundreds of Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies rapidly achieve more efficient, more effective operations, with greater reach, improved performance, and increased impact. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us today.

Mike Jette
Vice President, Consulting

Mike is a seasoned consultant with more than 25 years of experience in procurement, supply chain consulting and technology delivery.
At GEP, Mike leads the Telecommunications, Media & Technology (TMT) industry vertical.

LET'S TALK

 

Tags: IT & Telecom , telecommunications

Add Comment +

FEATURED POST

...
Inventory Management Software

Achieving Supply Chain Resilience With Total Inventory Management Solution

...
Supply Chain Strategy

Sodium-ion vs. Lithium-ion Battery: Which is a Better Alternative?

...
Supply Chain Strategy

3 Best Practices to Tackle Inflation in Supply Chain Network Design

    BLOG CATEGORIES

  • Marketing
  • Pharma and Life Sciences
  • Professional Services
  • IT & Telecom
  • Logistics
  • Chemicals
  • Energy & Utilities
  • Market Intelligence
  • Oil and Gas
  • Supply Chain
  • MRO
  • Facilities Management
  • Human Resource
  • Agro
  • Procurement Process and Excellence
  • CAPEX
  • Packaging
  • Direct Materials
  • Automotives
  • Metals & Minerals
  • Healthcare
  • Corporate Travel
  • Technology
  • Awards and Events
  • Category Management

TAGS

sustainability
Procurement Software
supply chain strategy
Inflation
Russia-Ukraine War

By checking the box below, you consent to GEP using your personal information to send you thought leadership content – such as white papers, research reports, case studies – and other communications. GEP representatives may contact you to provide additional information or answer questions.

If at any point in time you decide to withdraw your consent, you may unsubscribe by emailing your request to us at privacy@gep.com.

Please refer to the GEP Privacy Statement to understand how we manage and protect your personal information.

Terms of Use | Privacy Statement

Contact Us

Ask Us

Send us your question(s)

RFP

Request for a business proposal

Feedback

Share your thoughts, comments and suggestions

Demo

Schedule a live demo of our software

Discover
STRATEGY
Strategy
  •   Procurement Consulting
  •   Digital Procurement Transformation
  •   Strategic Cost Management
  •   Opportunity Assessment
  •   Supply Chain Risk Management
  •   Supply Chain Consulting
  •   Supply Chain Strategy
  •   Supply Chain Diagnostics
  •   Inventory Optimization
  •   Procurement Transformation
  •   Sustainability and ESG Consulting
SOFTWARE
Software
  •   Procurement Software
  •   Supply Chain Software
  •   Source-to-Contract
  •   Procure-to-Pay
  •   Supply Chain Planning
  •   Supply Chain Collaboration
  •   Supply Chain Visibility & Execution
  •   Supply Chain Control Tower
  •   Should-Cost Modeling
  •   Inventory & Warehouse Management Software
  •   Source-To-Pay Software
  •   Midsize & High Growth Enterprises
MANAGED SERVICES
Managed Services
  •   Procurement Outsourcing
  •   Strategic Sourcing
  •   Tail-Spend Management
  •   Category Management
  •   Procurement Support Services
  •   Supply Chain Outsourcing
  •   Supply Chain Planning & Forecasting
  •   Inventory Management
  •   Logistics Management
COMPANY
Company
  •   About Us
  •   Leadership
  •   Customers
  •   Sustainability at GEP
  •   Careers
  •   News
  •   Awards
  •   Partners
  •   Contact Us

Fresh Insights, Now on Your Phone

  • GoGEP app on Apple App Store
  • GoGEP app on Google Play Store
Stay Connected
  •  
  •  
  •  

Latest Tweets

© Copyright GEP 2023. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Statement | Cookie Policy |   | Quality Policy | GEP Logo