Category Archives: General

Edge Computing: Has The Edge Turned Dull?

By | February 12, 2023

It did not go unnoticed the downturn in activities revolving around edge computing. Several analysts and industry sites have reported on it more than a year ago, like Lightreading. In the latest Xona Partners Insight Note, we provide our insights on this market segment(download below). The Edge computing is one of these foggy concepts that… Read More »

How the Different Direct-to-Handset Satellite Constellations Stack Up

By | December 15, 2022

Update – May 23, 2023: We have published a report detailing the technical performance of AST Space Mobile direct-to-handset LEO constellation. Click here for additional information. Different approaches are possible to enable Direct-to-Handset (DTH) satellite connectivity. For instance, there’s the approach by T-Mobile and SpaceX (see here) and by Apple and Globalstar (see here). AST… Read More »

Enterprise Private Wireless Networks: 5G or Wi-Fi?

By | November 30, 2022

In telecom circles 5G is a panacea for all problems: there is a ready 5G application for any connectivity need. This makes 5G dominate private wireless network projections, while Wi-Fi is either ignored or dismissed as unreliable or unable to provide millisecond-grade latency. This ignores the fact that Wi-Fi is progressing along a roadmap that… Read More »

Dispelling The Sustainability Myth in Telecom Networks: What’s Worth The Investment?

By | November 10, 2022

I wrote this Insight Note for two reasons: 1. The rise in cost of energy threatens to stress the financial performance of service providers; and 2. I want to provide context for potential investments in power saving technologies to help investors decide which would be worthwhile. Energy consumption in telecom networks has become a confounding… Read More »

Is Direct Satellite-to-Device the Largest Opportunity in Satcom’s History?

By | November 17, 2021

The direct satellite-to-device (DS2D) market is expected to reach $35 billion by 2030, and counting 400 million average monthly subscriptions driven by 5G technology (according to NSR). This is about $7/month. This highlights a very sensitive business case: constellations cost billions to deploy and operate; they need a refresh every 5-10 years. With much of… Read More »

Taking the Quantum Leap: How quantum technology is set to transform communication networks

By | October 21, 2021

Key Takeaways Quantum computing decimates RSA cryptography which underpins most of our digital platforms: you can’t have a happy quantum computing world without first protecting all of the critical infrastructures against quantum-enabled attacks. The quantum threat development is not gradual and can come suddenly to break everything. This can come fast to threaten our networks… Read More »

How Telcos Outsourced Their Brains!

By | October 17, 2021

The decision by AT&T to host its network cloud, including the core network, on Microsoft Azure Cloud is the single most important milestone in the telecom industry over the past few years. It’s an experiment and a leap of faith that is set to have major ripples on the market. The core network is the… Read More »

Why We Need 6G!

By | September 6, 2021

Two things led me to write this post. First, much of what’s written about 6G focuses on what 6G could be, but little arguing for why we need 6G! Second, 5G offers a very flexible architecture and a rich roadmap which will need many years to fully develop and use. These two reasons makes the… Read More »

Can 5G Bridge The Urban-Rural Digital Divide?

By | August 20, 2021

Since Covid further exposed the rural digital deficit, many have asked to deploy 5G to provide broadband services in rural areas. Many others are skeptical for various reasons. To sort through the issue, We were commissioned to investigate how 5G can bridge the urban-rural digital divide. In our paper (download here), we review some of… Read More »

Latency in LEO Satellites vs. Terrestrial Fiber

By | July 7, 2021

Latency is a key differentiating parameter for new communication networks such as LEO satellite constellations and 5G. The interest in latency has increased as the value proposition for these networks hinges on enabling latency-dependent applications. This got some competing technology options nervous. For instance, LEO satellites provide as much as 20x round trip delay advantage… Read More »

LEO Satellites: They Can Fly But Can They Stick?!

By | May 22, 2021

Download the presentation here.

By | March 20, 2021

Visit the Report Download page to download market reports, workshop transcripts and presentations on a range of hot telecom industry topics such as LEO satellites, ORAN/vRAN, edge computing and spectrum valuation.

Could Wireless Networks Serving Industry 4.0 Applications Succeed without Automation?

By | March 1, 2021

A couple of years into 5G roll outs, the main question for operators remains on how to monetize the 5G network investments. Operators understand that enterprise wireless networks are a potential source of revenue. Many of them, from around the world, have engaged in trials testing 5G networks in enterprise settings. The trials have uncovered… Read More »

Space Intersects Internet Workshop Transcript

By | January 4, 2021

Land-space network convergence was the theme of the second Space Intersects Internet workshop we held on December 15, 2020. To download a summary transcript, enter your name and email in the boxes below.

The Synergies Between LEO Satellite Constellations and Submarine Cables

By | January 2, 2021

I’ve been exploring the impact of LEO satellite constellations on the wider telecom industry. Depending on the sector, the rise of LEO satellites is either complementary or competitive. Sometimes, the synergies are not evident. At other times, the competitive nature is masked by nascent requirements and emerging applications that could be game changers in the… Read More »