Blame it on the Internet!

By | December 29, 2017

Look at how well the price of Bitcoin correlates with its search trend. As Bitcoin raced to a record high nearing $20,000 earlier this month, so were the number of searches. We can see the same thing happening in 2013-2014 when a mini hype bubble developed focusing on narrow segments of people. Today’s hype bubble is… Read More: Blame it on the Internet! »

Executive Workshops: AI, Blockchains and 5G

By | December 23, 2017

We designed workshops in emerging technologies to help executives gather the important facts and get a head-start on establishing a strategy to leverage innovation. Each workshop is delivered by a sector practitioner with insights into both technology and market aspects. Artificial Intelligence: Xona eXponent Workshop on Artificial Intelligence Blockchains: Xona eXponent Workshop on Blockchains The workshops could… Read More: Executive Workshops: AI, Blockchains and 5G »

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Transformation of Telcos

By | December 4, 2017

This past week, I had the pleasure to moderate a panel on digital transformation and to join my Artificial Intelligence-expert partners at Xona in conducting a workshop on AI at TMT Finance World Congress to a crowd of ecosystem professionals. It is ironic that an industry that is a catalyst to the transformation of many… Read More: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Transformation of Telcos »

Telcos vs. Cloud Players: Can Edge Computing Change the Competitive Dynamics?

By | November 6, 2017

Cloud players continue to set record revenues and profits while the telcos grapple with stalled revenues. The market cap of three to the top cloud players – Amazon, Google and Microsoft – stand at around $1.9 trillion while the top 4 US telcos – AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint, stand at under $500 billion. The… Read More: Telcos vs. Cloud Players: Can Edge Computing Change the Competitive… »

The Impact of Performance Predictability on 5G Deployments

By | October 16, 2017

Performance predictability is fundamental to the operation of any service provider. It is the foundation on which processes are built. Processes drive efficiency. So when it comes to deploying wireless technologies on large scale, service providers look for the “cookie-cutter” approach. No matter what a technology is, it will get little if any market traction… Read More: The Impact of Performance Predictability on 5G Deployments »

AI Investments Workshop: Xona eXponent Launched

By | October 9, 2017

Xona Partners in cooperation with TMT Finance, has launched its one-day executive workshop series: Xona eXponent. The workshop on November 28th in London, will be focused on AI Investment. The event features four Xona team members who have worked in the Automotive, Financial Services, and Telecom Infrastructure industries bringing cutting edge technology to life. Recent… Read More: AI Investments Workshop: Xona eXponent Launched »

Telecom Investments in Blockchains

By | October 3, 2017

Blockchain investments have long ceased to be the preserve of the fintech industry, having branched out over the past 2 – 3 years to different industries including health care, real estate, insurance, retail, and education to name a few. The telecom and Internet sectors are no exceptions. Focusing on the telecom space, we find that… Read More: Telecom Investments in Blockchains »

A Perspective on 5G Developments

By | September 26, 2017

It has been a long time since I attended an ‘academic’ conference, focusing instead on industry and finance events. But this week, I had the chance to drop by at IEEE VTC Fall, one of the leading conferences on mobile technology to get the pulse on the state of R&D and keep tab on latest… Read More: A Perspective on 5G Developments »

Applications of Blockchains in the Telecom Sector

By | September 21, 2017

Blockchains has evolved from a technology for cryptocurrencies to one supporting applications in multiple industries, including telecom. A few leading telcos are investigating the potential of blockchains (link). Many applications are being proposed including roaming fraud mitigation, flexible service offering or selection, IoT contracts, authentication and many use cases. However, when it comes to actual… Read More: Applications of Blockchains in the Telecom Sector »

The Cascading Technology Trap in Smart City Projects

By | September 20, 2017

A survey of smart city activities around the world shows that much of the focus of smart city projects remains on establishing the most basic of services such as connectivity. In fact, there is a clear lag in the deployment of technologies and services in smart city applications, versus what technologies enable. We call this… Read More: The Cascading Technology Trap in Smart City Projects »

The Critical 5G mmWave Success Levers

By | August 31, 2017

Applications of millimeter wave (mmWave) technology in 5G fixed access are subject to a few important levers. To start, it’s important to understand that the cost of fixed access networks is directly proportional to the number of houses passed. This provides the advantage of growing the network selectively on geographic basis. But it also means… Read More: The Critical 5G mmWave Success Levers »

Five Facts About Artificial Intelligence Investors Must Know

By | June 26, 2017

Artificial Intelligence is riding the hype curve, again! Pervasive digitization and connectivity, advances in processing power and low-cost storage are making possible what once could only be imagined. AI is penetrating every aspect of business with organizations seeking to build knowledge from data to gain competitive edge, sway customers and increase profits. This created high… Read More: Five Facts About Artificial Intelligence Investors Must Know »

5G Market Update: the Risk of the Cascading Technology Trap!

By | June 5, 2017

We’re mid-way through 2017. That’s only 8 months from the Pyeongchang winter olympics – supposedly a poster for 5G technology [Link2]. Obviously, true, commercial 5G will not happen in 8 months, but the hype machine will kick into increasingly higher gears. Hence, I thought to put together a few thoughts on the state of the market… Read More: 5G Market Update: the Risk of the Cascading Technology Trap! »

The Five Myths of Edge Computing

By | May 17, 2017

Edge computing has been attracting a lot of interest lately. The reasons are many, not the least is the potential for service providers to create and monetize new services and applications. I recently chaired a panel on MEC at the Layer123 NFV Congress 2017 in San Jose. In speaking with different ecosystem players, I noted… Read More: The Five Myths of Edge Computing »

5G mmWave Spectrum: Was Straight Path Worth the Price?

By | May 15, 2017

This past week saw Verizon overtaking AT&T in bidding for Straight Path Communications, owner of 28 and 39 GHz ‘5G’ spectrum, closing the contest at $3.1 Billion, more than double AT&T’s initial bid of $1.25 Billion ($1.6 B transaction value). The acquisition is framed within the context of spectrum for 5G services. What makes this… Read More: 5G mmWave Spectrum: Was Straight Path Worth the Price? »