Futurum Tech Webcast

For this vignette of a recent episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Part of the 5G Factor series, analysts Shelly Kramer and Ron Westfall and examine the key trends in the 5G market assessing the market impact of the AT&T and GM alliance aimed at delivering 5G connectivity to GM cars in three years.

Their discussion covered:

• The market significance of the GM and AT&T partnership that is bringing 5G cellular connectivity to select Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles by 2024 as well as supporting GM models from 2019 and newer that are equipped today with 4G LTE to migrate over to the 5G network.
• Why the alliance heralds the democratization of connected car technology and applications, including the NVIDIA Hyundai partnership's aim to bring 5G connectivity and advanced safety features.
• How 5G capabilities can make infotainment capabilities more flexible and safer.
• Understanding that the OnStar service connects about 60 million vehicles across US roadways today and how it can advance ecosystem-wide assimilation of 5G technology and features.
• How the Qualcomm acquisition of Veoneer further validates the connected car business case.
• Why Tesla's vision of automobiles as computer on wheels is coming closer to fruition.

Shelly and Ron see the connected car segment gaining broader ecosystem support as the deployment of 5G networks accelerate and the expansion of major alliances assure broader adoption and interworking.

For this vignette of a recent episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Part of the 5G Factor series, analysts Shelly Kramer and Ron Westfall and examine the key trends in the 5G market focusing on recent developments in the Open RAN market segment including the rise of the "Rip and Replace" program in the U.S.

Their discussion covered:

• Why the $1.9 billion U.S. "Rip and Replace" program administered by the FCC is gaining momentum among independent and regional carriers as provisions include the complete, and not partial, replacement of Huawei and ZTE equipment and operators have one year to complete the rip and replace process.
• How the rip and replace programs are generating both Open RAN and traditional RAN implementation. Mavenir's win with Triangle Communications for FWA applications shows Open RAN can play a role and Nokia's win with Union Wireless indicates traditional RAN as well as services will be instrumental. We expect the majority of rip and replace will use traditional RAN, particularly during early stages.
• Ericsson is working with 100+ independent telcos including @40% engaged in the rip and replace program and the expectation that number will rise to at least 50%.
• Why the Rip and Replace program may need to modify and extend its one year deadline.

Ron and Shelly are anticipating more rip and replace headlines over the course of the rest of this year and well into 2022, putting Open RAN but also mobile transition technology into the forefront of 5G ecosystem marketing and news.

For this vignette of a recent episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Part of the 5G Factor series, analysts Shelly Kramer and Ron Westfall deliberate on why the AT&T partnership with the University of Tennessee is important to advancing mmWave technology development.

Their discussion covered:

• AT&T is installing a 5G test bed using mmWave spectrum at the University of Tennessee as Knoxville, complementing ongoing partnerships with Texas A&M, University of Missouri, and University of Connecticut, that demonstrate mmWave capabilities for emerging applications.
• How the partnership aligns with ongoing mmWave portfolio development work by key mobile players such as Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, Rakuten, and Samsung.
• The partnership's role in enabling college personnel and students to experiment and validate mmWave capabilities across applications like ML. AR/VR, biometric data, distributed workforce, and rural environments.
• How mmWave is integral to existing operator use cases and 5G monetization objectives such as 5G fixed wireless access, smart home bundles, and smart facilities.

Shelly and Ron view mmWave technology as ready for prime time 5G services, due to innovations like beamforming, and that the technology will play an integral role in the deployment of 5G capabilities across dense urban, FWA rural outreach, smart facilities, and AR/VR environments.

In this new episode of The 5G Factor, our newest Futurum Tech Webcast series focused on all things 5G, analysts Shelly Kramer and Ron Westfall look at key trends in the 5G ecosystem. This includes a look at recent developments in the Open RAN market, and the recently announced partnership between GM and AT&T bringing 5G to select models in the GM fleet, Qualcomm's pursuit of Veoneer, and the Hyundai/NVIDIA partnership and what this all means for the Automotive industry. They also covered AT&T's recently announced partnership with the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, centered on mmWave spectrum test beds, along with the Mavenir acquisition of Telestax and what that means for the Communication Services as-a-Platform market. They wound up show with a look at Boingo Wireless's deepened partnership with AWS, integrating AWS's edge and cloud services with Boingo's converged network offering and how these private network deployments will benefit airports, stadiums, and other facilities.

On this episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast – Interview Series I am joined by Valerio Filauro, VP, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Our conversation focused on:

• RFFE, what it is and why it is so important for 5G's successful roll out
• Why RFFE business a big opportunity for Qualcomm
• What enabled Qualcomm's competitive positioning among RF leaders?
• Targets for the RFFE Market share by 2024
• Qualcomm's 10 year business vision

For more information you can read Senior Analyst Olivier Blanchard's article Meet RFFE – A Critical Piece In The 5G Puzzle

In this episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Interview Series, I'm joined by Chad Andrews, the Global Leader for Telecom, Media and Entertainment at the IBM Institute for Business Value. Our conversation today focuses on the changes 5G and edge computing will bring to our digital economy, and we also take a look at IBM Institute for Business Value's recent study The End of Communications Services as We Know Them?

That is a bold survey headline, but for those of us in the industry, we know the impact that 5G and edge computing will have on the digital economy moving forward will be disruptive to say the least. And I know that sentiment was echoed in IBM's findings in the survey.

The End of Communications Services as We Know Them? digs deeper into a trend we've all been seeing – which is that communication service providers will miss out on the value that 5G and edge computing can provide unless they adapt today.

The IBM study surveyed 500 global telecommunications executives in 21 countries — so it's a decent sample set that gives some insight into where the industry is headed. Chad and I discussed some of the findings of the report. These include:

• For CSPs to find true value in 5G and edge computing, they must adopt cloud native digital services, applications, and solutions.
• Along with cloud native platforms and applications, CSPs will need to make strategic operational decisions in order to compete long-term against cloud native companies.
• Platforms that are already established at scale will super the hypergrowth of the decade.

We also discussed some of the reasons the IBM Institute for Business Value is predicting the global digital economy will grow two to three times this decade, as well as the implications this will have on businesses across different sectors. The graphic below is from The End of Communications Services as We Know Them?

In today's episode of The 5G Factor, our newest webcast focused on all things 5G, I was joined by my fellow analysts, Ron Westfall and Olivier Blanchard. Our focus was on the magic that 5G networks provide, and insights on what kind of innovative things companies like Ericsson, Nokia, and AT&T, along with savvy communication services providers (CSPs), are doing with private 5G networks.

Our conversation included:

• An update on what is driving the 5G private market uptake and the overall market prospects for private 5G

• What the private LTE and 5G networks that are rolling out look like
• The industries who (today) benefit most from this kind of offering, which include manufacturers, utilities (offshore and power), ports and airport sectors, and the mining and process industry

• We also discussed the use of private 5G in media and entertainment, including in sports arenas and event venues, as well as in healthcare

• Some of the key things that make private 5G networks for the enterprise both reliable and attractive

• The benefit of enhanced security a private 5G network affords compared to WiFi
• How vendors like Ericsson and Nokia and operators like AT&T, Vodafone, and Telefonica are positioning themselves to take advantage of private 5G market expansion and improve competitive outcomes

• The savvy communication services providers (CSPs) that are jumping in and partnering with companies like AT&T and Nokia (to name just a couple) and the fact that we believe that smart partnerships are key to solving customer challenges

We wrapped up the show with insights from Olivier Blanchard, our resident expert on Qualcomm, the innovation powerhouse. Olivier provided an overview of what the company is doing at its corporate headquarters in San Diego, testing and demonstrating new developments in 5G, efficiency, techniques, methodologies, equipment, and more.

• Poly's latest quarterly results and 2022 outlook as we emerge from the pandemic

• How the Delta variant may complicate companies' return to work plans and how collaboration tech needs to evolve as we enter a new era of hybrid work

• The need for meeting equality to ensure same virtual meeting experience for those in the room and those who aren't

• Poly's recent cross-border effort in Baja Mexico to vaccinate 5,000+ maquiladora workers and their family members.

In this newest episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, analysts Ron Westfall and Shelly Kramer discuss Rakuten's moves in the 5G market and how the company is essentially throwing down the gauntlet for the rest of the CSP ecosystem. In this conversation, we cover the benefits of the early mover advantage for CSPs, along with the implications for the Open RAN segment and the overall 5G market developments of the last week.

Some of the things we touched in this 5G-focused webcast included:

• Why Rakuten's acquisition of $1B acquisition of Altiostar is a 5G game changer. Rakuten is raising the competitive stakes across the entire 5G ecosystem. With this $1 billion acquisition of an Open RAN specialist, Rakuten is providing a template for how Communications Service Providers (CSPs) can gain a strategic competitive edge in the cloud-based 5G ecosystem – own more of the software assets key to long-term 5G build and innovation.
• Some highlights from the research out of IBM's Institute for Business Value (presented in a recent episode of our show) on the serious advantages that exist for fast-moving CSPs in the current market. Find the research report from IBM Institute for Business Value here: The end of communications services as we know them, focused on how 5G and edge will help define who wins in the booming digital economy
• The strategic impact on the overall Open RAN market segment of Altiostar agreeing to merge with Rakuten to lock-in its long-term competitiveness. As an independent Open RAN supplier, Altiostar was more vulnerable to any delays in CSP deployment of Open RAN technology as well as increasing pressure from incumbent RAN players, such as Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung, increasing their targeting of the Open RAN space.
• How the Rakuten acquisition of Altiostar epitomizes the approach many CSPs should adopt, which is the strategic acquisition of telco-specific and cloud-specific software assets.
• The market significance of Rakuten and 1&1 AG partnering to build Germany's fourth mobile network based on a fully virtualized mobile network using Open RAN technology.
• Why the formation of the Rakuten Symphony unit, combining Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP), Open RAN software, and Rakuten's international telco solutions, can accelerate ecosystem adoption of Open RAN and Open 5G technology.

In this episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast – Women in Tech series, I was thrilled to host Suzanna Keith, Co-Founder and CEO of Hello Career Guru and Co-Founder and CMO, Sonal Rinello for a conversation about the future of work, the current state of the workplace and the tremendous impact that the pandemic has had on employees in general and on women in particular.

The Future of Women in the Workplace and How Hello Career Guru Can Help

When the pandemic forced most organizations to shift to working from home, women everywhere had a unique extra burden to deal with. In addition to their jobs, many found themselves being part time educators for children attending school from home and part time caretakers for families now in close proximity for all hours of the day. It was a lot for many women and, unfortunately, in many instances the thing that had to give was the career.

Women left the workforce in droves over the course of the last year and the numbers have not recouped as things have slowly reopened. This is a problem and one that Suzanna and Sonal at Hello Career Guru are uniquely positioned to help solve, with their passion for democratizing career advancement for all women regardless of age, background, race, income, or geography.

Our discussion about the future of work covered a lot, including:

• Suzanna shared the vision that inspired her to create and launch Hello Career Guru and described the kind of assistance they provide to women in the job market.
• Insight and advice form Suzanna and Sonal on the important things women need to keep in mind when looking for a new job or looking to advance their careers.
• An exploration into the value a mentor can bring to a person's career.
• The impact a leader and their own leadership style can have on an employee.
• Advice on how to build a meaningful network for opportunities.

We wrapped up the conversation with advice on what women can do to make sure they are on the path to senior leadership roles and how they can change the future of the workplace.

There's no question that navigating a global pandemic has taken a lot of women in the workforce — at all levels — out at the knees. I have conversations like this and share career resources because I think it's important for all of us who are in a position to lend a hand, a shoulder, or an ear — or an opportunity and resources — to do so. That's partly why I am excited by what Suzanna and Sonal are doing with Hello Career Guru. If you're looking to get back into the workforce or want to move up from your current position, you should definitely make time to check out Hello Career Guru.