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?