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2024 Predictions Showcase
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Greg Collins, founder and principal analyst at Exact Ventures, forecasts a pivotal year for AI in the mobile network markets with applications extending beyond customer support to network planning and optimization, and a potential boost to the 5G Standalone market.
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Amar Kapadia, CEO of Aarna Networks, forecasts three major trends in enterprise and service provider networking for 2024: a surge in demand for dedicated public cloud connectivity, the emergence of private 5G, and the initial disaggregation in the lower layer of O-RAN.
Ronan Kelly, CTO for EMEA at Adtran, predicts three key trends in service provider networking: better inventory alignment will improve cash flow and allow expanded investment in connectivity, improved efficiency to reduce high capital costs and reduce energy and resource consumption, and interoperability to consolidate networks from different vendors at low cost.
Jeff Maki, a distinguished engineer at Juniper Networks and board member of the Advanced Photonics Coalition, predicts an increase in competitors collaborating in 2024 and the emergence of new standards bodies, like the Advanced Photonics Coalition, that can meet emerging industry needs.
Tony Chan Carusone, Chief Technology Officer for Alphawave Semi, predicts AI capabilities will be enhanced through the deployment of customized hardware with chiplets, a surge in demand for hardware, and an increase in semiconductor companies.
Mattias Fridström, Chief Evangelist at Arelion, predicts a rise in DDoS attacks, significant breakthrough in AI enhancing automation and network interactions, and the continued importance of maintaining public internet access.
Shekar Ayyar, CEO of Arrcus, forecasts a shift in 2024 where the network will become the computer, driven by the rise of AI which demands three critical network characteristics. Ayyar also predicts expansion of multicloud networking, and scale up for data center infrastructure.
Morgan Kurk, CEO of Cambium Networks, forecasts the continued dominance of economics over technology, leading to a slower uptake of Wi-Fi 7; increased use of AI for network analytics, maintenance, and troubleshooting; and heightened security measures due to growing network vulnerability.
Shamik Mishra, CTO of Connectivity at Capgemini, predicts the rise of disaggregated networks, standalone 5G services, and Network as a Service becoming mainstream monetization strategy due to cost pressures at carriers. Mishra anticipates significant transformations in the telecom industry through AI, edge computing, cybersecurity, and the emergence of non-terrestrial and specialized networks.
Etay Maor, Senior Director of Security Strategy at Cato Networks, predicts that while AI will be increasingly used by cybercriminals, a catastrophic AI attack is not realistic and neither is a standalone cyber war. Listen for more of Maor’s insights.
Kevin Morgan, Chief Marketing Officer at Clearfield, predicts a rise in integration and on-shoring (Buy America, Build America), maximization of existing fiber investment, and service providers developing more efficient technologies to connect homes rather than laying fiber for the sake of achieving the artificial “homes passed” metric.
Greg Collins, founder and principal analyst at Exact Ventures, forecasts a pivotal year for AI in the mobile network markets with applications extending beyond customer support to network planning and optimization, and a potential boost to the 5G Standalone market.
Gary Bolton, President of the Fiber Broadband Association, predicts a normalization of the supply chain, increased access and affordability of fiber broadband, and a surge in demand for fiber optic technicians in 2024. The Association plans to expand its technician training program nationwide, leveraging Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding.
Vikas Gupta, Senior Director of Product Management at GlobalFoundries, forecasts growth in the Silicon photonics ecosystem, especially in packaging, with nontraditional OSATs leading and the rise of a cottage industry around this technology. Gupta also predicts an increase in the use and development of novel materials such as lithium niobate, barium titanate, and other organic polymers.
Khalid Raza, CEO of Graphiant, predicts a shift from the advertising revenue model to a data exchange economy between business partners. Raza also emphasizes the need for private exchange of this enterprise data, and the necessity of a peer-to-peer data exchange model as data growth outpaces bandwidth available.
Phil Mottram, EVP and GM of HPE Aruba Networking, predicts that private 5G will coexist with Wi-Fi in enterprises, AI will become mainstream in network operations, and there will be a convergence of networks and security with zero trust becoming a key element of security deployments.
Tim Doiron, VP of Solution Marketing from Infinera, predicts an increased adoption of 400G coherent pluggables by traditional network operators, an expansion of the transmission spectrum on fiber, and commercial availability of the first generation of 800G coherent pluggables.
Sally Bament, VP of Cloud & Service Provider Marketing at Juniper, predicts that sustainability and “green networking” will become crucial, the rise of 800G networking, and the adoption of on-premises automation with cloud-based AI operations.
Ben Baker, Senior Director of Cloud/SP Marketing at Juniper, anticipates that businesses will prefer on-premises AI data centers for enhanced control. He also predicts a rise in AI Ops for predictive maintenance, and the integration of AI-based LLMs in user interfaces.
Christian Gilby, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Juniper, predicts more cloud transition, a resurgence of network access control, deeper integration of IoT into network infrastructure, and the migration to WiFi 6E with emergence of WiFi 7.
Arpit Joshipura and Ranny Haiby from Linux Foundation predict AI will become a horizontal framework in networking. They also anticipate a rise in neutral governance for key software projects due to concerns around single company control and geopolitics. They also anticipate the continuation of Open RAN’s journey towards full open source.
Noam Mizrahi, EVP and Corporate CTO at Marvell, forecasts the growth of larger and more demanding AI clusters will require higher bandwidth connectivity and the development of ultra-complex custom silicon ASICs, optimized for specific use cases. Mizrahi also predicts a shift from training AI models to inference, necessitating a more optimized infrastructure with unique network features.
Kevin Vachon, COO of MEF, highlights the growth of Network as a Service (NaaS) offerings in 2024., Vachon predicts vendors will align their solutions to enhance service provider offerings. He anticipates a breakthrough in inter-carrier automation in the US market, overcoming complexities of migrating from legacy standards, and foresees the emergence of market-specific automation solutions.
Apurv Bhartia, Head of Wireless at Meter, a network-as-a-service pioneer, predicts a shift towards cloud-driven models, a rise in outcome-driven network administrators focusing on business results, and the ongoing convergence of connectivity and security. Bhartia states these trends are already evident in Meter’s rapidly growing business.
Özer Dondurmacıoğlu, VP Marketing at Nile, predicts a future of increased complexity in enterprise IT infrastructures due to more products at the edge, a shift towards consuming technologies as a service, and the rise of AI in services architecture.
Parm Sandhu, VP of Enterprise 5G Products & Services at NTT, predicts increased adoption of 5G technology, including private 5G networks, the continued growth of software-defined networks for more flexible network management, plus shares his thoughts on security, sustainability, and edge computing.
Santanu Ganguly, an advisor with Quantum communication startup Qoro, predicts significant growth in the Quantum Networking sector. Ganguly anticipates increased adoption of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD, strong development in Quantum communication network layer, and increased adoption of Quantum sensing, positioning, navigation, and timing systems.
Rob Laudati, VP of Products & Services at Render Networks, predicts that market pressure and high costs of rural broadband deployment will drive efficiencies in the telecommunications sector in 2024. Laudati also anticipates the significant role of AI in optimizing and automating processes, creating opportunities for innovation in the industry.
Ram Ramanathan, Senior Director of Product Management at Ribbon, forecasts a surge in sophisticated DDoS attacks, heightened competition between Microsoft and Cisco for cloud-based phone seats, and increased adoption of AI Ops in the core networks of communication service providers.
Steve Douglas, Head of Market Strategy at Spirent, forecasts a surge in 5G Standalone adoption, an increase in private networks due to clearer ROI, and AI-driven evolution in data center networking and internet connectivity. He also predicts the start of 800GbE refresh cycles in 2024.
Eugina Jordan, Chief Marketing Officer at Telecom Infra Project, predicts telecoms will increase their AI/ML use for improving operations and customer experiences, and automating network configuration. Eugina anticipates RIC adoption by mobile operators for network optimization and monetization, and a focus on sustainability and TCO reduction through AI/ML and automation.