TELECOMS

Supporting 5G readiness and deliver tomorrow’s telecoms industry

 

Challenge identifier: SC5-2018

Background  

Telecoms continues to underpin much of today’s existing and new businesses and systems and as such growth continues to be strong, with mobile data traffic due to increase sevenfold between 2016 and 2021 according to Cisco. The UN has called access to high speed broadband a fundamental human right, and technologies such as IoT are largely dependent on reliable data connections.

One of the next big steps for the industry is the provision of 5G technology – enabling much faster data transfer and a new generation of consumer benefits such as enhanced media streaming and ultrafast connections. Telecoms providers therefore need to meet the challenge of providing this new technology, which will also yield greater data richness through the use of mobile services using these technologies. Therefore telecoms providers also need to maximise the insight from this data.

Description

We are particularly interested in solutions that leverage closed and shared data in the following areas:

  • Delivery of 5G – the roll out of 5G promises faster and greater number of connections. However, logistically this is not a simple undertaking and will require new hardware and approaches. There is an opportunity for startups to provide data analytical approaches to network providers to help them plan and rollout 5G efficiently.
  • Enabling of efficiencies and insight along all elements of the value chain, from network efficiency to customer experience.
  • Responsible use of customer data by telecoms providers, enabling compliance with  regulatory controls such as the GDPR, and ensuring customer confidence in their data use.

Data

Examples of data include but are not limited to:

  • Data from mobile devices and networks
  • Broadband usage and network data
  • Customer data including insight and segmentation data

Expected outcomes

Examples of outcomes include but are not limited to:

  • New apps and services
  • New prediction algorithms
  • New intermediary technologies to integrate data sources\
  • New tools and business processes to help decision making, including those making algorithms more transparent and accountable, registries and distributed ledger applications
  • New forms of hardware
  • GDPR compliance tools (internal and customer-facing)
  • Applications must include details on how these outcomes will be tested and evaluated during the six-months acceleration programme.

Expected impacts

Participants will need to demonstrate how their solution:

  • Supports roll out of 5G technology;
  • Increases connectivity and/or services for citizens and businesses
  • Increases compliance with privacy regulations
  • Increases customer confidence in data protection