Nobody can yet say what features characterize 6G,networks. It is probably safe to say that 6G will grow out of 5G as 5G itself has grown out of 4G. The platform will reuse and adapt as much of 5G as possible, but address shortcomings 5G eventually is perceived to have. But a few observations [...]

Internet of Things deployments and revenue are growing, and have been since at least 2015, according to BCG. Communications services (network access) might represent about 10 percent of total IoT revenues in 2020.  That is why it makes sense for connectivity providers to look for additional [...]

Make it personal is one typical bit of advice for sellers of intangible services. In other words, explain “how it makes your life better.” “Show the benefits” (outcomes) is another way to sell an intangible product. When even that is tough, sell “peace of mind.” That’s why credentials, [...]

The T-Mobile US Free 30-DayTest Drive offer, which allows potential customers to experience its 4G network, is one concrete solution for allowing people to evaluate a product they cannot see, touch, hear, smell, taste or otherwise directly evaluate.  As with all other intangible products, [...]

Based on where 5G is in Gartner’s enterprise networking hype cycle, “5G is five to 10 years away” from the point at which the real-world benefits are demonstrated and accepted, and the rapid growth phase of adoption begins, Gartner says.  Another way of describing where we are is that 5G will [...]

Even if the great advantage of a network running internet protocol is that it is inherently an “any application” network, end user demand changes and the separation of app from access both mean that many fixed networks are on the verge of becoming single-purpose businesses in terms of revenue [...]

Will 5G command a price premium? Almost certainly, in the early going, as the early adopters will tend to be business customers, who can, and will, pay more, as well as early adopter consumers, who likewise have a propensity to pay more for their technology products, compared to later [...]

The business model for 5G network slicing could, in principle, take two different paths. It could be a way for service providers to create customized private networks for their customers. It might also become a wholesale product used by customers to create and control their own services, sort [...]

Many discussions of 5G spectrum seem to center on where all the capacity will come from. The confusion is understandable. If every area where 5G is made available has to support the sorts of speeds millimeter wave small cells will support, there are serious questions. But 5G capacity will not [...]

Whether 5G ever will have a “killer app” remains an open question, though one can argue that each successive new mobile generation has had use modes characteristic to itself that were not seen in the prior generation. Voice was the first generation killer app. Text messaging was added in 2G. [...]

One way of looking at the business value of 5G is to note simply that it enables cost per gigabyte low enough to support coming business models where much more mobile data must be provided, at roughly the same prices as present service plans.  Data delivered by a 4G LTE macrocell costs about [...]

For most of us, blockchain and artificial or augmented intelligence are specialized capabilities we do not buy or use as discrete purchases or apps, but are experienced as features of some product we do use or buy. That will likely be the way we experience AI and blockchain in our [...]