Looking at the year ahead, Thorsten Trapp, CTO of tyntec, expects MNOs to live with eSIMs, monetise user data more, and yet lose more ground to OTTs.
1. Mobile operators will accept e-SIM as inevitable, but will add software locks to limit switching between networks
Seeing the cost efficiency of not having to make multiple different types of device for different wireless technologies and mobile operators, Apple (and other major device manufacturers) will push operators to adopt e-SIMs.
- Mobile operators will see e-SIM as inevitable, and explore ways to build in software locks to force the bond between the device and the connectivity service, making it harder for end customers to switch between networks—or at the very least to limit their options.
- The talk of standardised e-SIM will get into higher gear, with GSMA getting close to delivering the technical architecture by year’s end.
2. Monetising user profile data will gain traction, despite the growing debate over reverse-engineering capabilities
- User profiling will become even more controversial as consumers weigh in on privacy-impacting practices, armed with reverse-engineering findings from tech-savvy advocates.
- Brands’ huge appetite for big data will make MNOs get serious about monetising their data assets (repositories and live data).
- MNOs’ data revenue will increase as they offer up subscriber data to other businesses.
3. OTTs strike again: Enterprises will move to OTT for cheaper, richer engagement with customers and employees
- As digitisation of all communications gets more realistic, enterprises will integrate OTTs to engage their workforce and customers.
- OTTs will push business offerings (workforce communication, consumer engagement, etc.) as they get into monetisation mode.
- Brands will welcome OTT hubs, further eroding the influence and revenue of MNOs.
- MNOs will experience unprecedented growth in non-monetised A2P traffic, especially the ones without sufficient security measures for safe monetisation.
4. IoT vulnerabilities will raise business risks, stalling progress under the pressure of headline-grabbing security breaches
- There will be major security breaches that will expose the fundamental weakness of existing IoT standards.
- Business risks associated with IoT vulnerabilities will dampen the hype around the recent promises of connected living.
- Existing standards will be scrutinised and proven ineffective to provide the sufficient level of IoT security.
- MNOs will make no meaningful gains in achieving connection efficiency necessary for the IoT economy.
The author of this blog is Thorsten Trapp, CTO of tyntec.
Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @ VanillaPlusMag OR @jcvplus
