With 2020 marked as the year of 5G, what challenges will telcos face – and how will they rise to them? Smart operators have already got a head start, but there is still work to be done

The global “population” of IoT devices is growing faster than the planet’s human community. In 2020, we can expect greater innovation in this field, especially as we make our homes and cities smarter.

From online sales to customer self-care and automation, digitization has changed B2C models in the telcommunications sector. But this is just the beginning.

The cloud has already changed the way we listen to music, watch films, play games, shop, communicate and share our personal memories. Now, telcos are wise to the ways in which it can improve business efficiency across their operations.

While it is certain that 5G will not be the final iteration of telecommunications technology, it’s important to fully understand and exploit its potential before looking to future developments.

As long as there have been computer networks, there have been attempts to hack them and exploit weaknesses for commercial gain. With 5G, the growing popularity of cloud computing and the expansion of the Internet of Things, telcos are facing new variations of the old problem of security.

Blockchain isn’t only about the crypto-currency market - telecoms can benefit from this technology’s robust security and data tracking functionalities too.

At the dawn of the digital era, businesses began accumulating vast data lakes. Then came the problem of putting all this information to use. Business intelligence is the solution, especially in telcos, which collect data from a complex network of sources.

IoT business is booming for companies in all sectors, driving innovation and opening up new revenue sources. But as they race to join this digital gold rush, organizations need to ensure they don’t fall foul of IoT security threat