
Cartesian, in collaboration with the Broadband Forum, releases The Future of Networks report
November 15, 2017
Network Economics
News
Cartesian's report, The Future of Networks, produced in collaboration with the Broadband Forum, distills the perspectives of senior business, technical, and operational executives from across the telecoms industry and reports on how companies are handling the biggest change the telecoms sector has seen in decades.
--
The future waits: Virtualization deployment lagging as telecoms industry faces new roadblocksOperational issues and technical complexities impede progress towards the next era of communicationsLondon, UK - November 15, 2017 Despite a clear desire to virtualize networks and shift to cloud-based technology, Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are facing serious roadblocks along the way, according to new research from specialist consulting firm Cartesian.
That said, NFV and SDN technologies have made significant progress in recent years and are undoubtedly the future, as highlighted by those within the industry. For example, 69% of respondents agreed that network operators which do not virtualize their networks will struggle to compete and nearly three-quarters (74%) said operators must implement NFV/SDN in order to meet future customer needs.
Many businesses have therefore already started their transformation efforts, seeking to capitalise on multiple long and short-term benefits such as greater flexibility, shorter time to market and a reduction in deployment lead times.
Looking further ahead, CSPs cited the likes of CapEx and OpEx cost savings, increases in operational efficiencies and the creation of new services and revenue streams as key business drivers.
However, according to Cartesian's in-depth Future of Networks' report, progress is being hampered by a lack of technical maturity and operational issues that have proven to be even harder than many expected.
Over half (52%) of respondents agree that the amount of operational change required to move to a virtualized network is overwhelming, with this sentiment being driven by a range of factors. For example, having to manage multi-vendor systems is creating a huge amount of complexity, as is the need to maintain a hybrid environment throughout a long transition period.
Furthermore, in many cases the introduction of NFV/SDN requires entirely new operating plans for end-to-end service management, meaning operational processes need to be either changed or re-made from scratch.
As a result, as noted by an interviewee, the industry has fallen into a trough of disillusionment and must redouble efforts if the true potential of virtualization is to be fulfilled.
Despite the excitement around NFV and SDN, CSPs face a mammoth task, commented Steve Upton, Senior VP of Networks and Operations Consulting at Cartesian. The operational complexity associated with any network transformation shouldn't be underestimated and businesses are realizing that there is still plenty of work to be done.
But, there are steps operators and CSPs can take to make their lives easier. They should start by creating a comprehensive plan for NFV/SDN deployment and be sure to employ partners with the expertise to guide them through the process. The industry also has a role to play, as greater standardization and multi-vendor integration would go a long way towards helping operators along their virtualization journeys.
The report, The Future of Networks: Dealing with transformation in a virtualized world', interviewed a cross-section of senior decision-makers from some of the world's leading communication service providers, telecoms vendors and system integrators to shed light on the biggest challenges facing the industry. The full report can be found here: https://content.cartesian.com/the-future-of-networks-report
About Cartesian, Inc.
Cartesian, Inc. is a specialist provider of consulting services and managed solutions to leaders in the telecoms, digital media, and technology industries. For over 25 years, the firm has helped clients worldwide build and execute the strategies that transform the products, services, and organizations that shape these industries. Cartesian employs a data-driven approach, underpinned by real-world experience and in-depth industry knowledge, to solve their clients' most complex challenges. The company has offices in Boston, Kansas City, London, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, and Washington.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
15/04/2026
NBCU-Versant notches 13.1% of TV viewing in February, its best since August 2024...
15/04/2026
New data reveals older Kiwis are financially resilient, loyal to local products,...
15/04/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, announces the market launch of the ACCE...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Evergent introduces its Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platform, transforming how subscription businesses across direct-to-consumer streaming, pay-TV, telecommun...
15/04/2026
Harmonic's XOS Media Processor Delivers Exceptional Video Quality to More than Half of U.S. Public Media Viewership
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announce...
15/04/2026
LONGMONT, COLORADO, APRIL 15, 2026 DPA Microphones N Series Digital Wireless System users in North America can now take full advantage of the system's exc...
15/04/2026
Cobalt Iron, a leading provider of SaaS-based enterprise data protection, today announced the launch of Compass Tape Gateway (CTG), a transformative enhancemen...
15/04/2026
Disguise to Showcase Cutting-Edge Experience Tech for Sports, Broadcast and More...
15/04/2026
Arooj Aftab Makes the Music She Wants to Hear The singular artist explores the juxtaposition of grief and joy, dark and light, in her distinctive sound.
Apri...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Interra Systems, a provider of end-to-end quality assurance solutions for the digital media industry, is proud to announce its central role in the digital trans...
15/04/2026
VO Integrates Client-Side and Server-Side Ad Technologies with its Secure Video Player and Segmentation Tools, Leveraging Broadpeak's SSAI and BPK SmartLib ...
15/04/2026
TMT Insights, a leader in professional services and software development for the media and entertainment (M&E) industry, today announced the launch of TMT AI at...
15/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media, a global leader in managed broadcast and cloud-based media services, today announced an expanded partnership with Oracle Cloud Infrastr...
15/04/2026
Middleman Software, a leading provider of signaling and synchronization solutions for broadcast and streaming workflows, today announced it will unveil PhaseLoc...
15/04/2026
Deity Microphones today announced the PR-4, a compact six-track field recorder featuring four inputs, 32-bit float recording, advanced routing, and a workflow-f...
15/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Fairlight Live
Brie Clayton April 15, 2026
0 Comments
Powerful software-based live audio mixer with support for SMPTE-2110...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Strategic Alignment With the Riedel Group for Innovation and Growth
Thomas Riedel, founder and owner of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group, has acqui...
15/04/2026
SDVI, the leading platform provider for cloud-native media supply chains, today announced that the company's Rally platform has been deployed by Iyuno Media...
15/04/2026
Frequency, the engine behind many of the worlds leading streaming television channels, has become the platform of choice for leading U.S. broadcasters bringing ...
15/04/2026
New Service Simplifies Integration of AI Applications with Exceptional Reliability and Security
SAN JOSE, Calif. April 14, 2026 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) t...
15/04/2026
During the 2025 off-season, VIDI completed a major upgrade of the broadcast infrastructure across all 36 stadiums in Germany's 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. The p...
15/04/2026
Clear-Com announced significant updates to its award-winning Arcadia Central Station as well as enhancements to the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System now runn...
15/04/2026
Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB SHOW 2026
Brie Clayton April 15, 2026
0 Comments
New system removes PTZ pan restric...
15/04/2026
LiveU Announces Expanded Collaboration with Sony at NAB Show, Adding Direct File...
15/04/2026
This 24-Hour Performance Art Piece Needs Your Participation Keefer Glenshaws latest project is about collaborating with the Berklee community and beyond.
Apr...
15/04/2026
Five Decades of Box Office Intelligence: Comscore Celebrates 50 Years of Movie M...
15/04/2026
Traditional data centers only stored, retrieved and processed data. In the generative and agentic AI era, these facilities have evolved into AI token factories....
15/04/2026
Two Cities Television and Keeper Pictures to produce six-part series in association with Screen Ireland for RT and ITV Studios
RT has commissioned Two Citie...
15/04/2026
RT 100
RT unveils The Signal' a specially commissioned 60-second film
...
15/04/2026
The NAB Show 2026 trade show, running April 18-22 in Las Vegas, is set to showcase a wave of new features and optimizations for top video editing applications. ...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026.
...
14/04/2026
Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...
14/04/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...