
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
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
09/07/2025
WASHINGTON The NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF) has announced the graduation of the 2025 Broadcast Leadership Training (BLT) class. The classs successful compl...
09/07/2025
Faced with rising costs, the proliferation digital services and the difficulty of managing many different subscriptions, two-thirds (66%) of consumers say they ...
09/07/2025
Daniel S. McCoy, a Production Sound Mixer and Sound Consultant for cinema, commercial and live events, has utilized DPA Microphones for over 25 years. In the ea...
09/07/2025
- A Celebration of Optical Excellence Uniting the Lens World's Leading Optical Minds -
CVP, one of Europe's leading resellers and providers of profe...
08/07/2025
In an era where digital threats to journalists are becoming increasingly aggressive and widespread, MediaSafe Africa launches as a vital online resource to help...
08/07/2025
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a fro...
08/07/2025
This summer, as the energy builds for one of the biggest moments in women's ...
08/07/2025
SBS strengthens commitment to inclusion with new commissioning guidelines
8 July, 2025
Media releases
SBS has launched new Commissioning Inclusion Guidelin...
08/07/2025
Secrets, Spies and Sabotage: 40 years on, SBS podcast investigates historic bomb...
08/07/2025
ATLANTA and CINCINNATI Gray Media and The E.W. Scripps Co. have agreed to swap television stations across five midsized and small markets, resulting in the crea...
08/07/2025
ALAMEDA, Calif. Clear-Com has announced new software updates to its Arcadia Central Station that enable connectivity across Clear-Com products as well as third-...
08/07/2025
PRINCETON, N.J. Triveni Digital has launched its NextGen TV Innovation Partnership Program, an initiative to support public broadcasters in their transition to ...
08/07/2025
WASHINGTON In response to a request by LPTV broadcaster HC2 that the Federal Communications Commission allow its stations to become datacasters using 5G broadca...
08/07/2025
As TV broadcasters shift from wary tire-kicking to increasingly enthusiastic adoption of AI technology, new ways of doing things are taking hold at lightning sp...
08/07/2025
Content personalization has been a hot topic ever since the emergence of niche cable networks and the VCR in the 1980s allowed consumers to access content geare...
08/07/2025
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, announces that major French media group RMC BFM has selected Broadpeak's server-side ad insertio...
08/07/2025
MBS, a leading service integrator and managed gateway operator, has announced an agreement with SES to acquire a part of its media services in Germany and the U...
08/07/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is applauding the passage of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill and provision...
08/07/2025
SYDNEY RTS has announced that Channel 7 Sydney has deployed a new comms system from the intercom vendor as part of a larger ST-2110 upgrade....
08/07/2025
ATLANTA & CINCINNATI Gray Media, Inc. and The E.W. Scripps Company have entered into agreements to swap television stations across five mid-sized and small mark...
08/07/2025
UKTV today announces that Richard Watsham, Chief Creative Officer at UKTV and Global Director of Acquisitions for BBC Studios/UKTV, has decided to step down fro...
08/07/2025
Groundbreaking Gamecocks: Inside University of South Carolina's Four-Control...
08/07/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment's Samantha Brady on the Power of the RSN...
08/07/2025
Live From 2025 FIFA Club World Cup: FIFA, HBS Focus on Tournament Wrap, With an ...
08/07/2025
SVG Rewind: NESN Goes Behind the Scenes of 1975 Red Sox Retro Broadcast NESN is following up the retrocast with a week-long celebration of the Green Monster By...
08/07/2025
Back to All News
The Monster of Florence: The Four-Episode TV Series Directed b...
08/07/2025
Back to All News
Shooting of 53 Sundays, Cesc Gays New Project, Is Finished
Entertainment
08 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the f...
08/07/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - July 8, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a reco...
08/07/2025
Arvato Systems Optimizes Customer Communication with AOK Niedersachsen
New project in the statutory health insurance sector
Arvato Systems and AOK Niedersach...
08/07/2025
On August 7, Apple Arcade is adding four exclusive games to its diverse catalogue of more than 200 fun games for players to enjoy, all free from ads and in-app ...
08/07/2025
Modern AI applications increasingly rely on models that combine huge parameter c...
07/07/2025
SBS Farewells Chair George Savvides AM
7 July, 2025
Media releases
Born of Greek Cypriot parents, Mr Savvides joined the SBS Board as Deputy Chair in Febru...
07/07/2025
Advanced vision solutions deliver more than reliable night vision for tactical-edge warfighters. Today's technological advances can provide the capability f...
07/07/2025
BALTIMORE Sinclair has named Narinder Sahai its executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately....
07/07/2025
Riedel Communications today announced the launch of RefSuite, a powerful new Managed Technology solution tailored to professional sports workflows. RefSuite com...
07/07/2025
Regional base will foster client engagement, partner collaboration, and executive touchpoints
Skandha Media Services, a leading provider of cloud-native media ...
07/07/2025
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, announced its Against All Odds - ASG Builds Cutti...
07/07/2025
Agreement secured on the strength of Skandha's proven track record in delivering reliable managed services across the full content life cycle for existing h...
07/07/2025
** MEDIA ALERT **
VIZ Media Ignites AX 2025 with Star-Studded Panels, Exclus...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
The Long-Awaited Trailer is Here: Alice in Borderland' Se...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
Anime for Every Fan: Fueling a New Era of Global Storytelling
Entertainment
07 July 2025
GlobalUnited StatesJapan
Link copied to clipboard...
07/07/2025
1-2 Punch: The Cloud, Generative AI, and the Future of Sports-Content Distributi...
07/07/2025
Tests and decisions: Formula E host broadcaster Aurora on launching new AR graph...
07/07/2025
Building tension: Using new AR graphics for storytelling at the Formula E penult...
07/07/2025
Altitude Sports' Matt Krol on the Success of the RSN's In-Arena Postgame...
07/07/2025
SVG Rewind: Four NFL Clubs Bring Us on Set of Respective Media Day Shoots An in-depth conversation with 49ers Laura Johnson, Ravens Jay O'Brien, Las Vegas R...
07/07/2025
Cosm To Build Fifth Shared Reality Venue in Cleveland as Part of Bedrock's ...