The GSMA said it expects mobile traffic in Asia Pacific to quadruple between 2023 and 2030.
The latest Asia Pacific (APAC) Mobility Report from the Global Services Organization (GSMA) shows just how important mobile technologies and services are to the region, with the region set to grow its GDP by a combined total of $1.2 billion in 2023.
That’s $880 billion in economic value. The report also highlights some key trends and trends to watch – read on for the top five.
1. Mobile traffic in Asia Pacific will quadruple
The GSMA expects mobile traffic in Asia Pacific to quadruple between 2023 and 2030. “Growth in mobile data traffic per smartphone is primarily driven by enhancing device capabilities, improving networks and increasing data-intensive content,” the report said, noting that the key smartphone markets in the region are India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and Bangladesh.
The report continues: “Furthermore, new services are likely to drive rapid growth in mobile data traffic as countries in the region advance their digital nation initiatives.”
Source: GSMA
2. Commercial 5G Standalone (SA) is becoming more prevalent
According to the GSMA, Australia, India, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand currently have commercial 5G SA networks live. In India, for example, Reliance Jio has deployed more than one million 5G cell sites for its SA network, enabling it to deploy network slicing with slices dedicated to applications such as gaming, high-security services and FWA customers.
Source: GSMA
3. RedCap pilot project underway
Introduced in 3GPP Release 17, RedCap is designed to enable energy-efficient and cost-effective 5G IoT connectivity. By many reports, RedCap’s speeds, latency, and spectrum usage are nearly on par with advanced LTE capabilities.
According to the GSMA, 5G RedCap trials have begun in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, in South Korea, SK Telecom, Nokia, and MediaTek are considering developing RedCap technology in commercial spectrum bands, and in August 2023, Optus conducted wireless data call trials using Ericsson’s pre-commercial RedCap RAN software. In addition, in Thailand, AIS, ZTE, and MediaTek conducted validation tests of 5G RedCap in the 2.6 GHz band at the AZ Innovation Center in Bangkok.
4. Telecommunications companies are looking to leverage AI for revenue generation
In Asia Pacific, as in other regions around the world, telecommunications operators are looking to use generative AI (gen AI) to drive digital transformation, improve network operations, and unlock new revenue streams.
“Telecom operators appear to be taking different approaches to developing genAI solutions,” the GSMA said in the report, explaining that some operators are turning to webscalers such as Google, AWS and Microsoft Azure to realise their genAI ambitions. For example, Malaysian telecom operator Maxis has turned to Google Cloud to use GenAI for network coding by integrating the technology into its workflow and service offerings. Airtel and Telkomsel are also working with Google Cloud to use gen AI to enable personalized services and communications. Meanwhile, Japan’s KDDI has partnered with AWS to develop gen AI solutions.
But the Global Telco Alliance takes a different view on next-generation AI development in Asia. Launched by SK Telecom, SingTel, SoftBank, Deutsche Telekom and e&, the alliance is working together to jointly develop its own telecom-specific AI large language model (LLM) that it says will enable telcos to improve customer interactions through digital assistants and chatbots.
5. Non-terrestrial networks gain momentum
While non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) are quickly becoming a hot topic for mobile operators around the world, the GSMA noted that in Asia-Pacific, the geographic configuration of some of the region’s countries makes these networks especially important in achieving universal connectivity. “From archipelagos and rainforests to deserts and mountain ranges, Asia-Pacific has some of the most challenging terrains for terrestrial networks,” the association said. “As a result, there has been significant interest in aviation solutions and the opportunities they can help extend connectivity to hard-to-reach places.” The association added that this interest has been “intensified” by the emergence of low earth orbit (LEO) and high altitude platform station (HAPS) solutions.
Telecom operators mentioned in the report as actively exploring aerial connectivity include Australia’s Telstra, India’s Bharti Group and Japan’s NTT Docomo.
