Waves of disruption: 5 ways the communications industry is shaping the way we connect, communicate and collaborate

Carmel Owens, MD, GlobalLogic Ireland and Tech Excellence Awards Person of the Year 2024, outlines how the communications industry is shaping digital transformation.

In an era where bytes travel faster than sound waves, the communications industry stands at the vanguard of digital transformation. From fibre optic cables snaking across our seas to the expanding forests of 5G towers, the communications sector is powering innovation across our lives, industries and societies.

1. The 5G quantum leap: From faster downloads to redefining industries

The fifth generation of mobile networks isn’t just about faster downloads—it's a seismic shift. We’re entering a world of massive device connectivity. Communications giants are investing billions to build a digital superhighway. But, beyond speed, 5G will redefine industries. Think remote surgery, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities. 

The 5G spectrum of mmWave, Sub-6 GHz, and DSS means super-fast speeds, excellent distance coverage, and smooth transitions from the 4G spectrum. The paradigm shift to 5G is bringing about an era of ultra-low latency, massive device connectivity, and augmented reality, with potential use cases that will rock our world.

5G will power smart cities, fuelling a future of innovation and efficiency. Imagine traffic lights that adjust in real time and energy grids that optimise consumption. It will underpin universal healthcare, taking remote surgeries and patient monitoring from pilot projects to a run-of-the-mill reality. It will make autonomous vehicles the norm and bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds, making augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences even more immersive. 

2. The connectivity revolution: Advanced and frontier connectivity

Not so long ago, a phone was just a phone. Today, it’s a pocket-sized command centre. Communication companies have transformed from carriers to architects of connectivity ecosystems. They stitch together continents with submarine cables, create constellations from satellites, and beam Wi-Fi around the globe. Our world is now a rich tapestry of signals, and the communications sector is the weaver.

In our quest for seamless communication and global interconnectivity, 5G has captured headlines. But it isn't the only innovation. It’s part of a broader revolution with a symphony of technologies promising to better connect our world. Take advanced connectivity. It’s the steady progress we’ve made in expanding networks. 

Advanced connectivity is like the dependable workhorse that keeps users connected day in and day out. Mobile, broadband, and short-range providers are continuously upgrading infrastructure and rolling out new technologies that provide seamless connections, faster speeds and reduced latency while supporting more connected devices across the global population.

Frontier connectivity is, in comparison, more revolutionary. It’s pushing boundaries and venturing into uncharted territories. Its geographical footprint is limited at present, but it promises a transformative impact. It will bring internet access to even the most remote corners of the world. It will connect the unconnected, bridge digital divides, and make the impossible possible. 

3. The evolution of voice interaction: Turning mundane voice interactions into dynamic, intelligent conversations

Gone are the days of dialling a phone number and speaking to a human operator. Or worse still, being met with a soul-destroying robotic interactive voice response (IVR) system telling us to press 1 for billing, 2 for technical support etc., etc., etc. Modern chatbots have taken the phone out of the picture, replacing a maze of options with a simple typed Q&A back-and-forth. 

Beyond chatbots, natural language processing (NLP) means AI now understands context, accents and colloquialisms. It can decipher spoken words and translate them into actionable commands. The rise of voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant that engage in conversations and even tell jokes hints at the next stage in the evolution of communication. 

We’re already seeing deep learning, trained on vast datasets, generating machine voices that are virtually indistinguishable from humans. We’re on the precipice of instant translation from verbal or written inputs to and from both widely spoken and minority languages. And AI with emotional intelligence that analyses voice tones and sentiments, gauging resonance and perceptions at scale. To riff on an old telecoms’ slogan—the future’s bright, the future’s intelligent AI.

4. Highways in the sky: Converging clouds and satellites

As we speak, the communications industry is consolidating two seemingly disparate innovations - cloud computing and satellite technology - to bring seamless connectivity to the most remote parts of the world. Companies continue to launch satellites while cloud providers build Edge data centres all over the world—they’re also combining. 

Leading cloud providers like Google, Microsoft, and AWS are forging alliances with satellite operators such as SpaceX, SES, and Telesat. Such partnerships will extend the cloud’s reach, create seamless connections, and take us closer to the Edge, where connectivity, data insights, and real-time analytics reach end users at the touch of a button. 

Northern Sky Research (NSR) predicts that the cloud-satellite market will reach $32 billion and generate upwards of 240 exabytes of traffic by 2031. It suggests Cloud will play a key role in bridging gaps between the traditional aerospace sector, downstream end users, and middle-layer organisations going forward. 

The unison between Cloud and satellite is shaking up the markets and ecosystem, promising businesses dramatic jumps in efficiency, revenue growth, and agility. It’s also lowering the barriers to entry for space-derived data services and reshaping connectivity, data processing, and digital service delivery across the globe. 

5. Guarding our digital borders: Fending off cybersecurity threats

As data flows increase, so do cyber threats. Communications companies encrypt our messages, monitor threats, and fight off would-be attackers. But it’s a cat-and-mouse game. The more connected we become, the more vulnerabilities emerge. Presently, the industry is actively defending our interconnected world, investing in robust defences, fortifying networks, and implementing more stringent authentication measures. 

Overall, communications companies are adopting a ‘zero trust’ approach. It’s a model that scrutinises every access request regardless of location, not trusting any user or device—even those within a network perimeter. It relies on continuous verification, strict access controls, and micro-segmentation. Just like a bouncer checking IDs on every digital door. 

Over the last decade or so, we’ve also seen biometric authentication move from spy movies to the palm of our hands. More and more were moving away from traditional passwords and multi-factor verification to fingerprint scans and facial recognition. It’s as if communications providers are upgrading from rusty padlocks to state-of-the-art uncrackable safes. 

Looking forward, we’ll see AI play a much larger defensive role, including machine learning algorithms analysing vast quantities of fast-moving network traffic, detecting anomalies in real time and predicting threats. In collaboration with governments, industry bodies and private businesses, the communications sector will propel information sharing, threat intelligence, and collective defences. 

The communications industry is at the forefront, shaping the digital landscape, and its impact will continue to reverberate across all sectors, societies and our personal lives. With the emergence of technologies like 5G, advanced and frontier connectivity, voice interaction evolution, and the convergence of cloud computing and satellite technology, we are witnessing an unprecedented era of innovation. As advancements unfold, it's clear that the communications industry will play a pivotal role in shaping how we connect, communicate, and collaborate, now and in the future.

About Carmel Owens, MD GlobalLogic Ireland

Athlone-based Carmel Owens is MD of digital engineering leader GlobalLogic in Ireland. Having joined GlobalLogic in 2020, then Sidero, Carmel has more than 20 years experience in the IT sector. 

In 2023, GlobalLogic acquired cloud and software development company Sidero to expand its European footprint and position it at the forefront of technology innovation in Ireland.

Carmel previously held senior executive roles with leading indigenous and multinational technology players, including SQS (Expleo), Version 1, Dell EMC, and Sungard Availability Services. 

At GlobalLogic, Carmel is responsible for spearheading continued growth, shaping the company’s strategy, and overseeing daily business operations. Carmel was named Person of the Year at the 2024 Tech Excellence Awards in association with IP Telecom.

About GlobalLogic

GlobalLogic is a leader in digital engineering. We help brands across the globe design and build innovative products, platforms, and digital experiences for the modern world. By integrating experience design, complex engineering, and data expertise—we help our clients imagine what’s possible and accelerate their transition into tomorrow’s digital businesses. 

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, GlobalLogic operates design studios and engineering centers around the world, extending our deep expertise to customers in the automotive, communications, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, manufacturing, media and entertainment, semiconductor, and technology industries. GlobalLogic is a Hitachi Group Company operating under Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), which contributes to a sustainable society with a higher quality of life by driving innovation through data and technology as the Social Innovation Business.