Efficiency will likely trump expansion as the telecoms industry tries to save money in 2025. Arguably, there is no industry that dislikes uncertainty more than telecoms and the current economic climate promises a lot of uncertainty. So, how will the industry cope?

Telecoms operators will balance expansion against efficiency as uncertainty grows with economies, societal trends and technology. Economic pressures will likely spur cost saving initiatives like network asset consolidation and rectifying inefficient business models.

We’ll see explosions in AI network analysis, network virtualisation, and quantum communication solutions as Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) reduce costs. MVNO-in-a-box will be instrumental in leveraging 5G investment and eSIM for roaming will generate new revenue and cut roaming costs. At the same time, satellite communications will get heavy investment for long-term revenue growth.

Navigating cybercrime and security in a quantum world

Security will be front of mind for telecom operators in 2025 due to hacking by state actors and criminal gangs. Defending revenue from cybercriminals will require new solutions, system updates, and improved policies.

AI and quantum computing are big challenges for MNOs as it threatens to supercharge cybercrime. However, these technologies can also secure revenue by combatting cybercrime.

• Quantum communication presents the next generation of telecom products and services. Its primary security feature is that data’s quantum stat alters if it’s so much as looked at while in transit. The change in quantum state will immediately alter operators of the attack.

  Later, quantum repeaters will enable quantum communication to operate at scale, and data transfer will be instantaneous. Till then, operators will offset investment costs by deploying hybrid-quantum solutions. Hybrid-quantum solutions will combine existing quantum and traditional computer solutions to protect against cyber fraud, and this is what we may see more of in 2025.