COVID-19 single-handedly caused the world to shut down like never before, rapidly disrupting businesses and the global economy.
Not since the has the world seen such a widespread global pandemic, yet in Australia we’ve managed to escape largely unscathed.
It’s hard to imagine what things would have been like if this pandemic hit 20 or so years ago.
To paint a picture, 2.5G mobile data connections barely existed, fixed broadband internet (over cable and fibre) was only beginning to emerge, there were no smartphones or tablets, and the highest performing WiFi laptops were few and far between. Video communications were still being explored and there was no such thing as Skype, Zoom or collaboration platforms. All of this, which has enabled our lives, healthcare and the economy to carry on during lockdown, wouldn’t have been possible to the same degree.
The global pandemic has demonstrated the value of being connected. Telecommunications providers have never played a more critical role than right now. Mobile, broadband and wireless technologies have kept people and families in touch, ensured businesses could still operate, made telehealth services possible and supported educational institutions to carry on learning remotely.
While COVID-19 has caused unprecedented interruption to the economy, it has initiated new demand for communications services, enabling us all to adjust to a new way of life in isolation.
So what are some of the things we’ve learned during the course of the last few months? Let’s explore the telco state of play.
A willingness to accept digital adoption
Since mid-March when everything around us began to crumble, . That equates to an entire year’s worth of growth in internet traffic!
Technology company Inmobi has been surveying the scene, and the social distancing and self-isolation brought on by . In May, 80% of Americans surveyed said they were spending more time on their mobiles, up from 73% in March.
Cisco reported that Webex traffic from China increased by more than a whopping 2,000% since the outbreak. While one saw a 37% increase in streaming and web video consumption, and VoIP and video conferencing services rise 228%.
The scale of online adoption, and acceptance of virtual interactions and digital technologies, has seen new ecommerce habits and telecoms opportunities emerge. This includes remote working and learning, contactless payments, online entertainment, telehealth and robotics to name a few. As time goes on, we anticipate services and businesses will undergo further digitisation as they continue to .
Remote working has been made possible by technologies such as virtual private networks (VPNs), voice over internet protocols (VoIPs), virtual meetings, work collaboration tools and . But it hasn’t come without its challenges. The demand on the cloud and service providers to support applications for working remotely has been immense. Microsoft for example, has seen its cloud services increase, reporting that it now has .
Connectivity is the backbone
There was some concerns during the early stages of the coronavirus, whether telecoms providers would be able to meet the demands of so many of us working and learning from home.
As physical stores closed, we saw businesses shift their services or products online, along with customer service and support. This included introducing live messaging and . For retailers and the hospitality industry, this has also meant providing contactless delivery options to maintain social distancing.
It’s fair to say that despite all of this, service providers have been leading the effort to effectively meet the 30% to 40% increase in bandwidth demand on their networks.
COVID-19 has highlighted the need to divert attention to providing even better remote solutions and applications for working from home, which for many businesses could very well continue to be the new normal.
All of this technology also depends on reliable, high-speed and affordable internet.
For businesses, the importance of staying connected and having the essential infrastructure to support digital readiness and the latest technology, will be essential to remain competitive beyond the impacts of the coronavirus.
Business agility is key
In these unprecedented times, businesses need to rethink their operations and business plans. Companies who build on their resilience and create a more agile business model, will be more flexible and better equipped to respond quickly to changing environments in the future – be it another pandemic, a cyberattack, market collapse or natural disaster.
is a report recently carried out by Arthur D Little. It gathered insights from 25 CEOs and business leaders from critical infrastructure sectors including telecoms, utilities and transport. The report highlights how technology can help make us become more resilient in the face of a pandemic and other threats.
Business leaders interviewed recognised they need to adopt a more dynamic and agile approach. Some of the findings included:
• Expanding the virtual work environment to create new efficiencies, increase productivity, and extend smarter working practices
• Enabling greater automation and flexible working
• Evolving customer adoption of online services, including new remote products and services
“Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and reinvent.” – Bill Gates
For many of us it will be difficult go back to the office after such a long time working from home. For some businesses though, agile, remote working will now be built into normal work life.
A resilient company is one that never stops innovating
What we’ve experienced in digitalisation and as a result of COVID-19 presents many opportunities for cloud based and other digital business solutions.
This includes remote working platforms that enable collaboration with colleagues or customers, voice over IP protocols and remote conferencing capabilities.
While we’re all slowly going back to some form of normalcy, one thing is certain for many businesses; the adoption of is here to stay.
