2020 has been the year of huge change in the way we work and communicate – but what will be the telecommunications trends we all need to look out for in 2021? And how will they continue to evolve our approach to communication?
VoIP
VoIP services adoption within the home has been amongst the biggest standout tech adoption trend of 2020. This is set to continue into 2021 with its ease of use as a cost-effective solution for all. Ubiquitous services like video conferencing have kept us connected and effectively communicating across our businesses accessed from the home or while on the move. VoIP services like Zadarma offer incredible flexibility over traditional hard-wired communications, replacing costly hardware installation bottlenecks with simple software roll-out strategies. In house IT service desks replace telephone engineers, timeframes shift from months to moments, and the telephone suddenly brought you face to face with the person with whom you were trying to communicate.
5G
It feels like 5G has been surrounded by hype – but 2021 will be the year it goes mainstream and delivers on all its promise. Carriers are racing to prepare their 5G networks and manufacturers are introducing a slew of 5G capable devices to the market. Many of us may well continue to work from home into 2021 and there is going to be an increasing demand for the high capacity and low latency offered by 5G. The technology is a perfect fit with VoIP and video conferencing, offering millisecond latency to make the illusion of presenteeism feel even more real.
Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT has been cited as one of the major trends in 2020 – but it’s only just beginning to get started. IoT is the connection of devices, endpoints and assets that had never previously been able to communicate as part of a network. We have seen huge adoption and advances in this space through the pandemic with touchless delivery and updated devices to allow for remote access to keep businesses functioning. Expect incredible advances as the innovators really get to grips with all of the potential the IoT brings – think of the early days of Web 1.0 and look at how far we’ve come now. We predict a similar, transformative trajectory for IoT.
AI & Speech Recognition
The role speech recognition and analytics software can have within your business can be transformational. Set to continue their advances to strengthen our cloud communication activity into 2021, this is another technology whose power has been multiplied by the hardware and networks it sits upon. We are already seeing significant growth in the speech analytics market as advances in the fields of Big Data. As with so much in artificial intelligence, uptake sets in motion a virtuous circle. Higher usage feeds the algorithms data, improving their accuracy. This leads to an improved user experience, higher uptake and so higher usage – and so the cycle repeats, accelerates and improves. Smart features can often be drawn from your VoIP provider to maximise the smooth and efficient day-to-day operational running. The right VoIP partner can support you with the implementation of speech recognition and analytics solutions in your company often with no additional cost. Such partners like Zadarma even offer recognition technology.
The pandemic has changed both the trajectory of business communication and the speed of digital transformation and will continue to do so into 2021. The trend lines and new priorities facing organisations we have seen this year will allow us to plan and prioritise our tech investment for future growth in 2021. Whilst we can’t always predict the trends that will take off and accelerate, we all know that we can adapt to change in order for our businesses to survive and thrive.
