India is poised to leverage the benefits offered by mobile technology and the internet. The country’s current population is about 1.2 billion and, by 2030, nearly 270 million working individuals will be added in the youth segment.

In this context, the scope of the internet and mobile technology can be highlighted as follows:

•Currently, there are 100 million internet users in India, using desktop computers to access the same.

•The wireless user base stands at 900 million, of which only 3 per cent use internet-enabled smartphones.

•India has the third highest number of Facebook users, after the US and Brazil, at 65 million.

This presents significant opportunities and several challenges for network operators and service providers. Therefore, the role of network and service enablement players, including test and measurement (T&M) companies, has never been more crucial.

Challenges for the segment

India is expected to have 2 billion networked devices in use by 2016, which is double the current number of such devices, while broadband speeds are expected to increase threefold and online video would contribute up to 70 per cent to internet traffic.  The increasing role of networks and the demand for bandwidth-rich applications present major challenges for network operators and equipment manufacturers.

Mobility has huge potential in India but there are several challenges as well. Wireless coverage and access has to improve, content developers need to launch more mobile applications in local languages, and affordable web-enabled phones should be made available. Technology companies and network providers understand these needs and are collaborating with local experts to address the issues. These challenges can be addressed through the proactive use of T&M to ensure reliable network performance, thereby improving the overall customer experience.

 Current and future trends

Technologies such as 3G and 4G and the increased pressure on operators to provide quality services have been the key factors driving the T&M segment over the past.

Network and service enablement will be the priorities going forward, driven by the popularity of mobility and the proliferation of smart devices, use of social media and the increasing demand for services such as over-the-top video. The outcome of the increased use of technology will be “unpredictable communications patterns” and high bandwidth demand.  In this environment, it is more challenging than ever to plan networks, manage them cost effectively and ensure quality consumer experience.

For the T&M segment, a parallel trend will be that traditional methods for deploying and maintaining networks will not be profitably scaled up to higher levels of complexity and bandwidth demand. Therefore, T&M companies must continue to serve as a strategic partner for mobile operators by providing visibility and intelligence to help them scale up and monetise networks.

The future of communications will depend on developments in the mobile and software space, network speed, the popularity of the cloud, etc.  Mobile operators and consumers stand to benefit from rapid technology evolution. The key technology trends expected in the T&M segment over the next few years are:

 SDN: Software-defined networking (SDN) is helping network operators to keep pace with increasing and unpredictable bandwidth demand. As SDN deployments become mainstream, they will become more dynamic and application driven, further increasing the need for T&M techniques such as service- and application-level monitoring. This will increase the need for application-level performance visibility, driving deep packet and content inspection solutions.

 LTE and 4G: These technologies will continue to play a major role in deployments.  A recent report by RCR Wireless News states that 371 long term evolution (LTE) network deployments are planned or are in progress in 116 countries. The Indian market has matured for LTE and 4G technologies. According to Business Monitor International, the 3G/4G subscriber base will grow by 540.4 per cent over the next three years. Bharti Airtel was the first operator to deploy LTE services in India.

 Small cells: As LTE and 4G networks and services put pressure on mobile networks (for example, the increasing demand for video), the adoption of small cells becomes critical. By deploying this technology, along with Wi-Fi offloading strategies, large mobile operators can alleviate the pressure on their core networks.

 Big data: This refers to the fact that the network itself has posed a big data challenge. With the proliferation of mobile devices, mobile video, social media and video streaming, the amount of information that must be collected, processed and analysed to operate, maintain, scale up and monetise networks has become untenable. Scaling data, analytics and real-time reporting is a major challenge for operators today. By delivering and analysing real-time intelligence from the network edge, service providers can optimise performance, increase efficiency, and enhance the customer experience. Customers can rapidly assess network performance to capture, correlate and address issues that impact services.

 Internet of things: While the connected devices market is dominated by mobile phones, the industry is changing as a new wave of devices connect to each other. The “internet of everything” concept will require an intelligent network, one which can discover the devices it connects and understand the relationships between these devices, including the nature of data being carried. Not all data has the same value, competing with other data for network resources such as bandwidth, latency efficient routes, data storage and processing resources. By understanding these interrelationships, networks can predict and proactively adjust network policies. Clearly, there is a lot at stake for all stakeholders including communication services providers who provide the lifeline for the internet of everything – the network itself.

 The cloud: While small to medium businesses have been the early adopters of cloud-delivered services, larger companies are beginning to make the transition.  Cloud providers are investing heavily in their existing solutions for services such as managed unified communications, cloud hosting and co-location. For T&M providers, there are significant opportunities in this market in terms of ensuring optimal network performance.

 Regulatory wish list for T&M companies

The regulatory framework aims to provide technology access across the country. There will be several opportunities for communication service providers as well as network and service enablement companies as the government continues to increase the reach and footprint of technology by developing rural telecom infrastructure to access the benefits of next-generation services. T&M will play a key role in ensuring fundamentals such as proper installation, maintenance, troubleshooting during the deployment phase as well as end-to-end coverage, and service assurance to ensure optimal network performance and high quality service.