The world ushered in 2020 with anticipation and merriment, only to have moods quickly dampened when a novel coronavirus reared its ugly head. Before long, COVID-19 gripped countries globally. By the end of last year, the pandemic killed about 2 million people worldwide.

Read more: Asia taps on advanced technologies to cope with COVID-19 impact

The shift from 4G to 5G yields benefits like increased bandwidth, decreased latency and increased connection density. These 5G benefits bode well against a global backdrop increasingly powered by IoT, driven by developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

Read more: 5G and the impact on next-generation data centres

As digitalization becomes increasingly fundamental to Asia Pacific’s economic growth, Telecom Review Asia Pacific interviews Mr. Bai Yang, vice president of ZTE Corporation in charge of marketing and solution department of APAC to glean insights into ZTE’s innovations that help spearhead and support the region’s industry digitalisation.

Read more: Revolutionize industries through paving the path for the digital economy

Singapore’s journey towards digital transformation and inclusion must be supported by cybersecurity talent to maintain a secure cyberspace in an increasingly connected landscape. In line with Singapore’s initiative to grow a talent pool, BT, a leading provider of global communications and security solutions, and Standard Chartered launched a new cyber security educational programme in Singapore. The Schools Cyber Security Challenges (SCSC) is a pilot initiative with the Tanglin Trust School (TTS) to nurture the future generation of digitally-savvy young people.

Read more: BT makes cybersecurity child’s play

As 5G technology becomes increasingly widespread, attention is veering towards high band 5G mmWave spectrum to deliver greater capacity and faster performance levels for data-intensive 5G mobile communications such as video communications, as well as virtual and augmented reality.

Read more: High band 5G mmWave takes 5G to the next level

The telecommunications industry has been the pillar of societies worldwide – tasked with the mammoth role of supporting the abrupt shift to work-from-home, remote learning, and other virtual activities in a pandemic-stricken environment mired by lockdowns.

Read more: Challenges and opportunities for the telecommunications industry in 2021

According to GSA, 144 operators in 61 countries or territories have launched commercial 3GPP-compatible 5G. As digital transformation becomes a global trend in today’s 5G environment, Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) offers telecommunications operators computing solutions at the edge to leverage on 5G promises and monetize 5G infrastructure to reap revenue from next-generation services.

Read more: 5G and MEC: The new frontier for telecommunications operators at the edge

When I think of the telecommunications industry, “What is essential is invisible to the eye” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in The Little Prince immediately comes to mind. From keeping us informed of the latest news and entertained while we stay home, to ensuring business continuity, we hardly notice our heavy reliance on the invisible networks that keep us connected – except when they disconnect.

Read more: The telecoms industry will never be the same again

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is fast becoming the go-to technology for enterprises that require agility and flexibility when deploying new services or improvising existing ones. A significant departure from on-premise solutions, SaaS offers quicker and less complex deployments, as well as improved cost optimisation and reduced total cost of ownership (TCO).

Read more: How SD-WAN optimises SaaS for CSPs to grow offerings

Asia Pacific (APAC) is a hotbed for 5G technology adoption. According to GlobalData, APAC will lead in terms of 5G technology adoption with over a billion subscribers, accounting for 65% of global 5G subscribers by 2024. In the region, South Korea, China, and Japan will dominate 5G markets.

Read more: How key Asia Pacific countries are faring against one another in 5G adoption

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