We’ve been providing business telecom solutions for years. Our experience in the sector allows us to see telecom trends as they develop. Here’s our list of this year’s trends upcoming and what we’re expecting to see in the industry.
1. 5G Rollout Across the UK
Arguably the biggest trend of recent years has been the advent and rollout of the UK’s 5G mobile network. As the successor to 4G, 5G brings increased speeds and much lower latency for mobile browsing.
5G also brings with it the greater possibility for technologies such as driverless cars, smart cities and more. In 2021, we expect to see an increased rollout of 5G across the UK. Already, EE, Vodafone and O2 have rolled out their 5G networks to a few select cities, with may more in the pipeline.
2. Increased use of VoIP
VoIP (voice over IP), is a method of making a telephone call over your internet connection—as a posed to using a telephone line. VoIP is fast replacing traditional telephone systems, especially those with good internet connectivity.
As the UK moves towards a full fibre network, VoIP is becoming increasingly popular, with more and more companies taking advantage of VoIP’s scalability and flexibility.
3. Home Working Permanently
2020 Was the year of working from home. In 2021, we expect to see a significant number of businesses keeping their work from home policy in place permanently. Reduced business rates and overheads, along with improved work-life-balance are a huge factor of working from home.
Modern telecoms have enabled seamless working from home—with VoIP and business mobiles being a key part of working from home setups. We even offer bulk and wholesale headsets and webcams for those working from home.
4. Higher Usage of Business Mobiles
Mobiles are one of the fastest growing facets of business telecoms. From working out on the road, to working from home, they’re vital assets for most businesses. In 2021, we expect to see more and more businesses move from fixed line telecoms to mobiles and soft phones.
Their portability and ease of use makes business mobiles a great alternative to fixed line telecoms. With trends moving towards more mobile working, smartphones are becoming a necessity in 2021.
5. More Systems Integration
Isn’t it great when things just work? Integration allows different softwares and systems to communicate with one another, meaning that you can streamline your workflow easier. With better integration, features such as click to dial, screen popping, mobile device management and more are possible.
Our 2021 telecom trends predict that more and more software and services will integrate with one another, from CRMs to VoIP solutions and mobile devices.
6. Utilising 5G for the Internet of Things
5G was a big talking point in 2020, with the rollout across the UK improving both coverage and speeds. In 2021, we expect to see more and more businesses using the internet of things (IoT) for their communications.
Using fixed IP SIM cards and the IoT, you can streamline your manufacturing, automation and machine integration within your business. The IoT is a fantastic solution to remote maintenance and control.
7. Increased VoIP Collaboration
Collaboration was very much a staple of 2020, with people working from home, everyone needed to be more collaborative. With more online collaboration, our cloud-based VoIP solution came into its own.
In 2021, we expect to see more of the same, with plenty more businesses choosing to use the instant messaging and chatting functions built into our VoIP apps. Collaboration is key to businesses working from home, and 2021 no doubt continue this trend.
8. More ‘full fibre’ connections
Our final trend that we expect to see is a further rollout of full fibre. This affects both businesses and consumers, with more and more properties being added to the UK’s fibre network. Full fibre means that you have a direct fibre connection, rather than using the older, ISDN telephone circuits.
With the Governments goal of a 2025 ISDN switch off, we expect to see greater, faster and large scale fibre broadband rollout in 2021, for both private companies and Openreach.
So there you have it—8 of our most highly anticipated telecom trends for 2021. The telecoms industry has grown significantly in recent years, with more businesses than ever needing flexible and reliable work from home telecoms.
If you’re looking to upgrade your businesses telecoms, give us a call or get in touch today for a free, no obligations chat about your telecoms.
