By Kho Teck Meng, Regional Sales Director, Ruckus Networks, Asean, CommScope
In 2023, a survey of Philippine CEOs found that Philippine enterprises were still very much prioritizing technology investments as part of their corporate growth strategy. Over 60% of respondents were focused on deploying advanced technologies and automating processes and systems.
The proactive outlook on embracing innovation will be put to the test this year, and with the integration of new digital solutions expected to drive greater business outcomes, we will see three of the most impactful enterprise technologies gaining traction across the Philippines in 2024.
Wi-Fi 7: Unrivaled speed and capacity
Speed and throughput capacity have consistently been two of the biggest barriers to enterprise technology adoption, but the new Wi-Fi 7 could change all that. Crucially, it adds multi-link operation (MLO), which enables access points (APs) to simultaneously drive multiple bands and channels. That means the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz streams are all available at the same time from the same AP, resulting in a massive capacity boost, reduced latency, and more reliable endpoint to Wi-Fi AP connection.
Using the 6.0 GHz band, Wi-Fi 7 doubles the maximum channel bandwidth to 320 MHz and quadruples current Wi-Fi 6E top speeds to over 40 Gbps. With these capabilities, Wi-Fi 7 could, for instance, make automated warehousing and smart manufacturing more viable, which would boost efficiencies for the Philippine manufacturing sector and cement its place as one of the fastest-growing among global economies.
The 6.0 GHz band is also shared by unlicensed cellular network applications, which opens the door to some exciting applications in converged networking.
Multi-access converged networks: Agility in connectivity
Managing multiple networks can be complex for enterprises due to the different technologies involved and the costs incurred, as well as often having to manage access control for each network. Multi-access converged networks provide a solution for this by flattening multiple wireless technologies from Wi-Fi and private cellular networks to low-power Internet of Things (IoT) networks such as Zigbee and Bluetooth LE.
By enabling multiple networks and protocols to be driven in parallel, multi-access converged networks represent an important step in improving the agility and flexibility of how people and devices are connected. Businesses, which are looking to capitalize on the Philippines’ recovering tourism industry such as hotels, for instance, would now have greater capacity to support and manage more connected and targeted guest experiences through every digital touchpoint, from check-in to check-out and across all guest services.
IoT and IT/OT convergence: Next-level interoperability
This year, enterprise IoT and IT/OT convergence are witnessing a strong comeback, with current economic conditions pushing businesses to seek more efficient ways to operate than ever before. While new advancements in IoT device connectivity have been making waves in smart homes, the momentum is also making progress throughout the enterprise market in 2024. These advancements are making zero-touch IoT device connectivity and interoperability a reality and removing an enormous obstacle to broader IoT adoption. Connected devices can unlock critical efficiencies for enterprises and enable them to reallocate resources from IT and OT to more profitable, growth-oriented priorities.
The convergence of IT and OT will be critical for the future expansion of the manufacturing industry, which has continued to be a key driver of the Philippines’ economy and has contributed about 19% of the national GDP in 2022. With standardization now on the horizon for connected systems, industrial IoT that powers real-time monitoring and data collection solutions like networked thermostats and lighting can reduce opex through more efficient management; and connected door locks and security cameras that improve plant security and increase personal safety for employees, will be more accessible to Philippines’ manufacturers. These interoperable IoT deployments can improve an enterprise’s ESG profile, track and reduce energy use, providing greater efficiencies beyond the manufacturing process such as in transportation and warehousing.
Addressing challenges to uncover digital growth
The above technologies are exciting for the future of the Philippines because they will set the stage for evolution in the next decade or so. However, empowering wider development, adoption and integration of these technologies will also come with some challenges, mainly addressing network complexity, increased capex/opex, and limited expertise.
As new network layers and additional inter-layer integrations are added, existing networks can become more complicated and unwieldy. The good news is that it has become increasingly affordable for enterprises to lean on AI, which has become powerful enough to manage these complexities — even for converged networks where AI can be purpose-built to simplify operations and optimize configurations. The upfront costs of training a purpose-built GPT-3 AI model are forecasted to plummet to less than 1% of what it would have cost a few years ago, and we expect training costs of purpose-built AI models to continue declining while their computational power and efficiencies progressively improve.
New technology adoptions will undoubtedly require some capex and opex adjustments, which can be out of reach for some enterprises. As an example, Wi-Fi 7 will need LAN infrastructure upgrades, while full utilization of IoT opportunities requires equipment and expertise. With the latest Thread protocol specifications expanding the number of supported device types in smart home settings, we can look forward to Thread making greater inroads into enterprise and industrial environments this year. These protocols sweep away the challenges of fragmented and uneven security measures in IoT devices, and open the floodgates to improved shared efficiencies for a vast array of connected devices, sensors, security and productivity applications. Positive outcomes can range from networked thermostats and lighting that can reduce opex through more efficient management, to connected door locks and security cameras that improve plant security and increase personal safety for employees.
Network as a Service (NaaS), a cloud-based service model that delivers turnkey network functionality on a subscription basis, can also lift the capex burden for enterprises building smarter, more converged networks. Rather than invest in the new infrastructure that may be required to deploy Wi-Fi 7 and all the converged networks services that run with it, the enterprise can delegate the cost to a third-party NaaS vendor and amortize the cost over time as a matter of opex rather than capex. NaaS can ensure that the enterprise network is—and remains—on the cutting edge of technology, without taking on the obligation to design, install, optimize, monitor or manage that network, enabling agile scalability and responsive allocation of bandwidth across the network.
The availability of the right subject matter experts can also be a limiting factor, particularly where it concerns 6 GHz and Wi-Fi 7, private cellular, and IoT deployments. As a new-to-market technology, Wi-Fi 7 does not yet have an established third-party ecosystem of support and deep expertise, and being the central technology pillar supporting these trends, the lack of expertise continues to be a significant challenge. On the bright side, both AI management tools and NaaS have been proven to help narrow the gap in enabling enterprises to capitalize on converged networks and IoT deployments without outsized costs or complexity, and these capabilities will only improve as they become more sophisticated.
The advent of Wi-Fi 7 and multi-access converged networks, as well as the resurgence of IoT and IT/OT convergence, signals a truly exciting year ahead for Philippine enterprises, with the nation projected to become the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia in 2024. Businesses that are willing to be early adopters, and embrace a combination of AI, IoT, and NaaS services, will be in an advantageous position to leverage these emerging technologies to achieve their business goals in the next decade.
CommScope designs and manufactures network infrastructure products
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