“… the act or process of introducing new ideas, tools, or techniques,” the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
When I think of innovation, I always try to start with what the definition of that word really means. Using this definition as a starting point for any conversation or project, we can begin to assess whether we are actually innovative or simply updating a tried and tested idea with a new coat of paint. And most often it is the latter.
About the author
Andrea Donna, Chief Network Officer of Vodafone UK.
This is not to say that there is some mistake in the fact that we are not always innovative (another common phrase is, “if it doesn’t break, don’t fix it”), but it does ask whether we do as much as we can to take advantage of opportunities that were presented to us.
The digital world
In the world of digital technology, this can manifest itself in different ways, and it can be difficult to reach consensus as to whether the term “innovation” is used appropriately. 5G is a technology that is dramatically evolving the way data is moved from one place to another, introducing significant improvements in bandwidth, capacity, latency, and efficiency.
Again, this has the potential for innovation, but transporting bits and bytes is not new. The Internet of Things (IoT) allows you to gather information from new sources, getting an idea of everything from bus tire pressures to deviations in water content in rocky areas. Depending on how this data works, of course, there are opportunities for innovation.
The introduction of cloud technologies has changed the way consumers and employees store and access data. But is storing information in a massive data center as opposed to a server rack in your basement innovative? It may be, but not the default. These three technologies – 5G, IoT and the cloud – are what we consider to be the building blocks of the technologies of the future, but the greatest reward comes when we bring to life the ideas that bring all three together.
Innovation can be achieved through investment and research in each technology in isolation, but together they act as a catalyst for each additional technology. To use another common phrase, “a whole is greater than the sum of its parts”.
It is then that true innovation can be achieved. We call it “Innovation at the Crossroads”.
Innovation at the crossroads
“Innovation at the Crossroads” is the understanding that to be truly innovative, we must look beyond technology; we need to be different, be creative and, above all, be new. Going back to the definition of vocabulary, creating something truly new means using tools, techniques, and processes that have not been available to us in the past. We are now at a critical juncture in the digital path to be able to do this.
We have not only 4G networks, but also non-autonomous 5G networks that allow you to increase speed, and pretty soon we will have standalone 5G networks to improve speed, as well as greater spectrum efficiency, less latency, greater reliability, increased security. and much more flexibility. Looking at IoT, we can not only deliver IoT solutions through 4G and 5G connectivity, we can also build solutions using narrowband IoT and CAT-M IoT. These specialized networks open up opportunities for uses that would otherwise be impossible.
Finally in the cloud. There are public and private deployment options, many new services that can be used in different ways, and new Multi-access Edge Compute (MEC) technology to bring computing power closer to the end user.
Potential investment in technology
The point of this long list of potential investments in technology is to demonstrate the various variables that are now available. If you compare the tools available today to blue sky thinkers, compared to just two years ago, it’s like chalk and cheese. The wealth of opportunities to explore different combinations of how technology can be superimposed, side-by-side, or intertwined yields an incredible number of results.
In 2009, the idea was presented to the whole world. It seemed harmless and uninteresting, niche and largely irrelevant. It relied on the widespread use of more interactive devices (smartphones), location-based algorithms and a more versatile mobile connection (4G) to create an on-demand service that solves a specific problem. A couple of years later, he began to take root, enter new markets. And today it is recognized as one of the companies that has redefined how we depend on our smartphones.
I’m certainly talking about Uber, but the fact is that without smartphones, intelligent software development and 4G networks that reduce the cost of mobile data, this would be impossible. A few smart people have figured out how new technology can be mixed up like it hasn’t been done before. This blend of technology has inspired an avalanche of cloud companies that now dominate the digital age.
Next
Now you have to wonder what will be the next Uber? An idea that uses tools that weren’t available a few years earlier to revive an idea that rethinks the interaction of communication, data and the cloud.
With 4G and 5G networks, many different IoT ecosystems, new cloud services for data analysis and analysis like never before, and smart, intuitive and mobile telecommunications networks that underlie this horror of experimentation, you have to wonder what delightful and amazing ideas are woven into the fabric of tomorrow’s digital economy.
Our job is not to try to guess what will be the next big deal – it’s much more exciting than that. To work with these innovators, people who think a little differently than the rest of us, we need to make these empowering technologies available for any occasion.
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