Market Trends of Blockchain in Telecom Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Blockchain in Telecom Market according to our research experts:
Smart Contract to Dominate the Market
- Smart contracts allow computer code to execute when specific conditions are met. The telecom industry is expected to witness significant adoption as it provides scope for automation in its internal operations, like billing, supply chain management, and roaming.
- Deploying smart contracts to manage all the billing related to roaming can lead to significant cost savings, as it provides prevention against fraudulent traffic. Blockchain can also add value to identity management solutions by cutting out intermediaries through smart contracts. This helps reduce roaming frauds, cost savings, and instant settlements. It helps telecom players to resolve disputes quickly through tamper-proof verifiable transactions and real-time updates to end customers.
- In March 2022, STC Bahrain introduced its official Chainlink node, which intends to offer smart contracts with access to a secure source of real-world data and fast off-chain computations. This makes STC Bahrain the first major telecom in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to introduce a Chainlink node, enhancing the development of the smart contract ecosystem both in the area and throughout the globe.
- Moreover, 5G technology is one of the significant instances of how blockchain would change the telecommunication industry. For instance, in 5G technology, smart contracts can streamline the overall provisioning between the end user and the networks with a blockchain-based solution. For 5G to be implemented securely, the data received by connected devices must be reliable and free from various malicious interference. Further, to enable 5G to reach its full potential and protect against large-scale security breaches, blockchain can deliver decentralized, tamper-proof, and real-time verification of data transmission.
- As per 5G Americas, Solid growth in 5G subscriptions is expected to continue into the foreseeable future, reaching 5 billion subscriptions by the end of 2026. That includes the overall development of 700 million subscriptions from the current to next year and 900 million by next-to-next year.
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Asia Pacific to Witness the Highest Growth
- The Asia-Pacific region boasts tremendous potential for the market, primarily owing to the growing prominence of mobile payments in countries such as India and China. India, specifically after the demonetization scheme, has witnessed many telecom operators shifting toward this model. For instance, Jio and Airtel, the country's leading telcos, offer digital wallets to enable customer-to-customer payments. Thus, the adoption of blockchain to handle the transactions by these companies could make their wallets more secure and cheaper, driving the market significantly.
- China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom have joined the CAICT's Trusted Blockchain Initiative, which would use blockchain technology to bolster operations and security in the telecom industry. The companies are expected to focus on blockchain-based apps that relate to IoT data sharing and customer identity verification.
- Further, as the world is currently embroiled in a privacy debate over WhatsApp's policy changes, India's communication platform as a service (CPaaS) industry has been gearing up for the adoption of end-to-end encryption of commercial mobile SMSes, emails, and all other types of business communication between the enterprises and service providers.
- For instance, next year, CPaaS provider Tanla Platforms, in partnership with Microsoft, launched its edge-to-edge global blockchain network called Wisely, which was made for sending encrypted SMSes directly from enterprises to the telecom operators, which the company also claims to disrupt the existing aggregator model of commercial communication.
- In Japan, too, startups are developing blockchain solutions that enable secure smartphone-based money transfers that do not require formal banking documentation. For instance, a Japanese startup Telcoin leverages blockchain to facilitate telecommunication operators to provide money transfer services. Telcoin Wallet, built on the Ethereum blockchain, allows mobile users to make global transfers instantly, irrespective of local mobile service providers. Hence, adopting a standardized blockchain platform will help operators fully realize the technology's value and pave the path for faster adoption within the region, driving the market's growth significantly.
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