All mobile network operators face the challenge of improving their customer service without driving up OPEX, but for those in emerging markets this is an even greater priority since customers may be less comfortable with mobile technology than those in more established markets.

If Big Data’s technological potential for new services enablement reached a peak of expectations during last year, 2014’s focus will rely on big data monetization.

This year will certainly be an interesting year – besides the worldwide trend of more bandwidth to users through network densification, from our perspective in Africa the networks will continue their expansions, but place much more emphasis on increasing their return from customers.

2014 will be the year that a number of technologies gain traction in emerging markets.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, the technology enabling a global mobile Internet of Things, is booming and will continue to attract investment in 2014.

In markets where there is a dominant mobile operator, it is likely that the industry will begin to see wholesale LTE networks being launched in order to address any concerns the operator has regarding the roll out of rural mobile broadband coverage and to assist with the ability to allocate spectrum fairly.

Despite a few predictions that demand for satellite would start to drop away as the amount of operational fibre in Africa increased, the opposite has occurred.

In 2014 social media and locally-generated content and services using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, YouTube and other IP content providers will drive an explosion in both Internet traffic and broadband penetration in Africa.

In 2014, JDSU predicts a focus on the notion of self-organization in the mobile backhaul network. 

2014 will be a defining year for LTE as many more operators in developing markets launch their LTE services, including two anticipated launches in India.

Mobile technology has caused a leapfrog phenomenon in emerging markets, bolstering the consumer at the center of their daily commerce – enabling them to choose how, when and what to purchase from any location.

The newest focus in the wireless industry globally is LTE. GSMA Intelligence expects the number of LTE connections worldwide to pass one billion by 2017.

Scale. It’s the eternal new years resolution, and I’m not talking about losing weight.

There are a number of trends that have the potential to significantly impact telecoms.

2014 will be a breakthrough year for LTE in emerging markets. Where deployed it will begin to have a real impact, dramatically increasing the speed of mobile internet and helping to expand new markets.

With the growing number of affordable smartphones and other mobile computing devices in Africa, more and more people in the region are using them for social networking, Internet browsing and e-mail, online gaming and video viewing applications.

We have invested billions of dollars in infrastructure into and within emerging markets over the past 7 to 8 years. Our priority is now to fully leverage these investments and provide our global enterprise customers with end-to-end managed services.

2013 saw service providers under serious pressure to differentiate themselves from competitors and deliver innovative new services, whilst also striving to simplify the customer experience, harness big data and optimise operations.