UC&C18 Oct 2019 · 5 min read

5G and SD-WAN will Unlock Communications' True Potential

The communications industry is in a state of rapid transformation, driven by the arrival of countless new and improved technologies

Rob Scott

The communications industry is in a state of rapid transformation, driven by the arrival of countless new and improved technologies. It's not just things like AI and IoT that's leading the way to the business world of tomorrow, Telecommunications providers are also exploring opportunities in the form of enhanced connectivity too. For instance, 5G combined with SD-WAN has the potential to revolutionise various industries, by offering faster connections, reduced delays, and greater connectivity for all users.

Olive, one of the leading managed service providers of state-of-the-art technology solutions for communication vendors, network operators, and IT vendors, believes that 5G and SD-WAN will help to unlock the true potential of the communications industry in the years to come. I caught up with Andrew Jane, the Chief Technology Officer of Olive, to find out more.

New Horizons

[caption id="attachment_24392" align="alignright" width="200"] Andrew Jane[/caption]

Andrew is a veteran in the communications space, with many years of background working with leading brands. He spent over 20 years working with Mitel as the Group Director of Advanced Technical operations, helping to develop the growth of the cloud technology roadmap, and support the evolution of the company. Andrew's responsibilities included the management of everything from the product line, to various crucial merger and acquisition projects.

Although his time with Mitel afforded Jane a lot of great opportunities for growth and development, he decided to take a new opportunity with Olive simply because he knew that the market was changing. "I knew there was a need in the communications space for technology that could bring all the parts of the ecosystem together. It wasn't possible for me to explore that with Mitel, because of their focus on a single ecosystem. However, with Olive, I could step into a new journey."

Andy also told me that working with Olive allowed him to get connected to communications customers again. He can see the customer experience a lot better now and focus on driving a significant impact for users.

Exceptional Experiences Though In-depth Integrations

Andrew's passion for Olive as a managed cloud communications company made me keen to learn more about the brand and what it can offer. Jane told me that the journey that the company has been on since day one has been very impressive. The organisation started as a mobile-first business, before switching into the cloud. "If you think about it, there's a lot of connections between the cloud SaaS model and mobile, so it was a seamless transition."

Andrew noted that one of the biggest things that makes Olive different is the culture behind the business. However, the journey that the brand has taken, and the platform itself is worth mentioning too. Olive is a managed service provider that offers an exciting cloud solution via SaaS and mobile cloud. "You can take an Olive cloud platform, pull in Vodafone, Mitel, Microsoft and third-party vendors, and give customers a complete single pane of glass experience. This means that we can deliver amazing experiences through in-depth integrations."

Disruptive Technology

Olive has certainly seen a great deal of transformation since Andrew Jane joined the team, driven by the evolving marketplace. I was interested to hear about the major trends leading the space for Olive today. According to Andrew, Olive is renowned for their customer experience and interaction systems, but UC is the foundational layer behind all of their technology.

"What we do differently is look at the needs of the customer and adjust the technology to suit them. We're not trying to just sell a prebuilt solution to customers"

Although Andrew acknowledged that disruptive technology like AI and IoT are crucial in the market, he thinks that they're still in their infancy stage. On the other hand, the marketplace is seeing a more significant impact from consolidation, partnerships, and the rise of new go-to-market strategies like SaaS. "All that will continue into 2020, I think. Then, you've got the 5G piece, which is something we're focusing on heavily with Vodafone right now."

5G and SD-WAN will be Transformational

Going forward, the density of 5G available in the UK is likely to increase. There's a good chance that we'll see a significant growth in the number of service providers that can offer this kind of solution. "5G can deliver better latency, higher speeds, and better experiences to all businesses." Just as the internet and the acquisition of better broadband solutions has helped the business world to grow to the point that we're at today, 5G could have a transformational effect on the mobile space.

Particularly in the age of the remote and mobile workforce, the outcomes of 5G could be incredible. Today's users require a greater amount of freedom on the devices that they carry with them every day. 5G is very powerful in this regard. Andrew also noted that if companies layer SD-WAN into the mix too, then they could encounter even more benefits.

"Although SD-WAN might not make a huge difference to mobile connections, you can use it to determine how you want to run your network, taking an alternative route to the use of BT and other tools"

According to Andrew, the difference in experience that users can get from 5G is profound; he told me that if he could access 5G in his offices right now, he would switch immediately. Going forward, Olive plans to continue investing in 5G, SD-WAN, and other future-proofing technologies. "We're always looking for new ways to grow and innovate."

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