Wireless Value Realization has been listed as part of the Gartner 2023 Trends. The rise of this value center stems from a series of key wireless technologies like 5G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, among others. However, the potential to connect and combine these capabilities has never been greater.
By 2025, “Gartner expects 50% of enterprise wireless endpoints will use networking services that deliver additional capabilities beyond communication, up from less than 15%” (Gartner). In this article, we’ll define what Wireless Value Realization means for modern business and address challenges enterprises may face in making this trend a reality.
What is Wireless Value Realization?
Wireless value realization refers to the process of achieving the expected benefits or value from wireless technologies and services, such as increased productivity, improved efficiency, enhanced communication, and greater convenience. It involves identifying, assessing, and measuring the impact of wireless solutions on the organization, and optimizing usage to maximize value. This can include factors such as cost savings, revenue growth, customer satisfaction, and overall business performance.
The trend toward wirelesses capabilities is not new. Many sectors have relied on the increased visibility provided by the Internet of Things (IoT) and internet connected devices. What has changed is the capacity for individual devices to leverage enchanted capabilities, such as edge computing, and how business capture this opportunity to enable new services and innovation will determine the value they access.
Tim Zimmerman, Gartner VP Analyst, says “as wireless will not only be a multitechnology medium, it can also be used to sense the environment, provide power where it did not exist and find assets as well as locate people in distress. Wireless can monitor workers to provide a safer environment or optimize the movement of critical assets” (Gartner).
Technologies that make wireless value realization possible:
- Wireless networks: These are the backbone of wireless communications, enabling devices to connect and communicate with each other over the airwaves. Examples include Wi-Fi, cellular networks, and satellite communications.
- Mobile devices: Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices are essential for wireless value realization, as they enable users to access data, communicate with others, and perform a wide range of tasks on the go.
- Internet of Things (IoT): IoT refers to the network of connected devices that are embedded with sensors and software, enabling them to collect and exchange data. This technology is increasingly being used in industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation to improve efficiency and productivity.
- Cloud computing: Cloud computing enables organizations to store, manage, and access data and applications over the internet, without the need for on-site infrastructure. This technology is essential for supporting mobile and remote workers, as well as enabling data analysis and other business processes.
- Artificial intelligence (AI): AI technologies such as machine learning and natural language processing are increasingly being used to automate tasks, personalize user experiences, and gain insights from data. These technologies can help organizations optimize their use of wireless solutions and improve their overall performance.
A Wireless Enabled Tomorrow
Wireless value realization represents an emerging trend that increases the use cases that utilize current wireless technology breakthroughs. These advances have particular relevance for bandwidth, range, and power consumption.
Two main trends are driving the development of wireless technology. When fundamental communication of wireless capacities advances, a significantly larger range of tasks are made possible than in the past. Additionally, wireless is expanding beyond simple communication to include features that lay the groundwork for future digital innovation in areas like:
- Location tracking: The majority of widely used wireless technologies can determine where connected endpoints are.
- Radar sensing: Numerous wireless networking systems can be set up with capabilities akin to radar, where the location of an endpoint communicating with the network is determined.
- Value added services: New wireless use cases are being made possible by a variety of value-added services being added to technologies, such as Wi-Fi and cellular, including vehicle-to-vehicle communications, broadcast, multicast, and media-specific capabilities.
- Growing ubiquity: In particular, when propelled by cellular rollouts and the emergence of constellations of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites providing internet and IoT access to sparsely populated areas.
- Ultra-low-power wireless systems: Battery-free operation is now possible with protocols like Bluetooth and NFC thanks to wireless energy harvesting. This will make it possible to track and tag things in new ways.
Roadblocks to Wireless Value Realization
While many companies may have made initial investments in some of the technologies that enable wireless capabilities, creating the synergy across processes, new capabilities and innovations that are at the heart of wireless value realization is not without challenges. Here are a few examples the challenges businesses must navigate:
- Security: Wireless solutions can be vulnerable to security breaches, which can compromise sensitive data and disrupt business operations. It is important for organizations to implement robust security measures, such as encryption and access controls, to protect their wireless networks and devices.
- Interoperability: With so many different wireless technologies and devices in use, achieving interoperability can be a challenge. Organizations need to ensure that their wireless solutions are compatible with existing infrastructure and devices, and that they can communicate effectively with each other.
- Reliability: Wireless networks can be prone to interference, signal loss, and other disruptions, which can impact the reliability of wireless solutions. Organizations need to ensure that their wireless solutions are designed and implemented to provide reliable and consistent performance.
- Cost: Implementing wireless solutions can be expensive, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. Organizations need to carefully assess the costs and benefits of wireless solutions, and ensure that they are getting a good return on investment.
- Adoption and Training: The adoption of wireless technologies among employees or customers may be challenging, requiring additional training to understand how to use the new system. Adoption of the new solution may also require a change in the culture of the organization, which can also be a challenge.
- Scalability: As wireless technologies and their applications continue to expand and evolve, organizations need to ensure that their wireless solutions are scalable and can accommodate future growth and changing business needs.
Building a Roadmap to Wireless Value
It is helpful to remember that wireless value realization is an emerging trend, and the pathway to success is being defined as companies discover new use cases. However, considering the success of this initiative is not so different from current efforts that enable innovation-based value.
A company can take steps toward wireless value realization by constructing a roadmap that follows these key steps as they apply to each business model:
- Define the goals and objectives: The first step is to define the business goals and objectives that the wireless solution is intended to achieve. This could include improving operational efficiency, enhancing customer service, or increasing revenue.
- Identify the key performance indicators (KPIs): Once the goals and objectives are defined, it is important to identify the KPIs that will be used to measure the success of the wireless solution. This could include metrics such as cost savings, revenue growth, customer satisfaction, or employee productivity.
- Assess the current state: Before implementing a wireless solution, it is important to assess the current state of the organization’s infrastructure, processes, and people. This will help identify any gaps or areas for improvement that need to be addressed.
- Design and implement the wireless solution: Based on the goals, KPIs, and current state assessment, the wireless solution can be designed and implemented. This could involve selecting the right technology and infrastructure, developing policies and procedures, and training employees.
- Monitor and measure the results: Once the wireless solution is implemented, it is important to continuously monitor and measure the results against the KPIs. This will help identify any areas that need improvement and enable the organization to optimize the use of the wireless solution.
- Continuously improve: Finally, the organization should continuously improve the wireless solution by incorporating feedback from employees and customers, adapting to changing business needs, and staying up-to-date with the latest technology trends.
