The digital transformation in the UK's telecom sector is rapidly evolving, with technology trends reshaping both customer expectations and the nature of telecom roles. This shift is particularly pronounced in the demand for new, qualified talents in areas such as cloud technology, IoT, and cybersecurity. Key UK telecom companies like Vodafone, British Telecom, O2 (Telefónica), Everything Everywhere (EE), British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) (Sky), and TalkTalk are at the forefront of this change.
The UK telecom market is experiencing significant growth, driven by these technological advancements. Data suggests that there will be continued expansion in this sector, highlighting the importance of adapting to these changes. As such, telecom engineer jobs are evolving, with a greater emphasis on skills related to emerging technologies.
The implementation and expansion of 5G and the upcoming 6G infrastructure are key drivers of the ongoing digital transformation. This development requires network capacity enhancement and reduced latency, thereby necessitating skills in network design and engineering with a focus on IoT. In this context, legacy system knowledge is becoming less relevant.
With the UK's Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, the number of people connected to the network will significantly increase. Additionally, the government plans to develop the telecom infrastructure and has set ambitious targets for the availability of full fibre and 5G networks. By 2025, 15 million premises should be connected to full fibre, with coverage across all parts of the country by 2033. The majority of the population should have 5G coverage by 2027. According to Statista, the market share of 5G-capable smartphones in the United Kingdom is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, from just over two percent in 2019 to over 93 percent of the total smartphone market by 2025.
To meet this demand, telcos will need to increase network capacity, improve data throughput, reduce latency and energy consumption, and develop premium connectivity solutions for specific use cases. Talent with skills in network and spectrum design, network engineering, network innovation, network maintenance monitoring, and IoT will be required.
The digital transformation in the UK's telecom sector is rapidly evolving, with technology trends reshaping both customer expectations and the nature of telecom roles. This shift is particularly pronounced in the demand for new, qualified talents in areas such as cloud technology, IoT, and cybersecurity. Key UK telecom companies like Vodafone, British Telecom, O2 (Telefónica), Everything Everywhere (EE), British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) (Sky), and TalkTalk are at the forefront of this change.
The UK telecom market is experiencing significant growth, driven by these technological advancements. Data suggests that there will be continued expansion in this sector, highlighting the importance of adapting to these changes. As such, telecom engineer jobs are evolving, with a greater emphasis on skills related to emerging technologies.
The implementation and expansion of 5G and the upcoming 6G infrastructure are key drivers of the ongoing digital transformation. This development requires network capacity enhancement and reduced latency, thereby necessitating skills in network design and engineering with a focus on IoT. In this context, legacy system knowledge is becoming less relevant.
With the UK's Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, the number of people connected to the network will significantly increase. Additionally, the government plans to develop the telecom infrastructure and has set ambitious targets for the availability of full fibre and 5G networks. By 2025, 15 million premises should be connected to full fibre, with coverage across all parts of the country by 2033. The majority of the population should have 5G coverage by 2027. According to Statista, the market share of 5G-capable smartphones in the United Kingdom is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, from just over two percent in 2019 to over 93 percent of the total smartphone market by 2025.
To meet this demand, telcos will need to increase network capacity, improve data throughput, reduce latency and energy consumption, and develop premium connectivity solutions for specific use cases. Talent with skills in network and spectrum design, network engineering, network innovation, network maintenance monitoring, and IoT will be required.
Another critical area is edge computing. As the number of internet-connected devices increases, there is a growing need for efficient processing of large amounts of data. This has made skills in system design, engineering, and security increasingly important, with less emphasis on traditional on-site IT roles. Connectivity and edge computing advancements are also driving the demand for expertise in network design, engineering, and data science, which can help in creating efficient and sustainable transportation solutions. According to Gartner, cloud-first adoption will reach 85% for all organizations by early 2025. Cloud technologies enable companies to save costs and optimize data management and processes.
McKinsey's recent survey of 75 telco executives shows that the majority of them are engaging with edge computing, with a quarter of them either already deploying it or actively planning to scale it up. As telcos adopt edge computing, they will face increased costs and require professionals with skills in network design, engineering, innovation, maintenance, database management, and security. The rise of cloud-based solutions, automation, and managed services will reduce the demand for on-site IT setup and maintenance roles.
New approaches to Radio Access Network (RAN) can offer flexibility to telecommunication companies' relationship with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and even reduce physical-asset requirements. These new approaches, collectively known as "xRAN", include open RAN (ORAN), centralized RAN (CRAN), and virtualized RAN (VRAN).
xRAN can improve telecommunication companies' total cost of ownership by providing them with the flexibility to choose different suppliers for different needs, leading to more competitive pricing. Our survey of telecommunication executives indicates a strong interest in ORAN, in particular, with 76 percent of executives at incumbent telecommunication companies and 88 percent of executives at new entrants planning to invest in the new approach.
Telecommunication companies will need agile working professionals, data engineers, cloud professionals, product managers, and DevOps professionals to build solutions and accelerate the transition to xRAN. There will be less need for proprietary hardware knowledge, closed system integration skills, and manual operational capabilities specific to legacy RAN systems.
Other tech trends include Trust Architecture and Digital Identity, Artificial Intelligence, and Quantum Technology.
As digital services expand, so does the importance of trust and privacy. Telcos are investing in zero trust architecture, digital identity, and privacy engineering to win customer trust. They need talents in digital identity development, cybersecurity, automation, and privacy engineering for secure and compliant services. Traditional compliance document reviews are becoming automated.
AI, especially generative AI, is revolutionizing telco operations from network optimization to customer service. Telcos harnessing AI will need skills in interface design, natural language processing, data engineering, data science, and security to drive innovation and protect against cyber threats. The move towards AI-driven infrastructure is reducing manual troubleshooting tasks.
Quantum technology is poised to give telcos a competitive edge within five years. Executives value quantum key distribution for secure communications and data protection. However, quantum computing also poses risks to traditional encryption. To leverage quantum advances for performance and security, telcos require expertise in quantum algorithms, high-performance computing, and network engineering. As quantum technology grows, traditional network optimization skills are becoming outdated.
For UK telecom companies to thrive in this evolving digital landscape, a strategic approach to talent acquisition and retention is essential. This involves aligning talent recruitment with tech trends relevant to the business strategy, evaluating current skills against future needs, and developing a tech talent strategy that includes innovative hiring, training, and retention initiatives.
The scarcity of tech talent remains a challenge, with specialized skills in high demand. Telecoms should consider expanding their talent search to nontraditional sources and locations, ensuring a diverse talent pipeline.
In conclusion, telecoms must actively shape their tech talent strategies, considering long-term needs and the changing technological environment to secure the right workforce for the future. This strategic approach will be crucial for companies to maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving telecom landscape.
The digital transformation in the UK's telecom sector is rapidly evolving, with technology trends reshaping both customer expectations and the nature of telecom roles. This shift is particularly pronounced in the demand for new, qualified talents in areas such as cloud technology, IoT, and cybersecurity. Key UK telecom companies like Vodafone, British Telecom, O2 (Telefónica), Everything Everywhere (EE), British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) (Sky), and TalkTalk are at the forefront of this change.
The UK telecom market is experiencing significant growth, driven by these technological advancements. Data suggests that there will be continued expansion in this sector, highlighting the importance of adapting to these changes. As such, telecom engineer jobs are evolving, with a greater emphasis on skills related to emerging technologies.
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