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Ciena surveys African CSPs for optimism towards AI and network performance
A global study commissioned by Ciena , sheds light on communications service providers , CSPs growing optimism toward Artificial Intelligence , AI . More than half of telecom and IT engineers surveyed believe the use of AI will improve network operational efficiency by 40 % or more . In addition , an overwhelming 85 % of respondents , 94.4 % of respondents in Egypt , UAE , Saudi Arabia express confidence in CSPs ’ ability to monetise AI traffic across networks .
The research was conducted by Ciena in collaboration with Censuswide , surveying more than 1,500 telecom and IT engineers and managers at CSPs in 17 countries across the globe , including Egypt , UAE , Saudi Arabia .
A key theme from the study is the opinion that AI will enhance network performance . To achieve this , participants believe new solutions across fibre network infrastructure and operations will be required .
According to the study , the most popular strategies believed to improve performance include upgrading networks with new traffic and network analysis software , selected by 49 % of respondents , along with upgrades in switches and routers , 43 %, and investment in 800G technology , 40 %.
This underscores the multi-faceted approach operators are adopting to bolster network capabilities . In fact , almost all , 99 % respondents believe they will need to upgrade fibre-optic networks to support more AI traffic .
Globally , CSPs believe the sectors that will generate the most AI traffic , and therefore revenue opportunities , are financial services , 46 %, followed by media and entertainment , 43 %, and manufacturing , 38 %. In the Middle East , Education , 50 % ranked in the top three verticals that would generate the most AI traffic across networks , behind Financial Services , 55 % and tied with Manufacturing , 50 %, higher than the global average .
Respondents also see multiple avenues to generate revenue from AI . Specifically , 40 % believe it will be from opening their networks to third-party integrations ; 37 % believe revenue will come from security and privacy services ; the same number , 37 % believe it will come from new product offerings ; 35 % believe it will be from the creation of tailored subscription packages ; and 34 % believe revenue will be from differentiation on quality of service for connectivity .
Survey sample includes Egypt , UAE , Saudi Arabia . Source Ciena .
The research highlights the critical role of cloud in supporting and utilising AI across networks . 43 % of CSPs , 30 % of CSPs in the Middle East favour private cloud deployment for AI services , while 37 %
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