It has been pointed out that, like 2020, 2025 starts on a Wednesday. Meaning the first three days of the year initial out to WTF. Obviously that means nothing (hopefully this ages well), but there are a couple of other initialisms and - you know, full words - that I think will mean big things in the year ahead. Here’s my predictions for what’s going to be the chat of the channel in 2025.
PSTN
Ok, so the big switch off itself may not be happening until 2027, but there’s a lot to do in the meantime, and 2025’s going to be the year to do it. There’s a big opportunity for the channel in the switch off, especially with recent research showing that only 18% of small businesses and 26% of large businesses currently have a post-PSTN solution in place.
If you’ve got customers in the market for a VoIP or UC solution, and you’re looking for a provider who can do the connectivity, networking, comms package and security in one, now’s a good time to talk to us. Which leads me to my next point…
Vendor consolidation
With businesses now relying on third party providers and SaaS for a majority of business apps and processes, they’re looking to simplify wherever possible, and we’re seeing this more with our partner base too. Having one supplier that can do more brings obvious benefits: better oversight, more streamlined comms, more accountability and less finger pointing if something goes wrong.
With businesses increasingly taking OTT services direct from tech providers, traditional telecom resellers may struggle to add value and maintain margin. Which may mean we’ll see increased consolidation within the channel too, as resellers and integrators look to diversify offerings to compete with the OTT providers. Larger partners will continue to buy up smaller resellers in an effort to diversify, and telecoms providers (much like ourselves) will continue to build stronger managed service portfolios so we can better support our partners.
AI
I know, I know. But it obviously needed an inclusion! There is such huge potential in AI for network maintenance and management. From anomaly detection to process automation - the opportunity is huge. This is one area where we’re keen to explore further. We’re already an Elite partner for Juniper MIST, for monitoring and optimising the network, and we’re excited to see how else we can put AI to work across our managed services. As we move further towards IoT and the need to support exponential growth in edge devices, AI edge-computing holds the opportunity to help us process data faster, locally. Which could be hugely beneficial to time critical and sensitive decision making.
Partner experience
Larger carriers have increasingly been offloading partners over the last few years, meaning there are new faces in the market place to speak to and develop long lasting relationships with. Relationships that are founded on a more collaborative approach. This is good news for the channel - opening up opportunities to create more meaningful carrier relationships where you can actually get your voice heard and drive product development.
Since the pandemic, face to face time’s fallen. But it’s more important than ever that we get to know each other better, recommit in a more personal way, and build a community where we’re proactively exchanging support and opportunities.
Increased fibre availability
Project Gigabit, private sector investment and businesses’ bandwidth demand are all driving increased fibre availability in the channel, and this will only accelerate in 2025 as the PSTN switch off draws ever closer too. Ofcom’s Connected Nations report found that 69% of UK premises now have access to full fibre, up from 57% in September 2023. And that means big opportunities for the channel. Greater reach, more chances to diversify, and an increasingly robust foundation for value added services.
Backup and diversity
It’s a well-trodden trope that businesses need more bandwidth than ever, and that organisational systems and successes are hugely dependent on the internet. But with the proliferation of AI, SaaS, cloud and remote working, this is more true now than ever. And it’s time businesses start looking towards the network infrastructure to make sure it’s not only not overburdened, but future proof. Truly, connectivity needs to be always on - and the only way to reliably, concretely achieve this is through diversity of access options. For us, that means fibre and wireless, and we’ll continue to build out our footprints across both to ensure businesses get the continuity, reliability and security they need.
I love chatting about things like this and where Elevate Wholesale can go next. But, as always, we’ll evolve in the direction our partners most want us to go. Please do get in touch if you’d like to discuss joining the Elevate Wholesale community. Or, to be honest, if you’d just like to chat about any of the above!
Will Goodall, Head of Elevate Wholesale
News, views, insight and events from Elevate® Wholesale and across the channel.
