Strategy
Deloitte picks TMT runners and riders to back this year
Deloitte’s latest annual report on the telecoms, media and technology product markets tells property where it should be putting its time and money in the months ahead…
5G
Fifth-generation cellular mobile networks will arrive at scale this year. There are 25 operators around the world expected to launch 5G services in their territories.
According to Deloitte, 5G is the connectivity technology of the future – even if its adoption curve may be relatively shallow in the next 12 to 24 months. The firm predicts that it will likely take years for 5G to replicate 4G’s marketplace dominance, in the same way that it took several years for 4G to displace 3G.
Further reading: Vodafone’s 5G trial in Salford, the West Midlands became the first multi-city 5G bed, and the UK government launched a search for companies who can provide guidance on how to bring 5G technology to the UK’s railways.
Click to expand infographic
Artificial Intelligence
Companies will accelerate their usage of cloud-based artificial intelligence software and services to manage and manipulate data, typically on deals and portfolios in property.
Companies that adopt AI technology face a choice between using established cloud-based software developed by someone else, or employing programmers to create bespoke AI applications which plug into the cloud.
Cloud is the driver that will accelerate AI implementation, generate better return on investment, and spark higher spending. Importantly, this means we will see the democratisation of AI capabilities – and benefits – that had previously been the preserve of early adopters.
Examples of progress: Google invested in AI proptech startup Ask Porter, JLL created an AI bot for residential lettings, and Knight Frank trialled AI software.
Click to expand infographic
Smart speakers
The market for internet-connected speakers with integrated digital assistants will be worth £5.6bn in 2019; more than 164m units will be sold, at an average selling price of £34.
Deloitte believes that in the long term, the number of smart speakers in the workplace might exceed that in homes, and the value of the tasks they do may be orders of magnitude greater than playing music or checking the weather.
Click to expand infographic
3D printing
3D printing’s growth phase is likely to return in 2019. Deloitte predicts that sales related to 3D printing by large public companies, including enterprise 3D printers, materials, and services, will surpass £2.1bn in 2019 and £2.4bn in 2020.
The sector is poised to grow at approximately 12.5% in each of those years, more than double its growth rate just a few years ago.
3D printers are unlikely to replace traditional manufacturing techniques, as in many cases 3D printing – it is still more expensive per part than using traditional machines. However, there are parts that can only be made with 3D printing, such as complex shapes, as well as situations in which part volumes are so low that neither traditional nor subtractive manufacturing is optimal.
Examples of progress: First 3D home printed using only natural materials and Dubai announced 25% of new homes will be 3D-printed by 2025.
Click to expand infographic
Read Deloitte’s 2019 UK TMT predictions report
Related Articles
Comment
Tackling sick building syndrome: technology’s role
In 2023, as low as 43% of office occupancy is the new normal. This is widely seen as the after-effect of the pandemic and the shift towards hybrid or remote work, writes Melis Karabulut of Spaceflow. Yet, here is another reason why employees may not be willing to return to the office that landlords neglect: the sick building syndrome.
Markets
Pi Labs unveils latest cohort
Global VC Pi Labs has kicked off its 2023 Growth Programme, backing five early-stage start-ups that have developed technological solutions that are expected to positively impact the way businesses and societies interact with the built world.