Deloitte India has announced the “Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions 2020”. The India report was released by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP (DTTILLP) and predicts the upcoming trends in the TMT space.

The predictions highlighted in the report for Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sector are aligned with the recently launched Deloitte Global TMT Predictions 2020.

The India report focuses on six key topics -

1.    Robots on the move: Professional service robots set for double-digit growth

2.    The smartphone multiplier: Toward a trillion-dollar economy

3.    Private 5G networks: Enterprise untethered

4.    Coming to a CDN near you: Videos, games, and much, much more

5.    Ad-supported video: Will the United States follow Asia’s lead?

6.    Cycling’s technological transformation: Making bicycling faster, easier, and safer

Robots to be new colleagues of humans; electric mobility to be the new trend

In India, due to low penetration of automation in the manufacturing industry, industrial robotics is all set to drive the growth and provide reliable automation in the industry. The demand is going to be generated by the automobile and general industry including metal and electronics industry. Professional service robot market in India is yet to take off, but trends project maximum scope of growth which can dominate the robotics sector in India.

India is also a growth market for software-based robot assistance like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), cognitive, and AI-driven process automation. More than 50% GICs are based out of India; with a large industry footprint in the country, India is an ideal location to drive growth due to factors contributing to it such as ‘process proximity and familiarity’ and ‘availability of skilled resources’.

 On the launch of the report, P.N Sudarshan, Partner, Deloitte India commented, “In 2020, industrial, professional and software robotics are set to grow. The success of industrial automation will result in a paradigm shift in the manufacturing industry. We will also start to witness the convergence of new technologies with emergence of 5G promising to provide a better connectivity and integration of newer, smarter technologies.”

In our endeavour to reduce the dependence of fossil fuels and providing affordable and environmentally friendly public transportation options, Electric Vehicles (EV) are expected to play an important role, with their potential for higher energy efficiency, lower emissions and greater energy diversity. In our electrification journey, it is likely that the mass transportation segment lead by two wheelers and three wheelers would spur the growth and development of the broader electric mobility ecosystem in the country, given their favorable economics in terms of lower operational and maintenance costs. E-cycles too, have the potential to play an important role in enabling last mile connectivity for mass rapid transit networks, public transportation, and hyper-local delivery, where a cost-effective and hassle-free mobility solution is more suitable.

The new trend in the digital advertising space; CDN to be major players in the digital content space -

India perhaps is one of the few markets in the world where digital advertising accounts for relatively less - 19% of total estimated Adex value of around USD 10 Billion, lower than the contribution of Print (29%) and Television (39%) advertising. Deloitte predicts the digital advertisement space will grow by 30% Year on Year in 2020 with mobile advertising contributing 70% of the digital ad revenue, primarily due to growth in video content consumption and increased awareness of the benefits of programmatic advertising.

Due to existing subsidization, ad - supported platforms will be able to target a larger market and reach larger MAUs. These platforms are in the process of convincing advertisers to shift some of the TV ad budgets to streaming video by placing forward innovative ad models and personalized content.

Over-the-top (OTT) video has seen a rapid growth in both demand and supply. Content development and production, partnerships with OTTs and audio / video on demand players, devices have either developed Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) or have partnered with leading CDNs. India currently has an audience base of 350 Million and is predicted to grow to 500 Million in 2020. This will give an expected rise to mobile data traffic at a CAGR of 40% to reach 5.5 exabytes per month in 2021 and video is likely to contribute to 75% of this data traffic. Out of the 75% new video audience, rural India is expected to drive the growth of the digital content.

Jehil Thakkar, Partner, Deloitte India said, “We have witnessed the demand and supply of OTT platform content growing, combined with India’s online viewership to touch 500 Million. In 2020, the growth is going to be steady and now Content Distribution Networks will want a slice of the market.”

Convergence of content creators, content providers, CDNs, telecom service providers and device manufacturers to deliver a seamless and personalized experience is bound to hold all participating parties in good stead. This is a good time to be a consumer in the Indian market because of the availability of more options, improvement in quality and quantity of content, and attractive pricing driven by competition.

Telecoms focus on 5G ecosystem beyond connectivity and more into collaboration; smartphone accessory sector to become more organized -

5G private network deployments would be preferred connectivity choice of world’s largest enterprises. These enterprises are very likely to deploy private 5G networks driven largely by ultra-reliable, high speed and low latency connectivity features.

This deployment would act as the largest differentiation from the crowd and provide operators an opportunity to deliver reliable networks to end customers. Private networks application and installation will be adopted across industries like manufacturing, mining, healthcare in large campuses and designated locations.

Adoption of 5G in India will open new doors for innovation leading to the development of inclusive and indigenous technologies by building R&D capabilities, developing home grown intellectual property across the telecom value chain, cross-sector convergence and design-led manufacturing.

Sathish Gopalaiah, Partner, Deloitte India said, “Due to the imminent emergence of 5G in India we will see a huge change in the demand with reference to the telecom sector. Telecommunication companies are gearing up to provide private networks to relevant industries and campuses. Due to this, it is anticipated that penetration of digital content will be growing with the help of 5G technology and will also give rise to new business models and innovation. 5G also promises to provide better connectivity to customers and to enable and integrate technologies.”

In 2020, it is also expected that a few of the largest elements of smartphone multipliers in India are to be hardware accessories, mobile advertising, and financial services. The mobile accessories market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% and the total revenue potential for this sector is pegged at USD 3.6 Billion in 2023. More than 70% of the industry is estimated to be unorganized and this indicates a massive opportunity for all the committed brands to strengthen their foothold.