The technology is moving at a very fast pace with new ideas and products being announced almost every day. As matter of fact, the number of new products and technologies being announced every month is making it hard to keep track of changes even in one particular technology/industry segment. Now if you are required to keep track of multiple areas like big data, wireless, networking, mobile or security, you need a team of experts to read and analyze all the data.

Even if you are able to read all the material that comes to your desk, it is possible to miss the trend. Fortunately, the expert team at IEEE ComSoc has put all the efforts in gathering data and analyze technology trends for 2015. The below is a summary of the findings.

They have looked at topics such as 5G, cybersecurity, green communications, virtualization, cognitive networks, IoT, smartphones and connected devices, molecular communications, NetNeutrality, Internet governance and fiber everywhere.

Here is the list of major technology trends and “must-watch” areas for year 2015. For more info refer to the detailed article at the bottom.

#1 Search for 5G :

There is a lot of innovative work that is being done in this area and look for more interesting research in this area. Increasing use of smart phones is putting all the pressure on current networks and there is search for higher wireless data speeds and capacity.

5G will not only be about a new air interface with faster speeds, but it will also address network congestion, energy efficiency, cost, reliability, and connection to billions of people and devices. In 2015, we will get more concrete answers about: (1) what is 5G; (2) what disruptive technologies are shaping 5G; (3) how fast is 5G; and (4) what will be different in 5G networks, devices and connections. With a 2020 commercialization horizon, this will be the year when we move from concepts to technology trials and standards development.

#2 VIRTUALIZATION, SDN & NFV

The broad theme of virtualization, software defined networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) will continue to be refined further. NFV is a network architecture concept that proposes using IT virtualization related technologies to virtualize entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that may be connected, or chained, to create communication services. Expect these technologies in 2015 for transforming network computing platforms as well as the architecture of Today’s communication networks.

#3 INTELIGENT NETWORKS & BIG DATA

With IOT, embedded devices and connected homes the big data analysis trend will continue to dominate the research and products in 2015. Global IP backbone generates over 20 nillion records per day creating over 1 TB new data every day. Processing this amount of data in real time needs new technologies and intelligence in the networks. The network can’t be just dumb pipes without intelligence.

In 2014 we witnessed emergence of sophisticated analytics and probabilistic methods of processing end-users and network data. This trend will continue in 2015 with further developments of context information residing in the network to decide on things such as the real-time price of a service or app. Expect some interesting technology announcements in this area.

#4 INTERCONNECTING IoT & IoE

The last few years have seen explosive growth of connectable, wearable and attachable devices. There are plethora of devices such as smart fit to smart co detector in homes. The problem is that none of these devices work with one another or have any synergies. There are no defined standards for these devices.

So, expect major work in the direction of creating some inter operability standards of these billions of devices.

#5 SMARTER SMARTPHONES, CONNECTED SENSORS

With Smart Phones maturing as a communication and camera device, the key will be to add other functionality to the mobile devices.

Experts predict that disruptive device trends in 2015 will not be limited to the smartphone. Mobile tablets, connected sensors and body-worn wearables will also be disrupted. Devices will also continue to find their way into our vehicles (smartcards), into our urban areas (smartcity) and, into our infrastructure (smartgrid). Proof of concept and initial commercialization is expected in areas such as autonomous vehicles, advanced robots, remote infrastructure management and virtual personal assistants.

# 6 NETWORK NEUTRALITY, INTERNET GOVERNANCE

The Federal Communications Commission is about to fundamentally change the way it oversees high-speed Internet service, proposing to regulate it as a public utility. That will significantly impact how large operators and service providers will be able to charge and regulate the traffic, Don’t expect the service providers to give up without a fight.

Another connected issue is how the Internet will be managed. In September the U.S. Commerce Department’s contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will end, and plans to transition control over to governments or to an international organization are underway. The industry is hoping for a resolution that facilitates a fair and neutral administration of the global Internet.

#7 FIBER EVERYWHERE, GIGABIT AND CARRIER ETHERNET

The year 2014 saw a lot of Fibre to the home (FTTH) deployment bringing unprecedented speeds to the home of many US consumers. The trend will continue to expand in 2015. In

In the backbone network, the Carrier Ethernet trend is well underway and it will continue to make inroads in 2015 towards 100/400G switching hardware deployments, and around Tb/s of bandwidth.

#8 CYBER SECURITY & CYBER DEFENSE

Year 2014 was a year where major US retailers realized that they need cyber security. If something can be hacked, it will be hacked. Unfortunately, most infrastructure at major companies is still vulnerable and can be easily hacked by the attackers.

Unfortunately, the abundance of security tools and software hasn’t solved the problem due the reasons that are out of scope here. So, expect vendors to announce new tools and software for perimeter defense, security audits, encryption etc. to further sell new hardware and software in 2015. Especially interesting will be the tools for secure Mobile device integration and BYOD support.

#9 MOLECULAR COMMUNICATIONS

Molecular communication is an emerging paradigm where bio-nanomachines (e.g., artificial cells, genetically engineered cells) perform coordinated actions. It mimics communication mechanisms in biology such as communications among micro-organisms. The advantages provided by this “molecular” approach to communications are size, biocompatibility, and biostability. Major applications will be in bio-medical and drug delivery systems.

Many major universities around the world are exploring the new frontiers and conferences are seeing some ground breaking new research on molecular communications, The trend will continue to go stronger in 2015.

#10 GREEN COMMUNICATIONS

We saw emergence of wireless charging on 2014 and expect more devices to embed such technologies. Power consumed by servers and routers around the world has a major carbon imprint. So, expect companies to develop new means of reducing power or using renewable sources such as solar panels to run some if not all connectable devices and nodes.

For more detailed article refer to goo.gl/rOYwnE