Analysts with Juniper Research predicted a significant expansion in the volume of mobile data handled in the cloud, in turn providing operators with the opportunity to boost the quality of 5G networks.

The research company expects the volume to grow from 700,000 PB this year to 2.8 million PB in 2028, spurred by operators employing cloud infrastructure to improve network efficiency.

Juniper Research predicted operators will reap particular benefit from dynamic resource provisioning, an automation process enabling networks to be tweaked to prevent congestion “in near real-time”.

Analysts urged operators to combine “dynamic resource provisioning with other forms of network automation and resource management to ensure a unified approach”.

“This will be critical to maximising network efficiency and performance”.

Juniper Research believes the energy and smart city sectors are primary target markets for cloud-based 5G networks in terms of revenue potential, arguing operators “must exploit” the verticals’ position as critical infrastructure where reliability is the watchword.

Research analyst Alex Webb, who authored a related Juniper Research report, said combining “increased reliability with improved latency and throughput” will be essential elements if operators are to charge premium prices for their services.

Webb added operators can also use network slicing as a selling point when targeting vertical sectors.