The data WAN (wide area network) market remains hyper-competitive in the UK and a sudden increase in demand has sprung up as GenAI applications and proofs of concept were rolled out last year, according to an analysis of data WAN service providers to enterprise customers in the country conducted by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Robert Pritchard, Principal Analyst, Enterprise Technology & Services at GlobalData, comments: “Data WANs are what power the UK’s enterprises and public sector organizations – they are the lifeblood of the economy and the backbone of business and society. Intense competition in the market comes from challengers offering lower prices and closer customer engagement. Incumbent BT still the largest in terms of market share.”
GlobalData analysis of the market finds that service providers focus on providing enterprise customers with greater control and automation of aspects of service, including routing, new orders, and ongoing management to match the agility they require to support their own commercial goals. These features are enabled by APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and customer portals for self-service – which also saves service providers time and money through digital automation.
Pritchard observes: “Enterprises enjoy a wide choice of data WAN services which meet their particular needs, from ‘fat pipes’ between sites or into cloud service providers, to reliable connectivity to branch sites, home offices, or nomadic workers. This constant connectivity means that work activities can be optimized and efficient. It also caters to the growing flexibility of work as an activity rather than a location.”
GlobalData analysis also finds that security and reliability and back-up solutions play a key part across all types of data network connectivity, backed of course, by service level guarantees with stringent targets.
Pritchard continues: “The sudden explosion of GenAI late last year has added a largely unexpected demand increase on wide area data networks – and not just into hyperscaler data centers. GenAI impacts networks wherever data analysis takes place – and that can equally well be at a campus, at headquarters, at a manufacturing site, and even on the road.”
Pritchard concludes: “The immediate future for the data WAN market in the UK looks promising, with GenAI-boosted growth from the demand side, and a wide choice of service providers keeping this market super-competitive when it comes to pricing and customer service levels.”
