Asia Express - Mobile Communications
The Global ICT Industry to See Radical Changes in 2017: MIC
December 05, 2016

AI (Artificial intelligence), commercial drones, IoT (Internet of Things), AR (Augmented Reality)/VR(Virtual Reality), and 360-degree panoramas are expected to re-shuffle the landscape of the global ICT industry in 2017, said MIC (Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute) in a press conference on December 1. As Google, Microsoft, IBM and other vendors aggressively deploy and open platform resources, AI is expected to add more value to IoT services and accelerate its progress. While China-based DJI (Dajiang Innovations) has dominated 70% of the global consumer drone market, AT&T and Intel are also cutting into this market. With the advancement in network connectivity, imaging, and sensor technologies, commercial drones are anticipated to become important applications in various industry verticals. Compared to VR technology, which has been applied in film-making, learning, and gaming, AR will play an important role in business and other light applications, creating a new "aCommerce" (AR Commerce). Finally, MIC pointed out that business opportunities for 360-degree panoramic photos and their applications will be unleashed within two years, thanks to the breakthroughs in image stitching technologies, commercial panoramic cameras, and the popularity of digital content and social platforms.