The UK’s data WAN (wide area network) market remains highly competitive, with a sudden surge in demand following the rollout of GenAI applications and proof-of-concept (PoC) projects last year, according to an analysis conducted by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Robert Pritchard, Principal Analyst, Enterprise Technology & Services at GlobalData, commented, “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.”
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GlobalData’s analysis of the market found that service providers are focusing on providing enterprise customers with greater control and automation of particular services, 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 observed that, “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’s analysis also found that security and reliability and back-up solutions play a key role across all types of data network connectivity, backed by service-level guarantees with stringent targets.
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Pritchard continued, “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 concluded, “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.”
