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D2D via Satellite in the U.S.: Progress, Policy, and Commercial Viability

Alejandro Cadenas — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Perspective discusses the emergence of direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity in the U.S. as a natural extension of the mobile network, enabled by advances in LEO constellations, 3GPP NTN standardization, and growing integration into consumer devices. Rather than acting as a standalone satellite service, D2D is being positioned as a complementary RAN layer focused on coverage and resilience, with early deployments centered on emergency communications, rural coverage extension, and low-bandwidth IoT use cases. While strong momentum is driven by partnerships between MNOs and satellite operators under frameworks such as the FCC's Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS), the pace of adoption will depend on overcoming key constraints around device readiness, certification complexity, and limited satellite capacity. Over the next three to five years, D2D is expected to evolve from feature-based implementations to a network-native capability embedded within the broader 5G ecosystem.

"D2D in the U.S. should not be viewed as a new connectivity paradigm, but as the natural extension of the mobile network into areas where terrestrial economics break down," said Alejandro Cadenas, associate vice president of Telco Research, IDC. "Its success will depend less on satellite capacity and more on how effectively operators integrate spectrum, devices, and certification into a seamless hybrid experience."

European 5G at MWC 2026

Alejandro Cadenas — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Perspective discusses the highlights of European 5G at MWC 2026. At MWC 2026, European 5G entered a phase that shifts from deployment to monetization. While coverage and device penetration are largely complete, operators continue to face challenges in translating 5G investments into revenue growth. The event highlighted a convergence of trends, like AI-native operations, network APIs, edge computing, and hybrid connectivity, as key enablers of future value creation. Enterprise remains the primary monetization domain, driven by solution-led approaches integrating connectivity with industry-specific applications, while consumer monetization is evolving toward experience-based models. However, progress remains uneven, constrained by limited 5G SA scale, fragmented ecosystems, and execution complexity. The next phase of 5G in Europe will depend on the ability of operators to move beyond connectivity and position themselves as platform enablers within broader digital ecosystems.

“European operators have largely completed the 5G deployment phase and are now focused on 5G SA deployments. However, monetization remains the missing piece,” says Alejandro Cadenas, associated vice president for Telco Research, IDC Global. “The industry is now moving toward platform-driven models where value will depend less on connectivity and more on how effectively operators integrate AI, APIs, and ecosystem partnerships into scalable, outcome-based services.”

IDC Market Glance: AI-Capable Devices, 2Q26

Tom Mainelli, Linn Huang, Ramon T. Llamas — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Glance provides worldwide coverage of AI-capable personal computers, tablets, smartphones, and wearables, together with the enabling platform ecosystem elements defined in the analyst-approved structure, for 2Q26.

The AI-capable devices market includes end-user computing and connected devices that incorporate dedicated AI processing and/or AI-enabled software experiences to improve productivity, creativity, personalization, and automation. These capabilities are becoming an increasingly important factor in shaping device value, user engagement, and ecosystem differentiation across consumer and commercial segments.

IDC Survey: An Overview of Smartphones @ Work in the United States — Selection and Security

Ramon T. Llamas — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey provides a forward-looking view of how organizations evaluate smartphones for business use, examining the features, specifications, and vendor-related factors that shape purchasing decisions today and influence enterprise device selection.

It also explores the main frustrations IT teams and end users experience with their current primary smartphone vendor while highlighting the internal stakeholders that have the greatest influence on final device decisions, offering insight into how organizations manage and support the evaluation process.

The central focus of this study is mobile security. This study examines the biggest concerns organizations associate with smartphone security, along with the main criteria used to assess mobile protection capabilities and determine whether devices meet business requirements.

In addition, it reviews the certifications, validation sources, and supports proof points that organizations rely on when assessing smartphones, providing context for benchmarks and external references that guide decision-making.

Finally, this study looks at how organizations weigh hardware-level security versus software-level security in the purchasing process, offering a clearer understanding of how enterprise buyers prioritize different layers of protection when selecting smartphones for work use.

IDC Survey: An Overview of Smartphones @ Work in the United States — Services

Ramon T. Llamas — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey examines how U.S. organizations support, govern, and operate employee smartphone programs through the services layer that surrounds device deployment and day-to-day use.

The survey assesses the mobile services organizations currently receive, spanning core operational functions such as end-user support, repair/replacement continuity, device management, inventory and life-cycle handling, and compliance-oriented activities that sustain fleet control.

It also evaluates how organizations source and order mobile services, highlighting the practical reality that service procurement is often distributed across multiple routes within the mobility ecosystem rather than concentrated in a single purchasing path.

In addition, the survey identifies service areas buyers want but do not currently receive, clarifying where demand is shifting from baseline coverage toward stronger cost governance and more efficient rollout execution. It also explores buyer perceptions of the value of integrating AI tools into mobile workflows and the appeal of a one-stop shop model for sourcing the broader mobility stack, providing context on how service expectations are evolving toward more integrated delivery and simplified accountability.

Federated Edge Initiative as a Catalyst for 5G and Mobile Monetization in Europe

Alejandro Cadenas — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Perspective analyzes a European federated edge framework designed to interconnect distributed infrastructures across operators and countries. The emergence of a federated edge framework in Europe marks a structural step in the evolution of telecom networks from connectivity providers to platform-based ecosystems. By aligning distributed computing with 5G standalone architectures and extending these capabilities across operators and borders, federation addresses one of the core limitations of the current edge landscape: fragmentation. Its real value, however, lies not in infrastructure itself, but in enabling scalable, programmable, and monetizable services for enterprises operating across multiple markets. The opportunity is significant, but realization will depend on execution across standards, APIs, ecosystem engagement, and commercial alignment.

"Federated edge does not create new use cases, it unlocks those constrained by fragmentation," says Alejandro Cadenas, associate vice president of Telecom Research at IDC Global. "Its success will depend less on infrastructure rollout and more on the industry's ability to standardize, expose, and monetize network capabilities at scale."

OFC 2026: Optical Innovation Accelerates AI Infrastructure — From 1.6T Connectivity to Copackaged Optics and Hollow-Core Fiber

Ajeet Das — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Note distills key takeaways from OFC 2026 held in Los Angeles Convention Center in California, from March 15 to 19. OFC 2026 spotlighted the critical integration of optical technologies — such as 1.6T transceivers, copackaged optics, and hollow-core fibers — into AI and datacenter infrastructure. The conference marked a transition from research to large-scale deployment, with industry leaders emphasizing innovations that boost bandwidth, energy efficiency, and scalability. Organizations are adopting hybrid infrastructure strategies to address escalating demands of AI, positioning next-generation optical networks as essential for future datacenter and AI workload performance.

“As AI’s hunger for bandwidth grows, optical innovation is no longer optional; it’s the backbone of tomorrow’s datacenters and the key to scalable intelligence,” says Ajeet Das, research director, Telecom Network Infrastructure, IDC.

Nutanix .NEXT 2026: Enabling Customer Choice in Compute and Deployment Architectures

Matthew Flug — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The announcements Nutanix made at its annual event .NEXT center on creating a "dual native" platform that enables customers to operate virtual machines, containers, and AI workloads through a unified operational model across hybrid and multitenant environments. The updates reflect broader market trends regarding increased popularity of multicloud and hybrid cloud strategies, platform consolidation, and AI and agentic AI enablement.

European Best Practices of AI in 5G and IoT

Alejandro Cadenas — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Perspective looks into some European best practices of AI in 5G and IoT. Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming an integral component of 5G and IoT ecosystems across Europe. Operators, network vendors, and industrial technology providers are embedding AI capabilities across multiple layers of the technology stack, from network operations and service assurance to IoT analytics and enterprise platforms. While the long-term potential of AI-enabled networks remains significant, current deployments are primarily focused on improving operational efficiency, optimizing network performance, and enabling intelligent industrial solutions built on private 5G, edge computing, and IoT data platforms.

"The most successful initiatives in AI, 5G, and IoT are not those that focus solely on technological innovation but those that combine connectivity, data, and intelligence into scalable enterprise solutions," says Alejandro Cadenas, associate vice president, Research at IDC. "AI is becoming a key enabler of intelligent digital infrastructure, but its value will ultimately depend on how effectively operators and vendors translate these capabilities into real operational and business outcomes."

Apple Business Comes not to Bury the UEM Market, But to Elevate Apple Device Usage at Work (Particularly Among SMBs)

Phil Hochmuth — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Apple's recently announced "Apple Business" offering, a free set of tools geared toward small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which includes a unified device management function, is a significant shift for the computer giant into the endpoint management market at scale. While the company has enabled third-party management of its devices for over a decade through its frameworks and management hooks, and dabbled at SMB unified endpoint management (UEM) in the past, this new offering positions Apple to directly compete with some device management partner vendors — particularly those targeting SMBs. However, enterprise-focused UEM vendors may actually benefit from wider adoption of the platform, and should view the offering as complementary, not competitive, to their large-company UEM products.