FDM CCS Insight’s Predictions for 2027 and Beyond Revealed

London, 22 October 2026 — FDM CCS Insight has unveiled its annual set of Predictions for 2027 and Beyond, providing bold insights into the future of the connected world. This year, the company shares its vision on AI, connected devices, sustainability, connectivity, regulation and more. In an uncertain world, these are all technology that will shape our daily lives in the coming years.

The 20 predictions below are a small snapshot of the nearly 100 predictions our team of analysts will be sharing at our London event this year.

By 2030, “technology stress” is noted as a workplace risk akin to repetitive strain injury. “Tech stress” comes to prominence after a legal claim is pursued against a public-sector employer. AI agents are sold as a way to reduce repetitive work, but they also hand employees a new job: supervising automation, checking exceptions, interpreting outputs and absorbing accountability when systems behave badly. As work becomes more automated, it also becomes more fragmented, with employees expected to manage more tools, make faster decisions, and navigate less visible complexity. The legal argument is made not that AI is stressful in itself, but that employers fail to manage the operating model around it.
Only three major infrastructure suppliers remain in the UK fibre market by 2031. The reduction mirrors the state of the mobile market following the merger of Vodafone and Three. In our view, it represents the right number to ensure high-quality, competitively priced broadband services. Recently, the strategic focus for full fibre in the UK has shifted from network deployment to building scale and encouraging take-up. In 2031, Openreach remains the undisputed leader, with Virgin Media O2 — buoyed by nexfibre’s planned acquisition of Netomnia — in second place. CityFibre can claim the third position if it achieves its acquisition ambitions. A long tail of local networks dwindles as players underperform financially or are acquired.
In 2028, “camera in use” indicators become mandatory on wearable AI devices sold in the EU. Growing hostility to wearable devices being used to film unsuspecting members of the public pushes the EU to mandate that a light or other signal is visible when people use a body- or face-worn camera. Current GDPR guidelines focus primarily on organizational use of body-worn cameras, with recommendations, not requirements, for a light to show when they are recording. Regulations are expanded to include consumer devices and tightened from a recommendation to a mandate for these devices to include this signal. The regulation also extends to microphones listening to conversations.
In 2027, sales of regular Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses plummet. Following months of significant backlash against people wearing Meta’s smart version of the Ray-Ban Wayfarers, sales of the regular glasses drop as people become fearful of others demanding they take them off, without realizing they are just regular sunglasses. As smart glasses become increasingly difficult to tell apart from regular sunglasses, buyers opt for sunglasses that do not come in a smart glasses version, to avoid unwanted scrutiny or pressure.
By 2028, the sub-$150 retail tier disappears from major smartphone markets in the West. For more than a decade, smartphone-makers have relied on ultralow-cost devices to boost sales volumes and expand access to mobile technology. However, the sector becomes unsustainable owing to mounting costs — memory accounts for two-thirds of the bill of materials of a low-end phone — and requirements to support software for longer. At the same time, an expanding secondary market provides consumers with attractive alternatives to buying new entry-level hardware. The trend continues the industry’s transition toward longer device life cycles and a more circular approach to smartphone ownership.
The semiconductor market does not return to normal until the end of 2028. The device industry enters a prolonged period of disruption as demand for advanced memory components for AI infrastructure continues to clash with device manufacturers’ needs. Smartphone brands respond by rationalizing portfolios, revising specifications and prioritizing higher-margin devices. Although manufacturers anticipate a return to normal conditions in 2027, continued investment in AI data centres prolongs the imbalance. It is not until the end of 2028 that memory capacity expands sufficiently, allowing pricing, inventory levels and product planning cycles to return to a more predictable footing.
In 2027, Europe faces a further chip shortage as more electronics are diverted to military drone production. Single-use drones are widely deployed in the Iranian and Ukrainian conflicts. Their components come from China, the US, Europe and the Middle East, often circumventing international trade sanctions. Russia and Ukraine both fire thousands of drones each week. They are relatively inexpensive, costing a few thousand dollars each, partly because much of the technology used is also found in consumer electronics and vehicles.
By 2028, all leading laptop-makers offer models with expandable RAM slots. Unpredictable pricing for memory drives PC brands to offer models with removable RAM to make inventory management easier. In recent years, device makers have increased component integration on mobile devices and removed the ability for users to upgrade hard drives, memory or to replace batteries. Current supply chain shortages prompt manufacturers to re-introduce models with memory slots so that they can sell PCs with a modest amount of memory to keep prices lower, and allow users to upgrade memory when prices drop. The only exception to this is Apple, owing to the company’s history of deep integration of hardware and software and efforts in mobile device miniaturization.
Within three years of launch, 6G networks achieve the same level of coverage as 5G networks. In countries that launch 6G, coverage grows rapidly to match the reach of 5G. Operators use multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing to deploy 6G and 5G simultaneously on existing bands without the overhead that hindered dynamic spectrum sharing when it was used to share 4G and 5G.
Apple has a 6G iPhone available alongside the first 6G commercial networks. Apple did not offer a compatible iPhone until years after the launch of 4G and 5G networks. With Apple now producing its own cellular modem, we expect the company to use its in-house expertise to launch a 6G iPhone in the same year that the first commercial 6G network launches.
By 2028, Meta tries to buy a rocket company as a way to enter the orbital data centre race. As SpaceX and Blue Origin look to build orbital data centres, Meta attempts to do the same by looking to buy a company such as Rocket Lab or United Launch Alliance. The acquisition would let Meta launch its own data centres rather than rely on a launch partner, and speed its entry into this new frontier.
In 2030, a country or a major company sets a target of having 25% of its data centres in space. As concerns grow about the number of data centres and their impact in terms of heat, noise and water consumption, pressure grows to shift them into orbit where there is abundant solar energy and heat production is countered by the cold of space. The prospect becomes more attractive as rocket launch economics improve. The move into space is seen as a major opportunity to lower a country or organization’s drain on resources, to the extent that one sets an ambitious target for orbital facilities.
Satellite connectivity is a standard feature in over half of new connected cars by 2035. The technology is used for telematics, crash reporting and infotainment functions as a complement to cellular connectivity in areas without cellular coverage. As cars generally operate outdoors, and have room for large antennas, network performance is superior to the satellite connectivity available to smartphones, other handhelds and wearables.
In 2028, app-based mobile providers such as Revolut and Lidl surpass 1 million customers in the UK. The arrival of a new band of MVNOs offering services through their own apps and enabled by companies like Gigs and 1Global begins to change the dynamics of telecom markets. Financial services companies, energy providers and retail brands lead the charge. Their simple, low-cost offers resonate with many digitally minded UK consumers, adding a fresh layer of competition to the market. The 1 million customer milestone represents 5% of the UK MVNO market, a share that rises to nearly 10% by the end of the decade.
By 2029, a large mobile virtual network operator fails when its wholesale agreement ends. The desire by operators to drive traffic to their networks saw numerous MVNO wholesale agreements being struck over the past few years. As these agreements come to an end, network operators realize they need to redraw the terms to better reflect the heavy data traffic being used by MVNOs with extremely competitive all-you-can-eat tariffs. The higher costs force at least one MVNO to exit the market as its ultralow-cost offering is no longer viable under the new wholesale terms.
AI-generated music becomes a Grammy category by 2029. The proliferation of generative AI prompts a boom in amateur creativity in the arts. Millions of AI-generated songs are produced, and an AI-only music label emerges as investors and entrepreneurs realize the monetary potential of this enormous pool of music. AI-generated music becomes as socially accepted as AutoTune or electronic music that is solely created on a computer. One track becomes a global hit and the Recording Academy creates a new field for AI-generated music as grey areas in its current policy cause backlash among human artists.
A leading secondary market player in Europe is forced to close before 2030 after it is found to be selling fraudulent or illegal devices. We estimate that about half the smartphones sold in the organized secondary market in Europe are imported from outside the region. While this practice is legal, many imports do not fully conform with EU regulations for CE marks, USB-C charging and tax laws. Stronger enforcement of product regulations by the EU leads to the discovery that a major wholesaler, marketplace or e-commerce specialist has failed to pay millions of euros in tax. The reputational damage and ensuing fines lead to permanent closure.
By 2030, social media legislation to protect minors is extended to cover AI chatbots and agents. The flexibility of AI chatbots and agents is a strength, but it also makes them harder to manage. The risk that agents and chatbots can lead children astray, take actions on their behalf that break school or parental rules, and interfere with education, prompt a European country to prohibit their use by those aged under 16. This is presented as a natural evolution of laws to restrict social media usage.
Flight-recorder-style telemetry is mandated for autonomous humanoid robots by 2031. After a series of accidents involving autonomous robots and human workers in logistics, retail and manufacturing facilities, a growing number of costly liability disputes between hardware makers, software model providers and employers prompts insurers to require tamper-proof data recorders for all untethered autonomous systems. They continuously log all activities and provide information following an emergency stop or collision.
General-purpose domestic robots are not a reality for the next 10 years. Although prototype humanoid robots continue to generate intense media and public interest, they remain within the realm of science fiction for the next decade. Their complexity and limited abilities make them unviable. Consumer robotics remains confined to single-task appliances like AI-guided robotic vacuums, window-washers and lawnmowers.

If you’d like further insight or explanation, interviews with the relevant analysts are available on request.

Notes to editors

About FDM CCS Insight

FDM CCS Insight is a trusted provider of data, research and strategic intelligence across the telecommunications and technology sectors. With over 30 years of industry experience, the company combines deep sector expertise with independent, evidence-based analysis to help businesses navigate market changes, identify growth opportunities and make informed, data-driven decisions.

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