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Ep 125 – What’s up with Totogi: The power of vertical AI (Michael Walker)
Michael Walker explains how Totogi’s vertical AI and context engineering transform AI from flashy demos into enterprise solutions that scale across telco operations.
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Ep 126 – AI for networks and networks for AI (Gabriela Styf Sjöman)
This week’s guest
Gabriela Styf Sjöman
Managing Director – Research and Network Strategy BT GroupThe telco industry loves to differentiate on technical specs—five nines of reliability, fastest 5G, most coverage. But Gabriela Styf Sjöman, Managing Director of Research and Network Strategy at BT Group, has a radically simple framework that cuts through the noise: every technology decision comes down to two questions—does it help us make money or does it help us save money?
In this episode, Gabriela breaks down BT’s dual AI strategy: “AI for networks” (using AI to optimize internal operations) and “networks for AI” (building networks that support customers’ AI workloads). We discuss why “best network” marketing is dead, how telcos need better customer segmentation beyond just “consumer vs. enterprise,” and why the biggest barrier to AI adoption isn’t technical capability—it’s cultural change. If you’re a telco exec struggling to get value from AI investments, this conversation will reframe how you think about technology strategy.
Listen now to hear:
- Why telcos must prioritize commercial transformation to move up the value chain [04:00];
- BT’s dual AI strategy for internal operations and customer service [05:49];
- The cultural shifts needed to embrace process redesign and customer-centric thinking [09:45]; and
- Why “best network” marketing is dead and what telcos should focus on instead [11:49].
Links and resources
- Watch Gabriela’s talk and our panel from TelecomTV’s 2025 DSP Leaders World Forum on BT’s AI strategy and why telcos must focus on products over technology.
- Check out Gabriela’s TelecomTV interview on how AI-powered network APIs will help telcos become insights-driven providers and why telecom standardization needs a revamp.
- Read my blogs, The modern telco and To get AI value, shift left (and eliminate jobs), to learn how AI-driven transformation can improve telco profitability and operational efficiency.
- Learn more about BT Group’s network strategy and AI initiatives at bt.com.
- Looking for new ways to generate revenue? Learn how hyper-personalization can unlock revenue streams through advanced ML platforms like Totogi’s PlanAI product.
- Find out more about Totogi by meeting with us at TelecomTV’s AI-Native Telco Forum in Düsseldorf, Germany on October 23-24. DM me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.
- Want to try albondigas Mexicanas, also known as Mexican meatballs? Here’s a recipe to get you started.
- Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.
- You can find the episode transcript here.
Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.
Guest bio
Gabriela Styf Sjöman is a global executive with extensive international business experience in the telecom and IT industries. She has held executive positions in numerous multinational organizations across functions such as strategy, technology, business, and sales. She is currently Managing Director of Research and Network Strategy at BT Group, where she oversees network strategy, industry standards, technology research, and research commercialization. Prior to joining BT Group Gabriela held various executive positions such as Chief Strategy Officer at Nokia, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and VP Head of Network Services at Telia Company, VP Head of Networks and TI Labs at Telecom Italia, and numerous positions at Ericsson spanning Technology and Business.
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Podcast credits
- Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR
- Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
- Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
- Audio Editor: Andrew Condell
- Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery
- Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio
- Music: Dyami Wilson
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is BT Group’s dual AI strategy as explained by Gabriela Styf Sjöman?
BT Group’s AI strategy has two components: “AI for networks” and “networks for AI.” AI for networks focuses on using AI internally to improve how BT builds, operates, and delivers network services—including intelligent operations and cybersecurity. Networks for AI focuses on building networks that deliver customer value in a world where customers are implementing AI for their own operations, ensuring BT can serve evolving AI workload requirements.
2. Why does Gabriela Styf Sjöman say telcos must focus on commercial transformation rather than just technical transformation?
Gabriela argues that while telcos have focused heavily on network and digital transformation projects, the real priority should be commercial and business transformation. Telcos need to evolve up the value chain and approach technology decisions through a simple business lens: does it help make money or save money? The industry still profits from services launched a century ago, indicating insufficient commercial innovation despite technical advancement.
3. What cultural shift does Gabriela Styf Sjöman identify as necessary for telcos to succeed with AI?
The essential cultural shift is moving from being network-centric to subscriber-centric. Network organizations must develop skills in process redesign, foster collaboration across teams, and learn to think about consumer services rather than just network resources. Teams need to understand that what matters to customers is the overall service experience—reliable, seamless, and on-demand—not technical specifications or domain-specific network components.
4. Why does Gabriela say “best network” marketing is dead and what should telcos focus on instead?
As networks reach parity in speed and coverage, “best network” claims no longer differentiate providers. Instead, telcos should focus on the most competitive value proposition by understanding what customers actually want and value. For most consumers, reliability matters more than raw speed—they want seamless, always-on service that works consistently everywhere they go. Better customer segmentation and understanding specific needs are the keys to differentiation.
5. How does Danielle Rios and Totogi approach AI adoption within their organization?
Danielle Rios measures every employee’s AI usage daily and receives weekly reports showing organizational adoption rates, leaders, and laggards. Totogi provides employees access to all AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor), trains them on data safety, and encourages experimentation. This fearless AI adoption has improved team productivity by as much as 10X over the past year, resulting in faster projects, lower costs, and higher quality outcomes for customers.
6. What opportunity does TelcoDR see in hyper-personalization for telcos, and how does Totogi address this?
Danielle Rios is passionate about hyper-personalization as an untapped revenue source for telcos. She believes telcos are sitting on valuable subscriber data—routes, locations, line counts—that could optimize pricing and offerings similar to how airlines dynamically price seats. Totogi focuses on helping telcos monetize this data by making it accessible and actionable, enabling telcos to move beyond searching for new revenue use cases and instead leverage the goldmine of insights they already have in their possession.