Singtel is a leading mobile network operator (MNO) in the Asia-Pacific region with a reputation for innovation. Its pioneering culture is one of the reasons why Anna Yip, the operator’s CEO of business development and deputy CEO for Singapore, is constantly on the lookout for creative ways to build new revenue streams, customer satisfaction, and subscriber loyalty.
Anna recently toured the United States to scope out happenings in the industry, and we caught up for an in-person conversation in… (wait for it)… New York City! Listen now to hear:
Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.
Anna Yip is a senior business leader with more than a decade of experience leading and scaling business in the technology sector. She has built a track record of driving ‘intrapreneurship’ and successfully building new businesses across markets. A committed people leader, Anna is passionate about mentoring young talent and supporting more women in tech.
Currently, Anna serves as the Deputy CEO Singapore and CEO of Business Development for Singtel. Under her leadership, Singtel Singapore became one of the first markets to successfully roll out 5G SA nationwide, with robust migration of customers to the latest mobile technology. Singtel continues to play an instrumental role in empowering people-centric digital lifestyles as Singapore advances as a smart nation. She has also been appointed a Board of Commissioner member of Telkomsel in Indonesia since June 1, 2021.
Before joining Singtel, Anna was the CEO and Executive Director of Smartone, a leading telecommunications company headquartered in Hong Kong. Prior to her role at Smartone, Anna headed up Mastercard’s operations in Hong Kong and Macau. Anna holds a DPhil (PhD) from University of Oxford and a First-Class Honours degree in Business Administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!
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Set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.
Singtel has implemented several successful 5G monetization strategies on both enterprise and consumer sides. For enterprises, it has deployed 5G networks at Hyundai’s advanced manufacturing facility in Singapore and Zuellig Pharma’s warehouse, achieving 30% operational efficiency improvements. On the consumer side, Singtel commercialized network slicing for events like Taylor Swift’s concerts, offering a 5G Express Pass that allows 60,000+ attendees to seamlessly upload videos and photos despite high network congestion.
The Global Telco AI Alliance is a collaboration between Singtel, Deutsche Telekom, e& Group, SoftBank, and SK Telecom to develop an industry-specific large language model (LLM). The alliance addresses three key challenges: the high cost of fine-tuning models for telco-specific use cases like billing and roaming queries, language diversity across their combined 770+ million customers, and the scarcity of AI talent. By pooling resources and expertise, they’re building more precise customer service capabilities than generic LLMs can provide.
Singtel is partnering with seven telcos including Globe, Optus, and Taiwan Mobile to launch a cross-border rewards program across seven countries. Modeled after airline alliances like Star Alliance, the program allows travelers to access rewards and services seamlessly across participating networks without downloading new apps. When Taiwanese tourists visit Singapore, they can use their existing app to access Singtel’s merchant catalog. This initiative aims to drive customer loyalty and inbound tourism while differentiating traditional telcos from low-cost SIM card providers.
DR explains that telcos struggle with monetization due to decades of customized systems trapping valuable data across their enterprises. Traditional change requests are expensive and take months to complete. She recommends adopting cloud-native SaaS solutions like Totogi BSS Magic that work with existing legacy systems while enabling rapid innovation. This approach allows telcos to compete with tech companies that can make software changes in minutes and positions organizations to leverage AI agents and automation without costly system replacements.
Singapore’s government prioritizes leading-edge technology to drive economic development and workforce upskilling. As the leading national carrier, Singtel invested heavily to become one of the first worldwide with nationwide 5G SA coverage, completing deployment years ahead of schedule. This early adoption enabled groundbreaking use cases like Hyundai choosing Singapore—not a traditional low-cost manufacturing location—for its most advanced factory outside Korea, specifically because of the technology infrastructure and innovation ecosystem available.
Danielle Rios (DR), host of Telco in 20 and CEO at Totogi, emphasizes that telcos must act now to position themselves for the AI revolution. She warns that user interfaces will dramatically change as AI agents, self-help chatbots, and automated processes replace traditional human tasks. Totogi BSS Magic addresses this by working with existing legacy systems while enabling telcos to adopt modern cloud-based tools that can make changes in minutes rather than months, helping operators avoid being left behind on AI transformation.
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