TelcoDR’s back-to-school reading list

Last week I dropped off my first-born kiddo at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and it brought back tons of memories from when I was a freshman at Stanford University. I recalled my excitement about all the opportunities I was going to have and all the new things I was going to learn. That first week, I stocked up on books and notebooks, and collected syllabuses and reading lists from my professors.

I’m feeling that same level of thrill about the telco industry right now. That’s why my team and I decided to pull together a reading list of our best content from 2024 (so far) to help you get caught up on the latest themes telco execs should be tracking. We picked the most exciting stories from the four biggest topic areas of the year in telco: business support systems (BSS), artificial intelligence (duh), monetization/hyper-personalization, and what’s next. Missed something the first time around? We got you. Loved it so much you want to read it again? That, too. So, let’s dive in!

Business Support Systems

Traditional telco BSS products kind of suck. They’re expensive, need tons of customizations to get working in your environment, take forever to integrate or upgrade, and are built on outdated tech. Telcos deserve soooo much better. And with recent advances in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), you can have better—a lot better.

PODCAST: The big trends in BSS with Appledore Research
John Abraham from Appledore Research shares the latest BSS trends, from a B2B boom to new monetization strategies. Plus, we cover why generating code with GenAI is such a BIG idea, measuring the cost of artificial intelligence (AI) with business outcomes, and more.

BLOG: Unlock the true value of your BSS with AI
The data in your BSS is a sleeping dragon of huge, untapped potential. AI can access and use data to surface strategic insights, optimize operations, and personalize customer experiences.

VIDEO: MWC24: Unveiling the AI-First Future of BSS
Watch THE keynote of #MWC24 as I unveil BSS Magic at MWC’s Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) Summit! It’s a groundbreaking AI-powered platform from Totogi (where I’m acting CEO) that reinvents BSS with the first fully AI-generated, fully customized BSS.

Artificial Intelligence

Biggest story of the year? Understatement. At times, AI has been all anyone can talk about. For good reason: its potential impact is huge, for our industry and many others, and for more than one reason. Contact centers are just the start. Anywhere your organization has lots of data—as software code, subscriber info, network ops—is ripe for the revolution.

BLOG: How to transform your customer support with AI
I share my company’s experience incorporating AI into our customer support organization, from our slow start to solving 56% of tickets with no human involvement in less than a year. (Fun update: we’re now up to 76% solved 100% with AI since I wrote this blog!)
BLOG: 10 examples of how telcos are using AI (BESIDES customer support!)
After you deploy AI in your call center, what’s next? Here’s a list of ten pioneering telcos that have already put AI to work building and maintaining networks, detecting fraud, delivering better experiences to streamers and gamers, and more.
BLOG: If you focus on business value, AI pays for itself
Think AI is too expensive for your organization? Real-world examples prove that when you implement it strategically, AI isn’t a cost center. It’s a self-funding productivity accelerator.
PODCAST: How TELUS turned its data swamp into an AI oasis
The Canadian telco’s Fuel iX platform is driving real business results—we’re talking $20 million+ in network ops savings just to start. CIO Jaime Tatis talks about other AI improvements, why it’s so important to have a strong data strategy, and more.

Monetization

Once you build that killer network, the key is monetizing it. Network APIs are one way that’s gaining steam. Private networks for enterprises or events (like Taylor Swift Eras tour concerts!) are another. With recent advances in cloud-based charging and other tools from hyperscalers, all helped along by advances in AI, the revenue opportunities just keep growing.

PODCAST: Monetizing network APIs
Telcos CAN use network APIs to monetize their networks and get the ROI they need on 5G, but WILL they? McKinsey & Company Partner Ferry Grijpink talks with me about the API economy, and shares strategies and use cases to help telcos capitalize on the opportunity. (Fun fact: He’s vying for the top podcast of the year, so do him a solid and listen to it to bump up his numbers!)
PODCAST: What’s up with Totogi?: 2degrees, a modern telco
This is our most popular podcast of 2024 so far! In it, Chris Bradley, head of digital architecture at New Zealand mobile operator 2degrees, talks about how Totogi’s multi-tenant charger is revolutionizing MVNO partnerships and driving revenue growth.

CASE STUDY: Tier-1 MNO taps into the cloud, replacing Ericsson charging in 4 weeks
When Zain Sudan found itself trying to maintain network service during an emergency, it turned to Totogi’s Charging-as-a-Service to manage disaster recovery and ensure business continuity. The solution not only protected revenue, but also elevated customer satisfaction.
PODCAST: Are you ready for Singtel?
Singtel’s Anna Yip and I dig into the innovative culture of Singapore and discuss how its leading MNO is driving new revenue from its 5G Standalone network, its groundbreaking work with the Global Telco AI Alliance on a telco-specific LLM, and more.

What’s next

This is an exciting moment for the telco industry. Public cloud technologies, and the recent advances in AI they’ve enabled, promise to revolutionize software, the way we run our businesses, and the way we interact with our devices. The future is so exciting. The end of this list focuses on all the forward-thinking thoughts we’ve had thus far in 2024.

VIDEO: Talking Transformation with Totogi
On Appledore Research’s new video series, Talking Transformation, host John Abraham and I discuss how Totogi is leveraging GenAI to save telcos huge amounts of time and money on BSS.
BLOG: The promise of AI is no UI
The way we interact with software and our connected devices is about to go through a massive shift, all powered by AI. This blog covers what kinds of things we can look forward to, and how to prepare.
PODCAST: The state of cloud in telco, with Iain Morris from Light Reading
Iain Morris, international editor at Light Reading, shares insights from his conversations with industry leaders about where telcos are on their move to the public cloud, where the line is on shifting network workloads to the cloud, and whether or not AI is changing everything.

See what I mean? This moment in telco feels like the beginning of something—a whole new chapter of opportunity. With the recent advances in AI, and everything AI is enabling in BSS, monetization, and more, I think the next few years will bring tons of new possibilities for solving old problems. I hope you enjoy the list and I can’t wait to continue on this journey with you. Let’s do this, telco!

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