Industry Thought Leadership

The reality has taken a bit of time to dawn that Telecom Operators are no longer just infrastructure providers. They are much more than that, and it continues to take significant investments and innovation to play the central role in the digital realm, as was seen in the earlier years of this decade. However, investments and innovation are not enough…

As Telecom Operators’ business model evolves toward the technology company model, the next phase of growth lies beyond infrastructure, and hinges on intelligence, humanization, and preservation of humanness.

Over the last five years, the global techno-economic landscape has been utterly reshaped. Assessed qualitatively, the dynamics of the prevailing digital economy were shaped by and are deeply rooted in the lingering impacts of the last pandemic. The results are: accelerated digitalization, hybridization of work, value-based consumption, renewed self and health awareness, clarity on the current state of inequalities and various forms of divides, adaptation-driven mindset, new business models, human-centrism, no more apathy toward the environment, worries about both voluntary and involuntary disruptions in the global supply chains, shifting trade dynamics and routes, data privacy and cybersecurity concerns, trust in national as well as global institutions, a compelling case for digital trust-building, and a host of other trends and realizations.

While legacy issues remain in some known or evolving forms – i.e., performing amidst competition, the need for a level-playing field, new disruptions, monetization and revenue pressures, new service models, and transformational pressures, overall – these realizations lead us into a new opportunity landscape, ruled over by intelligence…and subservient to the human interest.

With five years remaining to evaluate the delivery of the 17 promises made by humanity in 2015, making progress direly requires both human intelligence and artificial intelligence working together to empower each other…via the digital infrastructure.

Making progress also requires understanding some key realizations, which could dramatically change many things for Operators and the ICT Industry, at large:

First, people, by increasingly leveraging the digital infrastructure to feel more equipped with information, inspiration, and by peer association, are now wanting to live more consciously. That is, end-users are now more attuned to being value-driven, experience-focused, and on deciding for themselves, intelligently.

Second, Operators are uniquely positioned to expand their already well-established role by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) within their core networks, at the edge, and through innovative digital services. With demonstrated infrastructure-level prowess, growing expertise, and increasingly more AI-driven capabilities, Telecom Operators can now contribute more directly across multiple areas and transform their value-creation and revenue profiles.

And, third, prevailing policy debates, regulatory approaches, evolution of networks, device designs, or continually improving modulation techniques, no longer suffice as predictors of a sustainable digital future. Digitalization is being driven as much by what’s happening within the digital communications industry as it is by what’s around it. Healthcare, education, manufacturing, and even space, among other sectors, are directly influencing what lies ahead. There is so much going on, and it needs to be accounted for.

Operators should prioritize helping their human customers be humans and enable their business customers to be human-centric. Operators should not be thinking about the revenues, per se, but about the value they can continually create – whether through strategies, new services and applications, including “SuperApps”, or both. In the techco days, the norm should be experience, empowerment, and reclaiming humanness.

While legacy issues remain in some known or evolving forms – i.e., performing amidst competition, the need for a level-playing field, new disruptions, monetization and revenue pressures, new service models, and transformational pressures, overall – these realizations lead us into a new opportunity landscape, ruled over by intelligence…and subservient to the human interest.

Humanness as a Repositioning Opportunity for Telecom Operators
Operators should differentiate themselves not by data speeds alone but by how well they protect humanness; a natural inclination of people to be, and to remain, human. Considering, Telecom Operators have historically lacked an emotional connection with their customers. This is a major repositioning opportunity, which can be a great compliment to the evolving telco business model.

The premise for this repositioning opportunity is that end-users now think beyond just using systems. In a world where visibility and being respected at scale are the new currencies, what end-users need is more reclaimed time for themselves, for their relationships, and for remaining focused on living consciously and meaningfully.

In fact, this is a very similar to how many Telecom Operators are making the conscious choice to become technology groups; entities that no longer just own connectivity infrastructure, but are transforming their investment portfolios and are proactive, experienced, and resourceful enough to provide new platforms, services, and digital experiences across industries. The new, conscious shift to seeking value and creating value is the new normal, with both humans and businesses increasingly pursuing positioning, impact, legacy, and sustainability.

AI for Reclaiming Humanness
By using AI as a pillar that supports human empowerment, and the future infrastructure on which human authenticity should thrive, Operators can make strong gains in truly manifesting meaningful connectivity.

AI’s job is to not only to enhance some efficiencies, but to help create long-term freedom and space for humans to achieve more – whether at the core of the network or at the edge, i.e., customer-end. Because implementation of AI is no longer just an option but an inevitability, Operators on their networks – and we all in our lives – need to embrace it as a means to enhance our operational and societal value-proposition; one that is built on simplicity, human-centricity, human authenticity, sustainability, tolerance, and on a combination of both AI and human intelligence.

For Operators, one of the key areas to immediately put AI to work is to help customers in navigating plans, resolving issues, or even accessing services that can be unnecessarily complex. By adding intelligence to their networks, Operators should prioritize helping their human customers be humans and enable their business customers to be human-centric. Operators should not be thinking about the revenues, per se, but about the value they can continually create – whether through strategies, new services and applications, including “SuperApps”, or both. In the telco days, minutes and megabytes were the norm. In the techco days, the norm should be experience, empowerment, and reclaiming

Our destination as industry should be AI-powered, humanized transformation, guided by human intelligence, done intelligently.

Telecom Operators are a custodian of digital well-being and not just mere providers of connectivity. Where, historically, they may have lacked in terms of establishing emotional connections with their customers, Operators can now make the conscious – and AI-powered – choice of changing the approach and re-branding themselves as the protector and guarantor of their customers’ right and need to stay human. Opportunities abound in personalized identity management, mental wellness and overall health management, and smart home management solutions, since advancements in 5G/5G-A, FWA, IoT continue to create new seamless, digital capabilities for the both the service provider and the consumer.

Conclusions
Digital economy, without combining the powerful forces of human intelligence and artificial intelligence to preserve humanness, can give way to multiple shadow economies, including the ransom economy. Instead of allowing digital economy to become a composite of both inhumane ecosystems and exploitative business models, the aim of the ICT leadership should be to create a digital economy that is built on responsible monetization, digital goods, tolerance, productivity, cooperation, innovation, and sustainable development. Our destination as industry should be AI-powered, humanized transformation, guided by human intelligence, done intelligently.

While it may sound overly forward-thinking at a glance, advocating a redefined purpose for (and on behalf of) Operators – one that is centered not just on being providers of connectivity, but also as partners in protecting humanness –could support the transformation of both strategy and the revenue models for Operators. In practical terms, advocating such a purpose requires both a voice of conviction—such as from a trusted industry representative body — and enablement from Regulators and Tech Providers. Operators themselves should be thinking humanness, human authenticity, integrity, and serendipity to drive their re-branded, much-needed transformation.