Market Mettle
Strategy & ChangeDTW19: Vodafone Germany on charge to cloud payments
Long-running, Huawei-supported project said to have been met well, with customer experience and efficiencies benefits. Some compromises made on legacy and vendor retention.
Strategy & ChangeHAL’s odyssey: Deutsche Telekom grows API framework to drive savings
Executives claim progress in Europe’s digitally-flavoured simplification plan, flagged at DT’s last Capital Markets Day. OneApp customer support platform nears full reach across Europe area. E-commerce and TV services next. Data-analytics layer in pipeline.
Strategy & ChangeDTW19: Another Vodafone Group signal of coming partner platform refit
Vodafone recognises need for improvement in partner collaboration, to fuel 5G success. Chief Systems Architect looking to reshape IT, to help open-up while protecting “secret sauce”. TM Forum and University of Surrey among collaborators.
OperationsBT Group scales new peaks with IT transformation expedition
The Da Vinci project is putting human-centric design at the core of BT’s IT approach, requiring a fundamental change in outlook for the telco. Higham’s programme helping BT cut IT costs by nearly 40%, while improving internal perceptions of the Group’s IT function through new services. Da Vinci approach ...
Partnerships & AlliancesGoogle and telco: a beautiful budding relationship
Web services giant gees-up operator audience, stressing their go-to-market strength. Opportunities highlighted across network, IT, and services.
Strategy & ChangeTelefónica/Vivo: opening Pandora’s box
CIO recounts experiences from digital overhaul of Brazilian operator’s sprawling IT operation.
OperationsDigital transformation (DTW19): culture change, reskilling crucial
Reskilling employees fundamental to Wind Tre’s digital transformation strategy. Cultural and organisational change critical for digital transformation to be adopted at scale and to succeed. Operators must change their corporate identity to attract vital new talent. Wind Tre CIO sceptical of vendor marketing of new technologies.
Network & InfrastructureRakuten Mobile at DTW19: first cloud-native mobile network operator (from a non-telco)
Inside the rebel base: CTO opens up on Rakuten Mobile and Reliance Jio green-field ventures. Network and customer experience reimagined for challenge to operator establishment. Can telco establishment translate experiences, with legacy encumbrance?
Partnerships & AlliancesDeutsche Telekom: introvert telcos plan mould-breaking 5G party (DTW19)
DT plans to step up “conversations” with partners in a bid to ensure 5G return-on-investment. Execs concede telcos remain “quite poor” on enabling collaboration. ’Fast telecoms’-vision mooted, with repeatability across numerous services, but can traditionally closed telcos deliver? Hints of increased focus on services long-tail, and beyond flagship tie-ups. ...
OperationsTelefónica embraces short-term pain for data flexibility
Telefónica Mexico provided insights on building momentum on creating replicable data-driven local systems, with potential for wider deployment. Groundwork on establishing principles, and ensuring standardisation, vital to ensuring benefits can flow through to subsequent use cases. Real-world implementation of a standardised approach can cause initial localised pain, but is ...
Products & ServicesTelefónica ramps up AURA
Telefónica provided insights into its AURA strategy, including more market launches. Microsoft’s position as a partner remains a core element of the project. Commitment reiterated to overcoming the challenge of combining local services with a central unified vision.
Network & InfrastructureOperators, other industries struggle for 5G commonality
5G expectations have been raised, and now need to be met: lots of talk of potential, but monetisation not clear cut. Scepticism over network readiness for advanced, challenging applications, such as in gaming and sport. Supplier establishment again chided for dragging feet on harmonisation and cloud-ification; operators stuck in ...
Innovation (R&D)TM Forum champions APIs as telcos battle web giants
More big hitters are joining TMF’s Open API programme, although numbers remain lower than anticipated. Ongoing focus on standardisation and consistency saw a pause in API development to ensure strong foundations. Adoption of SDN and virtualisation is blurring the remit of traditional standards bodies.
Innovation (R&D)TM Forum DTW19: 2019 Catalysts spark pragmatic innovation
Rundown of key Catalysts, joint initiatives. More than 30 joint technology projects demoed, with assurance, partnering, and customer experience to fore. Operator preoccupations ahead of 5G include profitability and effectiveness of network slicing. Drones, emergency services, and healthcare among focus verticals.
EventwatchTM Forum’s DTW19 event underlines need for collaboration and speed
The telecoms industry’s annual pilgrimage to Nice on the French Riviera is set to take on a somewhat different tone in 2020. France has become inextricably linked with the flagship TM Forum (TMF) event – apart from two forgotten years in Dublin – but, following its rebranding as Digital Transformation World in 2018, the event now looks set to transfer to Copenhagen, apparently in order to provide more space.