With MWC Barcelona set to take place at the Fira Gran Via next week, Ariana Lynn, Principal Analyst at The Fast Mode spoke to Ari Banerjee, Senior Vice President of Strategy at Netcracker on the company's participation at the event.
Ariana: What are some of the key themes of this year's MWC?
Ari: At MWC 2024, Netcracker’s focus centers on two of today’s hottest topics:
How GenAI can revolutionize the telco market
GenAI has the potential to revolutionize the telecom industry as it can play a key role in every aspect of the business. Whether its assisting customers to resolve an issue, or speeding up the onboarding of a new partner to more efficient planning of a new fiber build – the productivity and monetization potential is evident. However, GenAI will only reach this potential if it has a deep understanding of the telecom business and can access valuable telecom data.
Given that 90 percent of telco GenAI use cases need highly sensitive BSS/OSS data, bridging this gap is essential. Dealing with the security aspects is one major issue. Another is how to accommodate the real-time nature of a large proportion of telco data. Which means that even GenAI models that are trained on the telco domain will soon be out of date.
The fact remains - telcos face unique challenges in bringing GenAI to fruition. From fluctuating data and erroneous data sets to costs that can prove to be prohibitive, CSPs need a way to tap into their BSS/OSS and knowledge base systems without risking the confidentiality of the sensitive customer and network data in their possession.
Sue White, head of strategy and marketing, Bob Titus, CTO at Netcracker, and I invite MWC attendees to explore with them the optimal ways to bring GenAI to the telecom business, as well as share thoughts on the most immediate deployable telco use cases.
The next phase of digital transformation – the evolution from telco to techco
While CSPs are at different stages of their digital transformation, the next phase for many forward-thinking operators will be the transition from telco to techco. However, this transition poses its own set of challenges such as transforming the company to a software-centric and cloud-enabled business; digitizing customer-facing and B2B services; changing company culture to embrace digital transformation; delivering a highly personalized customer experience across any channel; and expanding the business with services beyond telco in different industry verticals.
Sue, Bob and I will be available throughout the conference to discuss and share views on:
- The journey CSPs are embarking on to first complete their digital transformation efforts, and second transition from a telco to techco.
- The challenging market conditions, and why the shift to a techco is necessary for not only future success but in overcoming transformation challenges.
Ariana: What are some of the events that Netcracker has lined up? Any showcases?
Ari: On the topic of GenAI, Andrew Feinberg, Chairman and CEO at Netcracker will be discussing ‘Beyond ChatGPT: The Future of Generative AI in Business’ on a panel from 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm CET on Tuesday 27 February.
On the topic of metaverse, Bob Titus will participate in a panel discussion titled: ‘Reality Check for XR’ from 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm CET on Monday 26 February.
Netcracker will demonstrate in its innovation hub an impressive range of GenAI assistants, powered by its GenAI Telco Platform, that will transform customer experience, deliver operational excellence and innovate with new revenue streams.
Ariana: What's the outlook for telecoms, specifically the mobile industry in the next 12 months?
Ari: Over the next 12 months telcos will use GenAI in innovative ways to resolve some of the industry’s more pressing issues, such as:
- Complex network operations: GenAI can help automate network planning, installation, configuration, and operations – lowering critical incidents by 35 percent, reducing performance problems by 60 percent, and boosting workforce productivity.
- Chatbot dissatisfaction: A recent survey, commissioned by Forrester Research, concluded that 90 percent of respondents find existing chatbot interactions frustrating or negative, 50 percent said they often feel frustrated by their interactions with chatbots, and 30 percent said a single negative chatbot experience results in them purchasing from a different brand, abandoning their purchase, or telling others about their poor experience. As GenAI gets integrated into telecom, it will revolutionize interactions with customers and give expert assistance to call center agents.
