Following the successful culmination of MWC Barcelona last month at the Fira Gran Via, Ariana Lynn, Principal Analyst at The Fast Mode spoke to Michele Campriani, Chief Revenue Officer of Optiva on the company's participation at the event.
Ariana: What were some of the key themes of this year's MWC?
Michele: Walking the halls at this year's MWC, one thing that struck me more than anything else was the buzz around generative AI. Last year, it was the metaverse. This year, it’s all about the impact of GenAI. The big difference between this year’s and last year’s conference is that it’s not just hype – GenAI is already impacting telecom in real, tangible ways, and interest in it is booming.
Take, for instance, how operators are now using GenAI to develop smarter pricing plans and increase retention by learning from subscriber behavior. It’s giving operators a kind of superpower, where services can be bundled, packaged and targeted in hyper-personalized ways, and the excitement is building.
One of the things I also found interesting about this year's event was what was not discussed. There wasn’t much discussion about 5G. Perhaps it’s because 5G is regarded as "old news" or because it’s such a huge investment for operators that has yet to bear fruit. For the average operator, the consumer market makes up a significant portion of their business, and 5G isn’t presenting many opportunities to increase revenues or drive profitability on its own. That’s leading them to be slightly more aggressive and innovative about capturing consumers and driving them toward B2B opportunities.
I believe that’s why GenAI is garnering so much attention. It’s giving players in the industry – particularly MVNOs – a way to increase their market agility, hone their offerings, target new services and increase their monetization opportunities tenfold. Every operator is asking the same question - "How can I monetize the capability of my network?" 5G isn’t the answer. It’s just the facilitator. It’s like upgrading highways to make them faster and more efficient, but you still need high-performance vehicles to make use of them. AI is one of those vehicles.
There’s also buzz around operators attracting companies to build their own applications on top of their network APIs. We’re at a kind of tipping point now, where some operators are no longer satisfied with simply being relegated to connectivity. They want to be a part of the front end, developing their networks and API ecosystems to complement new use cases and emerging technologies like Humane’s AI Pin or Apple’s Vision Pro. For years, operators have been outpaced by OTT platforms that swept in and monetized network infrastructure. Now, operators are looking to get a seat further up the train.
This goes hand-in-hand with another key theme we’ve seen emerging – "The Invisible Network." Consumers aren’t interested in the nuts and bolts of their connectivity or how their devices work. They just want a frictionless experience. It’s why eSIMs have become such an industry talking point, embedding devices with connectivity at the manufacturing stage so they connect and work out of the box. It, too, presents a massive opportunity for operators, who can work with device manufacturers to bring a complete experience to consumers right out of the gate, effectively handing them a share of the market.
The new focus on network APIs and GenAI, clearly demonstrated at MWC, marks a closing of the gap between connectivity and the devices that require it. It gives operators new ways to monetize their networks, drive innovation and take a more central role in the customer experience and how it’s delivered.
Ariana: What did Optiva showcase at MWC?
Michele: Reflecting on MWC, it was a fantastic opportunity for Optiva to showcase some of our latest innovations and solutions that are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in telecom. Among the highlights at our booth were the Optiva BSS Platform, our work with GenAI, Optiva MVNO Hubs and Optiva Partner Monetization.
Our BSS Platform has always been at the core of what we do, but now it's turbocharged with GenAI. This allows us to offer hyper-personalized pricing and bundling in real time. It isn’t just about being faster; it’s about being smarter and more responsive to the market and our customers' needs. When you pair this with full integration into Google Cloud’s BigQuery and Analytics, you open up a world where deep learning and real-time data can identify new revenue opportunities almost immediately. It’s like giving our customers a sixth sense of what their subscribers want and need.
What also got people talking was how these technologies come alive in a multi-tenant environment, especially for MVNOs. The ability to scale and grow, seamlessly integrate data with BigQuery and leverage GenAI for market agility — it's clear that MVNOs are seeing tremendous value in what we offer. The ability isn’t just technical. It’s strategic, enabling them to carve out new niches and serve their customers in unprecedented ways.
Our booth became a hub for in-depth conversations because we were showcasing the technologies mentioned and because we were demonstrating how they can empower success across the industry. There was a keen interest in agile, digital billing and the monetization of IoT devices. It’s the surest sign yet that the industry is ready to move from mere connectivity and focus on growth, innovation and becoming core to the customer experience.
Consumers and enterprises alike are looking for solutions that work right out of the box, with minimal fuss and maximum efficiency. This is where our emphasis on digital billing and Optiva Partner Monetization comes into play, offering a shared revenue model where we act as enablers, not just providers. We're not just reacting to the market. We're helping shape it with innovations that offer real solutions to the challenges our customers face. It’s an exciting time for the industry.
Ariana: What's the outlook for telecoms, specifically the mobile industry in the next 12 months?
Michele: It’s easy to get swept up in the buzz around GenAI and the concept of integrated connectivity. That buzz is certainly warranted, but I believe over the next 12 months that the telecom industry is poised for nuanced evolution rather than revolutionary transformation. There is work to be done, and that work will take time, but the wheels are most certainly in motion.
As we’ve touched on, the rapid deployment and expansion of 5G networks has reached a stage where the technology itself is no longer the headline. The question now is less about 5G as a capability and more about how it can be leveraged to create new value. It means operators and service providers will likely focus on maximizing the return on their substantial investments in 5G infrastructure. The key will not be the network technology itself – at least not yet – but rather how it's utilized to unlock new revenue streams, enhance customer experiences and foster innovative services.
GenAI, digital billing and personalization will be critical here. As we've integrated GenAI with Optiva BSS Platform, we've seen firsthand the potential for telecoms to harness this technology to create hyper-personalized offerings and dramatically reduce time-to-market for new services. It aligns with the broader industry trend towards leveraging AI for operational efficiency and as a cornerstone for differentiation and competitive advantage.
However, the most significant shift we'll see is the changing role of MVNOs in the telecom ecosystem. With their ability to target specific market segments and rapidly adapt to changing consumer needs, MVNOs are becoming an increasingly critical part of the industry's strategy to drive growth and innovation and tap into new use cases. Optiva MVNO Hubs and the success stories we've been part of have underlined this shift towards more agile, market-responsive service provision.
