Telco in 20

Hyperscaler CAPEX investments are staggering: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta spent more than $400 billion on infrastructure in 2025 and are expected to reach over $600 billion in 2026. They’re on pace to surpass $2 trillion in cumulative CAPEX spend before the year is over. Meanwhile, U.S. telco CAPEX sits at $50 billion for 2025—and it's shrinking. For this episode, Charles Fitzgerald, Managing Director at Platformonomics, returns for his fourth (!) appearance on Telco in 20 to break down his tenth annual Follow the CAPEX report. We dive into the hyperscaler spending surge, the two big telco AI plays coming out of MWC 2026—sovereign cloud and AI-RAN, and why the gap between infrastructure spenders and operators is impossible to close. Listen now to hear: How AI supercharged hyperscaler CAPEX—and changed the math for telcos [02:59]; Why sovereign cloud may already belong to the hyperscalers [05:57]; How AI-RAN looks more like an NVIDIA play than a telco strategy [09:54]; and Why Oracle's catch-up bid is a cautionary tale [13:25]. Links and Resources: Read Charles Fitzgerald's annual 2025 Follow the CAPEX report. Check out Charles Fitzgerald’s 2024 retrospective on public cloud CAPEX spending and check out his Cloud Reactor Tracker. This was Charles's fourth appearance on our podcast. Check out his previous episodes: Ep 110 – Hyperscaler CAPEX is going nuclear Ep 88 - Cloud CAPEX: Not for the faint of wallet Ep 63 – Ante up to be a public cloud contender Is Oracle's CAPEX bet genius or madness? Fortune breaks down the numbers. Learn more about the Totogi Ontology and how it's helping Tier-1 operators turn AI into actual profit. Read the Appledore Research report on Totogi: Telecom-specific Ontology, the key to AI-native telco (paywalled). Charles has been on the podcast four times—one more and we may have to get him a Five-Timers Club jacket, SNL-style. Check out this episode on our YouTube channel. You can find the episode transcript here. Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value they can bring. Follow DR: Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in! Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know Follow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20 Follow DR on X @TelcoDR The Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won 2024 and 2025 MarCom Awards, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews! This week’s guest: Charles Fitzgerald is a Seattle-based angel investor, with a focus on developer platforms and infrastructure. Previously, he spent 20+ years working on platform businesses at Microsoft and VMware. He can see the cloud from his house. Podcast Credits: Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing Audio Editor: Andrew Condell Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio Music: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

MWC 26 is a wrap, and one thing is clear: the telco industry has moved past asking whether AI will transform the business. The new question is who's moving fast enough to capture value, and who's still playing catch up. Before I left Barcelona, I stopped by the Mobile World Live Podcast to debrief with host Justin Springham, Managing News Editor Kavit Majithia, and analyst Carolina Milanesi from Creative Strategies. We broke down the real story behind the agentic AI buzz at MWC, what the direct-to-device satellite announcements mean for operators, and why the way teams work in 12 months will look nothing like it does today. Listen now to hear: The word of the week at MWC26—and why most of the industry is still missing it [04:43] The satellite land grab every telco exec should be paying attention to [10:10]; How agentic AI is already changing the way people work and live [14:15]; and Why the best engineers aren't writing code anymore—they're commanding fleets of agents [17:26] Links and Resources: Watch my MWC26 talk for the Agentic AI Summit, Show me the money. Check out Mobile World Live’s version of this episode! I also appeared in Mobile World Live’s MWC26 Preview episode last month. GIve it a listen to see if my predictions were right. The panel covered the biggest news coming out of MWC26. Read more about these stories: SpaceX announced the mid-2027 launch of Starlink Mobile, its direct-to-device satellite network. The founder of OpenClaw joined OpenAI so the project could continue as an open-source initiative under OpenAI's support. Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile announced a joint venture, later joined by Orange and Telefónica, to expand satellite-to-mobile connectivity. Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle warned of a "wild west in the skies" in her MWC26 keynote, and urged the industry to establish ground rules for satellites. Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon Wear Elite Platform, which aims to transform everyday wearables into personal AI devices. FCC Chair Brendan Carr was at MWC26—catch Kavit's interview with him on the Mobile World Live website. Learn more about the Totogi Ontology and how it's helping Tier-1 operators turn AI into actual profit. Read Appledore Research’s report on Totogi: Telecom-specific Ontology, the key to AI-native telco (paywalled). Did you miss my padel tournament that kicked off MWC26? Watch the highlights here—and mark your calendar for next year! I handed out Totogi scarves to the Mobile World Live team—arguably the best swag at MWC26. Check out this photo. Check out this episode on our YouTube channel. You can find the episode transcript here. Telco execs, wanna talk AI and public cloud? Set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value they can bring. Follow DR: Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in! Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know Follow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20 Follow DR on X @TelcoDR The Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won 2024 and 2025 MarCom Awards, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews! This week’s guest: This episode is a special double-drop with the Mobile World Live podcast, featuring: Justin Springham, Publisher, Mobile World Live Kavit Majithia, Managing News Editor, Mobile World Live Carolina Milanesi, President and Principal Analyst, Creative Strategies And yours truly, Danielle Rios, Founder and CEO of TelcoDR and Totogi Podcast Credits: Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing Audio Editor: Andrew Condell Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio Music: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every telco exec is talking about AI agents. Almost nobody is talking about what those agents actually need to work: context. Not just data — the logic, rules, and decision-making processes that define how your business actually operates. That knowledge currently lives in two places: buried in vendor code nobody fully understands, and inside people's heads. No agentic system, no matter how shiny, can make decisions without it. In this episode, I sit down with John Abraham, Partner and Principal Analyst at Appledore Research, to dig into why a lack of context is the real blocker for AI at scale, why most approaches only solve half the problem, and how an ontology gives AI the business logic it needs to not just analyze, but decide and act. Listen now to hear: The three Cs holding telcos back from using AI at scale [04:42]; Why AI agents risk creating a new generation of silos [08:59]; How a small use case can unlock compounding AI value [14:13]; and Why a data lake is a costly side quest [15:09]. Links and Resources: Read the Appledore Research report: Telecom-specific Ontology, the key to AI-native telco (paywalled). Watch my MWC26 talk for the Agentic AI Summit, Show me the money. Learn more about the Totogi Ontology and how it's helping Tier-1 operators turn AI into actual profit. Want to see the Totogi Ontology in action and hear more customer success stories? Find Team Totogi in Hall 2 at MWC26 in Barcelona through March 5. We’ll be showing off our telco ontology that manages enterprise context at scale. Set up a meeting. Check out these additional Appledore Research reports: GenAI in BSS and Predictive Analytics and GenAI: Choosing the right tool for the job (paywalled). Listen to my conversation with Rick Lievano from Microsoft, who talked about AT&T's AI agent deployment and why they pumped the brakes before going to production. Curious how a Tier-1 operator turned a $1–2M dormant cell problem into tens of millions in CXO-level impact—all on the same ontology foundation? Listen to What's up with Totogi: The biggest AI use case for telco. I once gave John a Yeti that he still raves about. Since then, he’s grown a beard and likes using Vikings Revolution products to take care of it. I guess our next gift to him will be a Mustache Guard mug. Check out this episode on our YouTube channel. You can find the episode transcript here. Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DR: Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in! Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know Follow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20 Follow DR on X @TelcoDR The Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won 2024 and 2025 MarCom Awards, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews! This week’s guest: With over 16 years of experience in the telecom industry, John leads Appledore’s Digital Enablement & Monetization program. Previously, he was at Analysys Mason for 11 years, where he led the digital experience research segment as principal analyst. He has experience working with a varied client base on topics ranging from digitization benchmarking and procurement for CSPs; strategy and go-to market for vendors; and commercial and technical due diligence for financial institutions. Earlier, as a consultant at a BSS vendor, he led requirements gathering, solution definition, and implementation at multiple Tier-1 telcos in Asia and Europe. John holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Anna University (India) and an MBA from Bradford University School of Management (UK). Podcast Credits: Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing Audio Editor: Andrew Condell Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio Music: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At MWC, vendors will flood the floor with AI demos that look impressive but can’t prove their actual value. Telcos have spent billions connecting systems, but connection isn’t comprehension. Most AI initiatives are blind—unable to see across the fragmented landscape of BSS, OSS, and network systems that speak different languages and live in isolated realities.The Totogi Ontology is a semantic layer that gives AI the ability to understand your business. Once it does, the army of consultants you’ve been paying to manually stitch together data across systems becomes redundant—and the economics of everything changes. So when the same vendor selling you AI is also billing you for the consultants that AI should replace, ask them to show you the money. Listen now to hear:Why AI demos fail when they touch your architecture [03:11];How the Totogi Ontology solved Zain’s dormant cell problem and turned 48-hours of troubleshooting into 30-minute fixes [04:34]; Why the ability to comprehend across systems and domains is so impactful [6:06] andThe one question that separates real AI value from empty promises [08:00].Links and Resources:Watch the video version of this talk, Show me the money, on YouTube. Learn more about the Totogi Ontology and how it's helping Tier-1 operators turn AI into actual profit.Want to see the Totogi Ontology in action and hear more customer success stories? Find Team Totogi in Hall 2 at MWC26 in Barcelona, running March 2-5. We’ll be showing off our telco ontology that manages enterprise context at scale. Set up a meeting. Catch me taking part in MWC’s Agentic AI Summit, Monday, March 2, 9:00am - 1:00 pm, in Hall 6.What telco execs need from every AI vendor is the same thing Cuba Gooding Jr. demanded from Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire: Show me the money!Connect with me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DR:Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won 2024 and 2025 MarCom Awards, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guest:Danielle Rios (DR) is the founder and CEO of TelcoDR and Totogi, and host of the Telco in 20 podcast.Podcast Credits:Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telecom industry is full of AI projects that fail. Most operators think it’s a data problem—connect the systems, feed AI the information. But data doesn't tell AI how to decide. Your processes do. Your rules do.In this special “What's Up with Totogi” episode, I flip the script and have my friend David Haselwood interview me about BSS Magic. We dig into what a breakthrough biology project from the 1990s can teach telcos about making AI work, why BSS Magic isn’t actually a BSS, and why vendor consolidation won’t fix your real problem. I also share stories from Tier-1 operators who tried horizontal AI vendors, failed—and then came to Totogi for AI that works.Listen now to hear:What BSS Magic is … and isn’t [03:23];How we proved it’s the real deal at TelecomTV’s AI-Native Telco Summit [06:39];Why AI projects keep failing [08:59]; andHow Tier-1 operators are using BSS Magic to get real results [10:55].Links and Resources:Want to see BSS Magic in action and hear more customer success stories? Find Team Totogi in Hall 2 at MWC26 in Barcelona, running March 2-5. We’ll be showing off our telco ontology that manages context at scale. Connect with DR on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.Check out Lulu Cheng Meservey's post on why bragging about AI in 2026 is like bragging about cloud storage—customers want to see real value, not buzzwords.Read how a Southeast Asian operator cut CPQ order creation time by over 80%—from 5 minutes and 50+ clicks to under 50 seconds with a single prompt using BSS Magic.Learn how Totogi generated over 500,000 lines of BSS Code in one day—LIVE!—at TelecomTV’s AI-Native Telco Forum, proving that BSS Magic is the real deal. Check out our results.Listen to another Telco in 20 “What’s Up With Totogi” episode to learn more about how BSS Magic functions as a telco-specific ontological layer and transforms BSS migrations from multi-year projects to just a few months.Learn more about the Gene Ontology project and how biologists solved their semantic inconsistency problem in the 1990s.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DR:Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won 2024 and 2025 MarCom Awards, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guest:Danielle Rios (DR) is the founder and CEO of TelcoDR and Totogi, and host of the Telco in 20 podcast.Podcast Credits:Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telecommunications industry is heading to MWC Barcelona with a strong desire to skip AI hype in favor of AI proof. Telco executives aren’t looking for more possibilities—they’re demanding real deployments, measurable outcomes, and P&L impact. For this episode, I’m joined by Rick Lievano, Microsoft’s CTO for the Worldwide Telecommunications Industry. We dive into Microsoft’s vision for network autonomy, real-world deployments delivering breakthrough results, and the barriers holding telcos back from deploying AI agents at scale.Listen now to hear:How Microsoft’s NOA framework automates telco network operations [03:29];How T-Mobile built a self-healing network that even responds automatically to hurricanes [09:23];What sovereign cloud really means [11:30]; andWhat's holding back telcos from deploying AI at scale [14:18].Links and Resources:Learn more about Microsoft’s Network Operations Agent (NOA) Framework for network autonomy and read Microsoft’s white paper on NetAI, the autonomous networking framework powering Azure’s global network operations.Watch this video about Microsoft Agent 365, the control plane that helps teams deploy, manage, and secure AI agents to support agentic AI at scale.Check out how AT&T deployed 71 generative AI solutions to over 100,000 employees with Azure, reducing customer care resolution time by 33% and processing approximately 9 billion tokens daily.Read how SK Telecom used Microsoft Foundry to create AI-native digital experiences that feel more like a lifestyle concierge than a traditional telco app.Learn how T-Mobile unified its network data on Azure and built a self-healing network.Learn about Bleu in France, where Orange and Capgemini operate a sovereign Azure environment with zero Microsoft access, enabling telcos to run sensitive workloads under strict data residency guarantees.Did you know Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates’ has played pickleball for over 50 years, even playing on the original court built by the game’s inventors?Did you know DR won the The Minor League Pickleball (MiLP) DUPR16 50+ Nationals? Watch her team, The Austin Ballers, take the top prize!Who else is a birder? We talked about my love of birdfeeders. Here is recent video from my Bird Buddy, which I love! Want to learn how to scale AI agents with confidence? Come find Team Totogi at MWC26 in Barcelona, running March 2-5. We will be showing off BSS Magic and our telco ontology that manages context at scale. Connect with DR on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won 2024 and 2025 MarCom Awards, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestRick Lievano is Microsoft’s CTO for the Worldwide Telecommunications Industry. He works with customers and partners in developing telecommunications industry solutions and reference architectures to address the rapidly changing needs of service providers across the globe. He is an enthusiastic participant and speaker in many industry communities, an advocate of industry frameworks and open standards, and holds TM Forum Open Digital Architecture and Business Development Manager Career Certifications. At TM Forum, he is a member of the Composable IT & Ecosystems Mission, overseeing the effective creation and adoption of pragmatic best practices and standards to deliver value to the membership. As a board member at both Mplify Alliance (former MEF Forum) and Linux CAMARA, his contributions drive the industry toward a more connected and efficient digital future. Rick currently leads initiatives to help operators achieve more by infusing agentic artificial intelligence across their business in a secure and responsible manner.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

MWC26 in Barcelona is right around the corner, and the telco industry is already buzzing about what will unfold at the Fira. Four big themes will dominate this year’s event: AI-driven networks, network APIs, AI data centers, and regulation. But which of these present real opportunities for telecom, and which are expensive distractions or even potential minefields? For this episode, I’m joined by Dean Bubley, founder and director of Disruptive Analysis. He and I give our takes on what telcos should prioritize in the coming year, where the real obstacles lie, and what it will take to win in 2026. Listen now to hear:Where operators should start with AI implementation [04:00];The network API strategy that everyone is missing [06:24];Why telcos will struggle to compete on AI infrastructure [10:02]; andHow a regulation-first mindset could lead to more missed opportunities [13:35].Links and Resources:Read Benedict Evans’ “AI Eats the World” report, which discusses hyperscaler investment strategies and the risks of under-investing in AI.Check out McKinsey & Company’s report predicting that network APIs have a $300 billion dollar revenue potential, and its follow up piece, The future of telcos: Mapping the routes to renewed success.Learn more about Twilio’s developer ecosystem with 10 million developers generating almost $5 billion in revenue.Check out some of telco’s biggest AI infrastructure investments in 2025: SK Telecom’s AI data center expansion, Deutsche Telekom’s AI factory partnership with NVIDIA, and Verizon’s GPU cloud and enterprise workload initiatives.Listen to Telco in 20 episode 105, NVIDIA’s vision for AI and the RAN, to learn about NVIDIA's approach to AI-RAN and monetizing network infrastructure.Want to see what moving fast with AI actually looks like? Come find me at MWC26 in Barcelona, running March 2-5. Totogi will be showing off BSS Magic, a way to transform your telco without having to actually transform your systems. Connect with me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.Dean shared his favorite passport stamp—Palau’s jellyfish and Palau Pledge, an environmental commitment visitors sign upon arrival. But passport stamps may soon be a thing of the past as the EU and other countries shift to digital border systems.Want to hear more from Dean? He’ll be joined by Andrew Collinson at TelecomTV’s Unthinkable Lab: Agentic AI + Telecoms APIs = ? event on January 15 in London.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won 2024 and 2025 MarCom Awards, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestDean Bubley is the founder of Disruptive Analysis, an independent technology industry analyst and consulting firm based in London. He also jointly runs the Disruptive 6G initiative and is a convener of the 6G Reset forum and the Unthinkable Lab project. An outspoken analyst and futurist with over 25 years of experience, he specializes in mobile/telecoms fields, with an eye on broader technological, governmental, and societal contexts. He is one of the leading market observers and forecasters covering 5G, 6G, Wi-Fi, voice & network AI, spectrum & broadband policy, edge/cloud compute, enterprise private networks, IoT, new telecom business models, and voice/video communications.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What an incredible year for telco, AI, and the public cloud. Hyperscalers shattered CapEx records, the first brownfield 5G cores migrated to the public cloud, and we had phenomenal conversations with telco heavyweights worldwide. One of our episodes really stood out this year: my conversation with Gabriela Styf Sjöman, Managing Director of Research and Network Strategy at BT Group. We’re bringing it back as our 2025 Telco in 20 Episode of the Year.Gabriela cut through tech jargon with a brilliant, two-question framework to guide technology decisions: does it help us make money or does it help us save money? We dive into BT's dual AI strategy, why "best network" marketing is dead, and the cultural shift needed for telcos to become subscriber-centric.Listen now to hear: Why telcos must prioritize commercial transformation to move up the value chain [05:26];BT's dual AI strategy for internal operations and customer service [07:31];The cultural shift needed to embrace process redesign and customer-centric thinking [10:49]; andWhy "best network" marketing is dead and what telcos should focus on instead [13:31].Links and Resources:Watch Gabriela’s talk and our panel from TelecomTV’s 2025 DSP Leaders World Forum on BT's AI strategy and why telcos must focus on products over technology.Check out Gabriela’s TelecomTV interview on how AI-powered network APIs will help telcos become insights-driven providers and why telecom standardization needs a revamp.Read my blogs, The modern telco and To get AI value, shift left (and eliminate jobs), to learn how AI-driven transformation can improve telco profitability and operational efficiency.Learn more about BT Group's network strategy and AI initiatives at bt.com.Totogi’s BSS Magic uses AI to help operators solve their vendor interoperability problem. Learn how we generated over 600,000 lines of BSS Code in one day—LIVE!—at TelecomTV’s AI-Native Telco Forum, proving that BSS Magic is the real deal. Check out our results.Looking for new ways to generate revenue? Learn how hyper-personalization can unlock revenue streams through advanced ML platforms like Totogi’s PlanAI.Want to try albondigas Mexicanas, also known as Mexican meatballs? Here’s a recipe to get you started.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and the public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won 2024 and 2025 MarCom Awards, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestGabriela Styf Sjöman is a global executive with extensive international business experience in the telecom and IT industries. She has held executive positions in numerous multinational organizations across functions such as strategy, technology, business, and sales. She is currently Managing Director of Research and Network Strategy at BT Group, where she oversees network strategy, industry standards, technology research, and research commercialization. Prior to joining BT Group Gabriela held various executive positions such as Chief Strategy Officer at Nokia, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and VP Head of Network Services at Telia Company, VP Head of Networks and TI Labs at Telecom Italia, and numerous positions at Ericsson spanning Technology and Business.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most consumers can't tell the difference between Wi-Fi and cellular networks, yet our industry expects them to navigate over 200 confusing plan options. This complexity leaves no easy way for customers to compare networks, compare coverage at specific locations, or recognize if they’re on the right plan for their usage patterns.For this episode, I'm talking with Thad Hwang, CEO and founder of Goji Mobile, a consumer super app that's bringing transparency to mobile. Goji is like Expedia for mobile—one platform where consumers can compare plans, evaluate coverage, and purchase refurbished devices.Listen now to hear:How hyper-local coverage maps help consumers choose the right carrier [05:31]Why they stay with carriers even when they aren't meeting their needs [06:52]Why so many customers overpay for data [07:35]How simple plan adjustments can save people hundreds of dollars per year [11:07]Links and Resources:Check out the Goji Mobile website to compare carriers and plans, check coverage maps, and shop for phones.Download the Goji Mobile app to get real-time measurement of your network performance. Looking to upgrade your phone? Go to the Goji Store to buy quality refurbished phones at great prices. It’s currently offering a special 10% discount for our listeners! Use the code: TELCOIN20 Read the Goji blog, and follow Goji on Facebook and Instagram.Thad compared choosing from 200+ mobile plans to ordering from the Cheesecake Factory menu—and he's not wrong. That thing is absolutely insane and takes at least 15 minutes to read! Take a look at the menu to see why. Want to see the pickleball maneuvers Thad and I geeked out about? Take a look at these videos to see how to hit an Erne and ATP. Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won 2024 and 2025 MarCom Awards, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestThad Hwang is the Founder and CEO of Goji Mobile, where he’s building a next-generation mobile marketplace that connects consumers with the best deals on phones and plans. He has deep dual-sided marketplace experience from his time at eBay and Lyft, as well as enterprise B2B expertise in sectors like automotive, data/tooling, and government, and executive leadership experience as Chief Product Officer at Replica and The Black Tux. Thad has a track record of scaling consumer products from zero to millions of users, building and leading cross-functional teams, and driving innovation across mobile, e-commerce, and SaaS. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telco industry has been buzzing about AI transformation, but few operators have seen tangible results beyond pilot projects. The challenge isn't just adopting new technology—it's fundamentally changing how telcos build and maintain their business support systems (BSS).For this special episode, I join Scott Bicheno and Iain Morris on the Telecoms.com podcast to discuss Totogi's recent AI demonstration at TelecomTV's AI-Native Telco Forum in Düsseldorf, Germany. This is one of our rare "double drops," where both podcasts share the same conversation. We talk about Totogi’s live coding demonstration in Germany, which used AI and BSS Magic to generate over 600,000 lines of BSS code, explore the concept of ontology in AI systems, and dive into why telcos struggle with AI implementation. Fair warning: this episode is longer than usual, but we cover a lot of important topics. Listen now to hear:Why telcos can't get past "zero to one" with AI—and where to start [19:01];The inside story behind Totogi’s live coding feat [39:33];How telco-specific ontology helps AI understand our industry’s business logic [41:28]; andWhy many veteran developers resist AI-generated code [53:05].Links and Resources:I have a big idea that needs bold execution: my BSS vision for telcos. I want to use AI to help operators solve their vendor interoperability mess by creating a product that helps them build their own BSS. Learn how Totogi generated over 500,000 lines of BSS Code in one day—LIVE!—at TelecomTV’s AI-Native Telco Forum, proving that BSS Magic is the real deal. Check out our results.Watch my recent interview with Ray Le Maistre from TelecomTV where I discuss how coding with LLMs is approaching human-level capability.Read my blog, Düsseldorf changed everything for BSS, where I break down three objections people have about BSS Magic and explain how we're systematically proving each one wrong.Check out Scott Bicheno's article Totogi's automated BSS code-writing demonstration, The Fast Mode’s Totogi Demos AI-Built BSS From Scratch in a 'Single Day', Edward Finegold said Totogi “stuck their necks out” to show what’s possible with a new approach to BSS, and TelecomTV’s coverage Totogi creates new BSS system on AI-Native Telco Forum show floor.Learn more about Totogi's BSS Magic and how AI is transforming BSS development.Read my blogs to learn why telco is the perfect use case for AI-assisted development, how context engineering enables production-ready AI applications, and why your legacy BSS vendors won't rebuild as AI-native.Read my blog on how the public cloud is YOUR problem.Learn about my other companies, Skyvera and TelcoDR.Check out my full 2-hour conversation with Scott Bicheno and Iain Morris on the Telecoms.com podcast.Explore Gauntlet AI, the 10-week program my son went through that is training developers in AI-powered coding.Scott, Iain and I also discussed how Wimbledon's switch to AI technology for line calls mirrors concerns about AI replacing human expertise. Read more about the controversy.Want to know more about the beer we were drinking? Scott and Iain’s favorite is BrewDog’s Hazy Jane.We talked about my love of both pickleball and tennis in this episode. If you're curious about the differences between the two sports, this video explains the seven biggest ones.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestThe Telecoms.com Podcast is a weekly show produced by Telecoms.com and hosted by industry experts Scott Bicheno and Iain Morris. The format centers on irreverent and engaging discussions about current trends, controversies, and major news in the global telecommunications sector, often featuring special guests from telecom operators, vendors, and analysts.As the Editorial Director of Telecoms.com, Scott Bicheno has been covering the mobile phone and broader technology industries for over 20 years. Prior to Telecoms.com, Scott was the primary smartphone specialist at industry analyst Strategy Analytics. Iain Morris is the International Editor at Light Reading. Prior to boosting Light Reading's UK-based editorial team numbers, he was a successful freelance wr

If AI is so awesome, why isn't it having a bigger impact on your bottom line? I hate to break it to you, but the problem isn't with AI—it's with your leadership. Look no further than the quality of your ideas and capability of your execution to figure out why your team is not getting better results with AI.In this episode, I sit down with strategic HR and transformation leader Jim Abolt. He has decades of experience helping organizations navigate major transformations successfully, and isn’t surprised that AI initiatives are failing to deliver. Listen to our conversation as we discuss the hard truths about “Big C” Change leadership, why you need big ideas and bold execution to be successful with AI, and why you should listen to me, DR, the “Disruptor Who’s Right.” We dive into how I'm delivering real results when it comes to implementing AI in my own organization.Listen now to hear:Why AI ROI failure is a leadership problem, not a technology problem [02:56];How Totogi redesigned work to achieve 20x developer productivity [06:28];Why telling employees the truth about AI's impact isn't reckless—it's responsible [13:05]; andHow thinking like a business person rather than a functional expert enables bold AI execution [15:27].Links and Resources:I have a big idea that needs bold execution: my BSS vision for telcos. I want to use AI to help operators solve their vendor interoperability mess by creating a product that helps them build their own BSS. Learn how Totogi generated over 500,000 lines of production BSS Code in one day—live—at the TelecomTV Forum event to show that BSS Magic is the real deal. Check out our results.Watch my latest interview with Ray Le Maistre from TelecomTV where I discuss how coding with LLMs is approaching human-level capability.Check out my conversation with Scott Bicheno and Iain Morris on the Telecoms.com podcast. We talk about Totogi’s amazing feat at the recent AI-Native Telco Forum and answer all the questions people have about it.Read my blogs to learn why telco is the perfect use case for AI-assisted development, how context engineering enables production-ready AI applications, and why your legacy BSS vendors won't rebuild as AI-native.Read the blog that Jim raved about, To get AI value, shift left (and eliminate jobs), to learn how to maximize the impact of AI in your organization.Listen to Jim’s previous episode, “How to build an AI-first organization” where he shares a practical framework for AI transformation and AI's impact on jobs.Listen to the “Invest Like the Best” podcast in which Joe Liemandt calls Jim "one of the most influential people in my career."Jim mentioned that I am always right—with the public cloud and now with AI! Watch this clip from the movie, Groundhog Day, where life insurance agent Ned Ryerson tries to convince Phil that he’s right. “Am I right or am I right or am I right? I’m right.”Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestJim Abolt is a retired HR executive who is widely regarded as an expert in leadership development, culture shaping, and large-scale organizational change. His career spanned multiple industries, disciplines, and continents. Starting as a labor relations specialist in a Midwest steel mill, he ultimately held global senior management positions with leading companies in the consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical, and software development industries. Jim holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College, and a J.D. and M.A. from the University of Illinois.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telco industry loves to differentiate on technical specs—five nines of reliability, fastest 5G, most coverage. But Gabriela Styf Sjöman, Managing Director of Research and Network Strategy at BT Group, has a radically simple framework that cuts through the noise: every technology decision comes down to two questions—does it help us make money or does it help us save money?In this episode, Gabriela breaks down BT’s dual AI strategy: “AI for networks” (using AI to optimize internal operations) and “networks for AI” (building networks that support customers’ AI workloads). We discuss why “best network” marketing is dead, how telcos need better customer segmentation beyond just “consumer vs. enterprise,” and why the biggest barrier to AI adoption isn’t technical capability—it’s cultural change. If you’re a telco exec struggling to get value from AI investments, this conversation will reframe how you think about technology strategy.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Listen now to hear:Why telcos must prioritize commercial transformation to move up the value chain [04:00];BT's dual AI strategy for internal operations and customer service [05:49];The cultural shifts needed to embrace process redesign and customer-centric thinking [09:45]; andWhy "best network" marketing is dead and what telcos should focus on instead [11:49].Links and Resources:Watch Gabriela’s talk and our panel from TelecomTV’s 2025 DSP Leaders World Forum on BT's AI strategy and why telcos must focus on products over technology.Check out Gabriela’s TelecomTV interview on how AI-powered network APIs will help telcos become insights-driven providers and why telecom standardization needs a revamp.Read my blogs, The modern telco and To get AI value, shift left (and eliminate jobs), to learn how AI-driven transformation can improve telco profitability and operational efficiency.Learn more about BT Group's network strategy and AI initiatives at bt.com.Looking for new ways to generate revenue? Learn how hyper-personalization can unlock revenue streams through advanced ML platforms like Totogi’s PlanAI product.Find out more about Totogi by meeting with us at TelecomTV’s AI-Native Telco Forum in Düsseldorf, Germany on October 23-24. DM me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.Want to try albondigas Mexicanas, also known as Mexican meatballs? Here’s a recipe to get you started.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestGabriela Styf Sjöman is a global executive with extensive international business experience in the telecom and IT industries. She has held executive positions in numerous multinational organizations across functions such as strategy, technology, business, and sales. She is currently Managing Director of Research and Network Strategy at BT Group, where she oversees network strategy, industry standards, technology research, and research commercialization. Prior to joining BT Group Gabriela held various executive positions such as Chief Strategy Officer at Nokia, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and VP Head of Network Services at Telia Company, VP Head of Networks and TI Labs at Telecom Italia, and numerous positions at Ericsson spanning Technology and Business.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

MIT research shows that 95% of enterprise AI projects fail, and the culprit is likely the daunting task of managing business context. When AI doesn't understand the full picture of your business, it makes poor decisions and delivers disappointing results that leave operators questioning whether AI can deliver real value.In this "What's Up with Totogi?" episode, I'm talking with Michael Walker, who leads Enterprise AI Deployment Strategy at Totogi. He's focused on what we believe is the right approach for telcos: vertical AI, built specifically for telcos, that understands the industry and your business from day one. We dive into why most telcos are experiencing "context chaos" with their AI deployments, how Totogi's ontology approach eliminates the guesswork, and how our BSS Magic can turbocharge ancient legacy systems without expensive migrations, data aggregation, or swap offs.Listen now to hear:How context engineering makes AI work at scale [05:00];How Totogi's ontology framework manages context across thousands of AI agents without operational chaos [07:49];Why you don't need data lake migrations to make BSS Magic work [10:24]; andA customer example of building a complex sales agent in just four weeks [13:09].Links and Resources:Check out my blog, Context is EVERYTHING, to learn how context engineering can turn expensive demos into successful enterprise AI.Read MIT’s report, The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025, on why 95% of enterprise AI projects fail.Learn about Totogi's BSS Magic and its telco-specific ontology approach.Watch our conversation from MWC25, where Michael and I discuss how BSS Magic uses AWS Bedrock to bring AI intelligence to legacy telecom systems, solving vendor interoperability challenges that have held telcos back for decades.Check out how Totogi's AI-powered BSS Magic reduced CloudSense's TM Forum API certification from 26 months to four weeks.Watch my interview with TelecomTV, where I discuss how Tier-one operators are using BSS Magic to achieve dramatic results with BSS Magic AI, including 15% faster sales quoting and reducing support tickets from five hours to 15 minutes.Learn how multiple Tier 1 telecom operators are using Totogi's BSS Magic to achieve 80% faster order processing and 75% cost reductions by deploying AI agents across existing legacy systems without costly replacements.Find out more about Totogi by meeting with us at TelecomTV's AI-Native Telco Forum in Düsseldorf, Germany on October 23-24. DM me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.Watch this Scandinavian mother explain why it’s “normal” to see babies nap outside in Sweden and the health benefits they believe it provides – leaving them outside in temperatures as low as −13 °F / −25 °C!Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestMichael Walker leads enterprise ai deployment strategy at Totogi. He has extensive experience deploying enterprise AI solutions across industries including telecommunications, enterprise technology, automotive, and oil and gas. At Totogi, Michael leads the company’s BSS Magic initiative, helping telecom operators adopt AI at scale by leveraging BSS Magic’s universal ontology layer to accelerate transformation and unlock new business value.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

MVNOs are having their moment. From Ryan Reynolds with Mint Mobile to the Trumps launching Trump Mobile, everyone wants in.But the truth is it’s tough to be an MVNO. MVNOs who pay millions in licensing fees struggle to actually go live because incumbent MNOs work overtime to squash them. Take Nigeria - regulators handed out 46 MVNx licenses and collected serious cash from hopeful startups. The result? Zero MVNOs have successfully launched to date.In this episode, I’m talking with Allan Rasmussen, CEO of MVNO Services and one of the world's leading MVNO strategists. He has witnessed hundreds of MVNO dreams crash and burn while also guiding success stories that cracked the code. We dive deep into the regulatory challenges facing MVNOs worldwide and Allan's strategies for navigating the chaos.Listen now to hear:How the Nigerian MVNO market has been stalled by regulator-MNO power struggles [03:31];How MTN's pivot to "network as a service" might be a strategic game-changer [10:31];Why MVNOs should form alliances when battling regulatory roadblocks [12:55]; andHow countries like Canada, India, Pakistan, and Thailand are creating barriers to MVNO competition [13:54].Links and Resources:Allan does a great job keeping the MVNO community up to date on all the happenings in the MVNx space. Follow him on LinkedIn.Read TM Forum’s article, “What’s fuelling the rise of new MVNOs?,” to learn how new MVNOs are surging due to eSIMs, MVNE platforms, and cloud-native technology like Totogi's multi-tenant charging system that enables faster MVNO deployments.Check out my blog, “MVNOs don't need MVNEs (and MVNEs’ loss will be MNOs’ gain),” to find out how African MVNOs can bypass MVNE middlemen by leveraging cloud-native SaaS solutions and direct MNO wholesale platforms.Read about the Nigerian Communications Commission’s MVNO framework and licensing in “Is Nigeria Ripe for MVNOs —Or Are We Just Licensing Hope?” from TechAfrica News.Wanna get the scoop around the world on how challenging it is to launch an MVNO? Learn about Canada’s redefinition of MVNO requirements, listen to the MVNO Knowledge Hub podcast episode, “Thailand’s MVNO Collapse – The Regulatory Inaction that Killed an Industry,” to learn about Thailand, and catch up on Pakistan by reading “New PTA Policy Will Let New Telcos Launch Services in Pakistan Without a Physical Network”.Learn about Totogi's Wholesale Solution for MNOs looking to monetize MVNO partnerships. Want to try it out? Book a demo!OF COURSE the telcos don’t collude to box out the MVNOs. But it did remind me of that time the Dukes tried to corner the frozen concentrate orange juice market in the movie Trading Places. Watch how they lose their fortune over a $1 bet between Louis Winthorpe III (Aykroyd) and Billy Ray (Murphy).Find out more about Totogi by meeting with us at the NOVACOM Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, on September 23-25. DM me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestAllan Rasmussen is an MVNA/MVNE/MVNO specialist with hands-on experience from more than 60 projects in both competitive and greenfield markets. His expertise includes business case development, execution, launch, and growth strategies. He is an advisor and consultant to MNOs, MVNAs, MVNEs, MVNOs, national regulatory authorities, government agencies, TMT industry associations, and innovation and investment banks. Allan is a well-known voice in the global MVNO space as a walking MVNO wiki, and is recognized for his expertise in spotting emerging trends and curating crucial industry news. He brings a unique blend of strategic foresight and practical experience to his work, all while championing his core values of fostering MVNO growth and sharing knowledge.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for info

Telco transformation projects are legendary for their complexity. Operators must maintain 99.999% uptime while ripping out decades-old legacy systems that are deeply intertwined with every aspect of their business. They involve massive technical debt, vendor lock-in, regulatory compliance requirements, and the challenge of modernizing infrastructure—all of which need to be managed while serving millions of customers who expect flawless service. Add in organizational resistance to change, budget constraints, and the fact that many telcos still run critical systems on 1980s mainframes, and you have a perfect storm. Getting it wrong can mean network outages, customer churn, regulatory fines, and revenue loss that can run into the hundreds of millions.In this episode, I'm talking with Amol Phadke, Chief Transformation Officer at Tech Mahindra. With over 25 years of experience spanning Google Cloud, Telenor, and now leading AI transformation at a major service provider, Amol has seen transformation from every angle. We explore why traditional projects fail, how successful telcos are building new revenue streams, and Tech Mahindra's framework for AI-driven transformation. Listen now to hear:Why telcos face a "perfect storm" of declining revenue and legacy challenges [05:27]How successful telcos leverage trust to build sovereignty [07:51];Tech Mahindra's six-pillar AI transformation framework [10:23]; andWhy one CEO said AI is everywhere except his P&L [11:03]. Links and Resources:Learn about Tech Mahindra's six-pillar AI transformation framework.Read about Tech Mahindra's Orion platform for agentic AI deployment.Find out about Tech Mahindra Maker's Lab, an innovation center that transforms ideas into solutions.Listen to my conversation with Dr. Lester Thomas, head of new technologies and innovation at Vodafone Digital and IT. He breaks down the transformation that moved 17 petabytes from 600 Hadoop servers hosted in 11 countries to Google Cloud.BSS Magic is a game-changer when it comes to telco transformation—especially when migrating data to a new system. Forget iterative attempts until you get it right; you work right inside the BSS Magic platform and get the job done in 20% of the time. Want to try it out? Book a demo!Find out how Totogi can accelerate your transformation project by meeting with us at the NOVACOM Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, on September 23-25. DM me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.Besides telco transformation projects, do you know who else has a bad reputation? Joan Jett! I once saw her in Las Vegas. She’s a bad-ass rocker chick!Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestAmol Phadke is a senior business executive providing leadership in AI, cloud, software networks and IT, Big Tech, and telecommunications. He specializes in strategy definition, execution of large-scale engineering and innovation development/delivery units, and leading global multi-discipline teams. He is Chief Transformation Officer at Tech Mahindra, where he supports the CEO on strategic initiatives across the company, including elevating the communications industry vertical globally. Prior to Tech Mahindra, Amol served as EVP and Group CTO at Telenor Group, and as a member of Telenor’s group executive management team. Prior to Telenor, Amol was served as Global GM for the communications service provider industry vertical at Google Cloud.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telco industry has long been plagued by sluggish software development cycles that stretch across months and years. But operators are now building and deploying AI-powered solutions in weeks using what Microsoft calls "hypervelocity engineering."In this episode, I'm talking with Robin Cole, vice president of engineering at Microsoft, who works with telcos on their biggest technical challenges. She explains how operators like AT&T, KT Corporation, and Telefónica are using Microsoft tools and methodology to speed development timelines and modernize operations.Listen now to hear:The three components of hypervelocity engineering that accelerate development [04:13];The spectrum between AI augmentation and full automation [07:00];How AT&T is benefiting from Microsoft's AI advancements [12:33];How KT Corporation is transforming its entire development strategy with Microsoft [13:34].Links and Resources:Watch Robin discuss Microsoft’s hypervelocity engineering at TM Forum’s DTW Ignite.Learn more about Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry.Read about Microsoft Copilot Studio, a low-code/no-code AI development environment. Discover GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered coding assistant.Read Microsoft’s blog, Microsoft AI ignites telecom innovation and growth.See how AT&T improved operations and employee experiences with Azure.Read about KT Corporation’s partnership with Microsoft to accelerate AI innovation in Korea.Check out Telefónica and Microsoft’s collaboration to co-develop digital solutions using Open Gateway.Watch Microsoft Copilot interview Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella as part of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Microsoft.Find out how Totogi's BSS Magic can turn your AI development tools into telecom powerhouses at the NOVACOM Summit in Cape Town, September 23-25. DM me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.Did you catch Robin’s Bugs Bunny reference when she says “took a hard right turn at Albuquerque”? Check out this compilation of all the times Bugs Bunny says his iconic line.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestRobin Cole is an accomplished business development, marketing, and engineering program management executive with 25 years of experience in Fortune 100 companies and startups. Her professional experience includes Sony, where she managed worldwide strategy and business development for Sony Electronics and Sony Corporation; Apple, where she led program management efforts across the MacBook portfolio of products; and Microsoft, where she has held a number of marketing, business development, sales and program management leadership roles across a variety of products. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Google Cloud runs the largest private network on the planet, managing billions of users with a fraction of the staff that regional telcos need. Now it’s opening up its playbook to share this AI-driven approach with telecommunications operators.In this episode, I'm talking with Angelo Libertucci, global head of industry for telecom at Google Cloud, about its partnership with Ericsson to build a cloud-native, 5G core and autonomous operations framework entirely on Google Cloud that can self-heal and self-optimize without human intervention.Listen now to hear:How Google's partnership with Ericsson delivers instant service deployment for 5G networks [03:40]Why the timing is finally right for telcos to move core network functions to the public cloud [04:56]The math behind network utilization that makes public cloud for network workloads financially compelling [09:12]How Bell Canada transformed its network performance using autonomous operations without moving workloads to cloud [13:55]Links and Resources:Read about Google Cloud and Ericsson's carrier-grade 5G Core-as-a-Service platform.Learn about Google Cloud's Autonomous Network Operations framework.Check out O2 Telefónica Germany and Google Cloud’s partnership to move 5G functions to the cloud with Nokia.Watch my 2018 Interview with Google Cloud about Spanner (yes, I’ve been talking about telco and the public cloud for FOREVER)!Angelo was a professional hockey player. Check out his jersey when he played with the Canadian All Stars.I’m not a hockey player, but I do play tennis. Check out this sport that combines both, ice tennis — watch out for those slapstick backhands!Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestAngelo Libertucci heads the telecom industry for Google Cloud globally. He is responsible for business development and strategy, partnerships, and field enablement that will drive CSP service differentiation and value, leveraging Google Cloud's technology and platform. He also identifies and capitalizes on new opportunities across Google’s ecosystem.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Network APIs are the telecom industry's next big bet for unlocking new revenue, with McKinsey & Company projecting they could generate up to $300 billion in connectivity and edge computing revenue over the next four to six years. But the real challenge isn't technical—it's convincing millions of developers to adopt telco’s network APIs instead of sticking with what they already use.In this episode, I sit down with Shkumbin Hamiti, Nokia's vice president of network monetization, who leads the Network as Code platform that has grown to over 50 partners since launch. We explore why winning over developers is the holy grail for network API success.Listen now to hear:How Nokia's strategy differs from Ericsson's Aduna approach [04:56]Examples of commercial deployments that have moved beyond proof of concept [07:05]Why telcos need to meet developers where they are [10:46]Links and Resources:Check out McKinsey’s report predicting network API’s $300 billion dollar revenue potential and its follow up piece, The future of telcos: Mapping the routes to renewed success.Learn about Nokia's Network as Code platform and its Acquisition of Rapid.Read about Nokia’s partnership with Deutsche Telekom for fraud prevention APIs.Learn about Globe Telecom’s partnership with Nokia for enhanced banking security.Check out Nokia’s partnership with robotaxi service Elmo, whose vehicles combine AI, sensors and Nokia’s network APIs to operate safely in busy urban environments.Watch a demo of Elmo’s remote teledriving system at MWC25 in Barcelona, where you could control a real car that was over 2,000 miles away from Nokia’s booth.Read about Nokia's partnership with Google Cloud marketplace for API distribution.Shkumbin quoted my mentor, strategic HR veteran Jim Abolt, in this interview. Check out Telco in 20 episode 103 to hear more of Jim’s perspective on change management.Shkumbin and I both love tennis. Did you catch the 2025 French Open men's final between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner? Their grueling match is considered one of the top 5 all time best matches. Watch highlights here.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestShkumbin Hamiti is vice-president and head of Nokia's network monetization platform business unit. He is an accomplished technology executive with 28+ years of experience spearheading transformative initiatives within the mobile and cloud industries at Nokia. He is based at Nokia’s headquarters in Espoo, Finland.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telecommunications industry is at a crossroads, with strategic opportunities ready to reshape how operators generate revenue and compete. From network APIs, to GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), to moving networks to the public cloud, telcos are weighing big bets that require capital and focus. The real challenge isn't identifying opportunities—it's knowing which ones to pursue and which to walk away from.In this episode, I’m talking with Harrison Lung, group chief strategy officer at e& (formerly Etisalat). We're going to dive into e&'s four strategic pillars, Harrison's take on the big strategy ideas in our industry, and how the operator is applying AI behind the scenes.Listen now to hear:e&’s plans for the next five years, including its 4D strategic framework [04:15];Harrison's take on network APIs, GPUaaS, and cloud-native networks [08:37];Keys to driving strategic success [11:25]; andThe exciting new AI use cases e& is putting to the test [13:44].Links and Resources:Read more about Etisalat’s rebranding to e&.Check out Harrison’s 2024 year-end wrap up of e&’s transformative progress.Read Aduna’s announcement about e& becoming an equity partner in its global network API venture.Learn about how e& is using AI in the Careem Super App to ensure quicker food delivery times.Is your telco ready to drive strategic success? Check out my blogs for tips: So, you want to be a tech-co? and Telco’s shift to the public cloud gets real.If you've ever visited the UAE, you can't have missed the iconic twinkling golf balls above the e& buildings—those magical spheres that shimmer like stars against the night sky, each one housing 940 tiny lenses and optical fibers that create their mesmerizing starry effect. I forgot to ask Harrison if e& will keep these beloved tributes to Etisilat!Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 and 2025 Hermes Awards, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestHarrison Lung is the group chief strategy officer at e&. He was appointed in May 2023 and oversees corporate strategy and planning, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), venture capital, Group transformation, ESG and sustainability. With over two decades of experience in the telecom and technology sectors, Harrison is directly collaborating with e&'s management team and board of directors to develop the overall business strategy, set the direction of the Group and develop plans to achieve e&'s business objectives. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Telecom operators worldwide need to modernize their infrastructure and reduce costs. While many have been hesitant to move critical network functions to the public cloud, a growing number of visionary operators are proving that cloud-native networks aren't just possible—they're the future.Today, I'm speaking with Mallik Rao, chief technology and enterprise business officer at Telefónica Germany, who is leading the world's first brownfield migration of a 5G core network to AWS. We dive into the technical challenges his team faced, the organizational transformation required, and why combining cloud-native architecture with Open RAN is poised to revolutionize how telcos operate.Listen now to hear:Why Mallik Rao killed his first cloud migration project after 18 months; [05:08]How AWS redesigned its hardware infrastructure for telco workloads, creating Outpost 2.0; [06:36]The strategy behind disaggregating hardware and software lifecycles in RAN for maximum flexibility; and [11:19]Why time-to-market improvements matter more than cost savings [13:37].Links and Resources:Read Telefónica Germany’s project announcement, 5G Cloud Core milestone with over one million users on the O2 Telefónica network.Take a look at this article on how the operator shifted customers from an Ericsson 5G cloud core to one provided by AWS and Nokia.Learn more about AWS’s second-generation Outposts racks.Check out Telefónica Germany’s Open RAN strategy and collaboration with Samsung to modernize RAN.Learn more about Totogi’s Charging-as-a-Service, a multi-tenant SaaS solution that delivers automatic scaling, usage-based pricing, CI/CD-driven upgrades, open APIs, and real-time event-based charging on the public cloud.Can your charger scale to the equivalent of 1 billion subscribers? Totogi’s Charging-as-a-Service can, and we’ve got the proof. Check out this performance benchmark whitepaper.Relocating for a new job can be hard! In the 1988 comedy Moving, Richard Pryor plays Arlo Pear, a man uprooting his life and family for his dream job. But when they reach their new home, they find the previous owners weren’t joking about ‘taking everything.’ Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, a 2024 and 2025 Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestMallik Rao has been a member of the Management Board of Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG since the end of October 2019. He was initially responsible for the mobile and fixed network as well as the IT of Telefónica Deutschland in his role as chief technology & information officer. Mallik Rao has also been assigned responsibility for the business customer division and the company’s data platforms and artificial intelligence activities in his role as chief technology & enterprise officer. Mallik has more than 25 years of experience in the international telecommunications industry. He lived and worked in seven countries, bringing experience from technology providers like Ericsson and Nortel, and service providers like Vodafone and Aircel. He is passionate about working with various cultures and building technology solutions for customers. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telecommunications industry has reached a critical inflection point where legacy IT systems can no longer support the demands of an AI-first world. Traditional telco technology approaches are too complex, slow, and fundamentally incompatible with the speed and agility required for modern digital services.Today I'm speaking with Dr. Lester Thomas, head of new technologies and innovation at Vodafone Digital and IT, and a TM Forum Distinguished Fellow. Lester has driven some of the most ambitious cloud transformation projects in telecom, including Vodafone's groundbreaking data migration that consolidated servers across multiple countries into a unified cloud platform. We explore Vodafone's "Composable IT" vision and how the company is transforming its technology stack to be modular, open, and AI-ready.Listen now to hear:Vodafone's data transformation that moved 17 petabytes from 600 Hadoop servers hosted in 11 countries into Google Cloud, creating the foundation for AI adoption [04:20]The company's strict "cloud native" definition requiring complete re-engineering rather than lift-and-shift, with 80-90% of digital workloads now truly cloud native [09:37]Three principles driving Vodafone's Open Digital Architecture: machine-readable standards, open-source collaboration, and proof-of-concept testing over RFPs [14:18]How AI is forcing complete software redesign, with Vodafone's AI Booster democratizing AI access across all business functions while maintaining governance [17:51]Links and Resources:Watch Vodafone’s announcement at Google Cloud Next 2019 to rebuild their Data Ocean on Google Cloud to eliminate 600+ on-prem Hadoop servers across 11 countries.Check out my blogs, Vodafone is putting on a public cloud clinic and Be like Vodafone and move your analytics to the public cloud.Take a look at this TelcoDR Vodafone Case Study, How Vodafone Saved Nearly 70% by moving analytics platform to the public cloud.Read about Vodafone’s partnership with Google Cloud to process massive data volumes, enhance digital services, and drive innovation across Vodafone’s global operations.Check out this Google Cloud blog on how Vodafone's AI Booster project is supercharging AI & ML at scale.Listen to this episode of the TM Forum Inside Out podcast to learn how Open APIs spurn innovation.Take a look at this article from TM Forum, ODA explained: Tools for implementation and deployment.Watch my Gen AI Summit talk at MWC25 on Building an AI-first Telco.Learn more about how Totogi’s BSS Magic, powered by AI and the public cloud, enables seamless interoperability, drives innovation, and unlocks new growth.Lester Thomas has taken up wing foiling, an adventure sport combining sailing and flying. Here’s what it looks like if you are inspired and want to give it a try.Check out a video version of this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, a 2024 and 2025 Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestDr. Lester Thomas is Head of New Technologies and Innovation and a Distinguished Engineer at Vodafone Digital. A 20-year Vodafone veteran, he leads Vodafone’s Open Digital Architecture strategy, driving innovation in Generative AI and cloud-native technologies. Lester is passionate about telecoms’ role in society and is a strong advocate for open standards and open-source. He has been recognized as a TM Forum Distinguished Fellow for his contribution to the Open Digital Architecture and Open-API initiatives. When not shaping telecom’s future, he enjoys adventurous sports, has a private pilot’s license and also enjoys sailing and other watersports.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The debate over whether telco network workloads can run on the public cloud has raged for years. While greenfield operators like DISH Wireless have demonstrated that a cloud-native 5G network is possible, critics dismiss these examples as outliers that don’t apply to established networks. But recent developments with brownfield operators and new infrastructure options are changing the conversation about what's possible.In this episode, I'm talking with Dr. Ishwar Parulkar, Chief Technologist for Telecom at AWS. With extensive experience creating cloud solutions for telecom networks, Ishwar is at the forefront of helping operators transition their networks to cloud infrastructure.Listen now to hear:How AWS has created an "edge continuum" of infrastructure options to support network workloads [05:25];What AWS learned from working with Telefónica Germany to run network workloads in a brownfield environment [07:31];How telcos are leveraging generative AI to transform customer experience, reduce operational costs, and create new revenue streams [11:41];Whether AI RAN workloads will be a new revenue source [15:03].Links and Resources:Take a look at how Telefónica Germany successfully completed a trial to load 1 million subscribers into the public cloud. Read the AWS announcement on the New AWS Outposts Rack and Server Offerings for Telcos.Watch my interview with Chris Penrose at NVIDIA about AI-RAN and using the extra capacity in the RAN to run AI workloads at the edge.Take a look at how SK Telecom built a specialized telco AI model trained with Anthropic's Claude on AWS.Learn more about how British Telecom is using Amazon Q to enhance developer productivity.Come see me June 3-4 in Windsor, England at Telecom TV's DSP Leaders World Forum. I'll be on Tuesday's panel, Leveraging AI throughout the network, and hosting a garden party that night!Ready for a movie night? Try this homemade popcorn recipe. Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, a 2024 and 2025 Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestDr. Ishwar Parulkar is the Chief Technologist for Telecom and Edge Cloud at Amazon Web Services. In this role he is responsible for setting AWS technology strategy, defining new cloud services and leading initiatives to enable AWS’ edge cloud offerings and next generation telecom networks and services. Prior to AWS, Dr. Parulkar was a Distinguished Engineer at Cisco and Chief Architect for business units responsible for telecom routing, mobile packet core, small cell and network orchestration products. He was a founding member of industry-wide initiatives around mobile edge computing and 5G and the conviction that cloud technology can transform the telecom field brought him to AWS in 2016. Before Cisco, Dr. Parulkar was a Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems where he led the design data center computing infrastructure, including the first multi-core processor systems and first compute virtualization platforms in the industry. He started his career at Apple, where he worked on the Mac desktop/laptop product lines and on the Newton PDA technology, which had the seeds of the iPhone revolution.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, operators struggle with change because they are held back by their legacy systems and rigid processes. Bold transformation isn't just about upgrading networks or cutting costs—it requires fundamentally redesigning how the entire organization works. The future belongs to those with the courage to drive radical change — which is absolutely necessary in the age of AI and cloud.For this episode, I'm talking with Mark Sanders, Chief Architect and Head of Autonomous Networks and AI Enablement at Telstra, about their composable architecture. Telstra is building on TM Forum's ODA to create a revolutionary framework that arranges telco knowledge into an ontology. We dive into how Telstra is leveraging a composable architecture to build an autonomous network, and using AI to create a future-ready organization. Listen now to hear:How Telstra's "Lego block" approach to technology architecture accelerates innovation [07:11];The critical shift from automated processes to truly autonomous, outcome-driven systems [08:46];Why developing a telco knowledge ontology is fundamental for effective AI reasoning [10:12];The importance of bold leadership in driving transformative organizational change [14:39].Links and Resources:Read this interview with Mark Sanders on how Telstra is using composable network, cloud, IT, and data building blocks to underpin innovation and growth.Check out this case study about Telstra's Reference Architecture powered by TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture (ODA)Watch my talk, Avoid vendor lock-in with TM Forum Open APIs, that the telco industry dinosaurs demanded to be pulled down from TM Forum DTWS event in 2021. I guess Amdocs didn’t like being called out for not really supporting the Open APIs? Whatever I said worked: they’ve gone from 1 API supported to 35! Told you it wasn’t a technical reason they didn’t do it…Learn more about Totogi’s BSS Magic and use our ontology to create your digital twin. Start modeling your processes and apply AI to reduce cost, reduce friction, and increase revenue. Tier 1 telcos are already trying it out.Meet with Totogi at TM Forums DTW Ignite, June 17-19, in Copenhagen. Stop by our Catalyst project (C25.0.836) in the Autonomous Networks Innovation Zone, Kiosk #14, and see how we’re working with Infosys and CloudBlue. The Catalyst demonstrates AI-led simplification of telco service ordering using CAMARA, TMF, and MEF APIs.Mark is headed to Antarctica, a place most people will never go! Take a look at some of the amazing sites he might see.Mark compares his composable architecture to Lego bricks. Check out this ASMR Lego stop motion cooking video that’s insanely satisfying to watch. If only BSS was this easy! Sound on for maximum enjoyment.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, a 2024 and 2025 Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestMark is a transformational leader working in the intersection IT, Networks, Data and AI in telecommunications. Mark stands at the forefront of emerging technology for Telcos: Decoupled and composable architectures, Orchestration, APIs, AI, and Autonomous network services. Leading the innovation that will transform how Telco builds, activates, and lifecycle Services. As the Chief Architect, Mark assumes responsibility for developing comprehensive architecture strategies, and technology patterns across the enterprise and cross-domains at Telstra. In collaboration with Telco and Standards Development Organizations, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the industry and influencing Telco Architecture. Mark leads a team dedicated to providing enterprise-wide technology leadership. Their primary objectives include ensuring compliance with the Telstra Reference Architecture Model, minimizing technical debt, facilitating cross-domain decision-making, and contributing to optimal technology choices.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Sim

In today's telco landscape, operators are struggling with legacy BSS systems that are highly customized, expensive, and impossible to change. Rather than continuing the traditional approach of swapping out systems (ouch) or simply adding AI to siloed applications, a more revolutionary solution is emerging—one that creates a digital twin of your entire telco business and applies AI across all systems simultaneously.For this episode, I talk with Marc Breslow, Field CTO at Totogi. We're exploring how Totogi’s BSS Magic is helping telcos leverage AI without replacing their existing systems while delivering dramatic results in weeks, instead of months. Listen now to hear:How BSS Magic functions as a telco-specific ontological layer, not a replacement BSS system [04:12];Why siloed AI approaches fail when trying to solve problems that span multiple systems [05:00];How an Asian telco dramatically reduced their enterprise sales process time with BSS Magic [09:07];How the BSS Magic transforms notoriously difficult BSS migrations from a multi-year project to just a few months [12:40].Links and Resources:Watch my Gen AI Summit talk at MWC25 on Building an AI-first TelcoRead my blogs, The AI-first telco won't wait 5 years for Amdocs and How to suss out the fake agents at MWC25Learn more about BSS Magic on the Totogi website to say goodbye to rigid, vendor-locked BSS applicationsCheck out these BSS Magic Demos on Totogi’s YouTube channel:Inventory AI AgentEnterprise Sales Agent FlowCompetitive Product Design… and many more! Find more on the BSS Magic Demos playlist Build your first AI Agent for free! Kick-start your transformation by working with our Forward Deployed Engineering team to customize AI agent, at no upfront costIf BSS Magic is breaking down the boundaries between systems, imagine what’s happening with the boundaries between functional organizations. This article talks about how companies (and the humans in them) will change in the age of agentic AI.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestMarc Breslow is Field CTO of Totogi, where he is leveraging AI to revolutionize the telecommunications industry. A veteran of Accenture, Lehman Brothers, and Citibank, Marc has a proven track record of building scalable, high-performance systems. At Totogi, he leads the development of AI-powered solutions that drive tangible results for telcos: reducing churn, increasing ARPU, and streamlining business processes. Marc is responsible for customer proof points demonstrating these capabilities. When not engaging with customers, Marc leads teams building Totogi’s BSS Magic technology, generating applications and improving efficiency using AI agents and workflows.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The energy demands of artificial intelligence are skyrocketing. AI workloads are doubling every few months, pushing data centers' energy consumption beyond the capabilities of our aging grid infrastructure. As these facilities approach gigawatt-level power needs—equivalent to powering entire cities—the energy question has become the critical bottleneck for AI's future growth.In this episode, I'm talking with Roy Illsley, Chief Analyst at Omdia who specializes in cloud and data center technologies. We explore how the world’s biggest data center owners—Amazon, Google, and Microsoft—are responding to these challenges, from renewable energy investments to nuclear power, and what it means for the industry. Listen now to hear:Why hyperscalers are looking to nuclear energy solutions to meet their massive power requirements [03:23];How Europe's data sovereignty requirements are complicating AI development in power-constrained countries [05:40];What opportunity telcos have with AI inferencing at the edge, and why they risk repeating past mistakes [09:20];The crucial software capability gap that could determine who wins in the edge AI market [12:14].Links and Resources:Read Omdia’s latest reports on cloud and data centers technologies.Watch NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote at GTC on their future rack power requirements.Check out this press release on Oracle’s $5 billion UK investment in cloud infrastructure.Learn more about Verizon’s AI edge computing initiatives. Read about Microsoft's exploration of nuclear energy options, including the re-opening of Three Mile Island.Take a look at Google and Amazon’s investment in small nuclear reactors. Listen to the previous episodes I mentioned in my Takeaway:Ep 1 (Jim Abolt) It starts with…transformational leadershipEp 110 (Charles Fitzgerald) Hyperscaler CapEx is going nuclearHomer Simpson's nuclear career takes an unexpected turn in "C.E.D'oh" when he accidentally becomes Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's CEO after impressing Mr. Burns with business jargon. His executive dreams melt down faster than uranium-235 when he discovers the job requires making tough decisions, sacrificing family time, and actually understanding nuclear physics. Guess the CEO job isn't for everyone!Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestRoy Illsley has over thirty-eight years of IT experience, working for a variety of consultancy and end-user companies with experience in the defence, utilities, automotive, retail, and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industries. He works in the Cloud and Data Centre practice and is recognized as Omdia’s expert on Cloud, Virtualisation, and Management. He also has experience of Data Centre technologies, Quantum Computing, IT Service Management, and covers IT Strategy and Policy. His most recent reports include a series of five on the topic of edge computing, and two on the topic of sovereign cloud. In addition to the reports, he has produced white papers and carried out primary research for leading global organizations. He has delivered keynotes speeches and webinars. He has also presented at external trade events all over the world on a wide range of topics. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telecom industry is adopting AI at break speed. Unlike past innovations that demanded risky network transformations and long timelines, AI-based innovation is accelerating experimentation without disrupting core networks. For this episode, I sat down with Kevin Shatzkamer, corporate vice president of customer experience strategy and operations at Microsoft, to explore the power of agentic AI and why it represents such a transformative opportunity for telcos. Listen now to hear:Why AI could be the fastest technology adoption in telecom history [03:37];How AI agents reimagine processes instead of retrofitting existing workflows [08:16];Ways Microsoft's telecom customers are putting agentic AI to work in their business [12:00]; andHow telcos are unifying their data for deeper insights [13:17].Links and ResourcesTake a look at Kevin’s LinkedIn post about how AI has the potential to be the fastest adopted technology in telecom history.Read Anthropic’s guide on building effective agents.Watch my talk from MWC25 on how to build an AI-first telco, and how operators need to tackle the legacy tech debt in their BSS estate to do it.Check out my conversations with TelecomTV and Mobile World Live about how Totogi’s AI-first solutions are delivering real revenue growth to telcos TODAY.Learn more about the North American operator that switched billing systems and saved big bucks with Totogi.Read more about Microsoft’s tools for telcos:AutoGenSemantic KernelCopilot StudioFabricAzure AI FoundryHow to write a book with AI tweet threadCheck out this episode on our YouTube channel. You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestWith more than two decades of software and operational experience, Kevin Shatzkamer has a record of driving transformation and innovation at scale to improve customer experiences. In his role as CVP of Customer Experience Strategy and Operations, he holds operational, technical, and customer responsibilities. His portfolio of work includes strategy and planning, market insights, business performance, learning and development technical enablement, compliance, and AI adoption within Customer Experience. He serves as an executive sponsor for new Azure commitments and other mission-critical engagements, as well as oversees onboarding and AI innovation across key customers.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A few weeks ago I gave my FIFTH Mobile World Congress talk at the GSMA’s Gen AI Summit. More than 2,000 people RSVP’d for the event, and the room was packed with telco industry leaders eager to learn more about building an AI-first telco. But the big problem they have to overcome is their mountain of tech debt from their legacy BSS systems. In my talk, I explained how AI can help operators leverage their existing BSS estate and use it to drive toward an AI-first future. I’ve turned my talk into this podcast. Listen now to learn:The transformation that happens when intelligence moves above all your systems [04:19];How BSS Magic launches new products and offerings in minutes instead of months [04.55];Why having enterprise-wide intelligence, purpose-built for telecom, accelerates transformation [07:34]; andHow AI can breathe new life into legacy systems and turn technical debt into a strategic advantage [08:33].Links and ResourcesIf you missed my live talk, check out the video version on our YouTube channel.Learn more about BSS Magic and book a demo! Read GenAI for BSS systems: Telcos on the cusp of a new era, a free-to-download white paper from Appledore Research, sponsored by Totogi. Check out Totogi’s announcement about how we’re ending the era of billion-dollar BSS failures.Watch all my MWC talks! Start with the talk that began it all, my 2021 MWC keynote, The Paradox of the Public Cloud, and then check out my: 2024 MWC MVNO Summit talk, Unveiling the AI-First Future of BSS2023 MWC talk, SUPERCHARGE your MVNO with personalization2022 MWC talk, The Public Cloud is NOW!Watch my interview with Ray Le Maistre from TelecomTV about all the things Totogi did at MWC25.The great thing about BSS Magic is you don’t have to swap off your current BSS systems to use it—it adds an AI layer above all of your existing systems to make them more powerful. It reminds me of this scene in “The Jerk” where Steve Martin doesn’t need anything… except this.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Big Three hyperscalers each hit an all-time high in CapEx spending in 2024, collectively investing almost $200 billion. For this episode, I speak with Charles Fitzgerald, managing director at Platformonomics, whose annual "Follow the CAPEX" report tracks the cloud providers’ spending. He pulls back the curtain on what’s driving investments, how AI and nuclear power are coming into play, and whether telcos have what it takes to sell AI workload capacity at the edge. Listen now to hear:What happened with hyperscaler CapEx spending in 2024 [02:49];Insights into the Stargate project, which aims to boost AI infrastructure and know-how in the United States [7:17];How the cloud providers are addressing AI’s energy needs, and the role nuclear power is poised to play [11:06]; andWhy telcos may want to think twice before betting on selling AI workload capacity at the edge [14:25].Links and ResourcesRead Charles Fitzgerald's 2024 retrospective on public cloud CAPEX spending and check out his Cloud Reactor Tracker.Take a look at Charles' 2022 paper calling on big tech companies to champion nuclear energy.Learn more about the hyperscalers’ nuclear energy plans.REad about telcos’ aspirations to make money by selling AI infrastructure at the edge:Verizon execs hint at making money from AI infrastructureAT&T and Verizon are pivoting into the landlord biz for AIThis is Charles’ third time as a guest on Telco in 20. He’s working his way to our 5-Timers Club! Check out the first Saturday Night Live 5-Timers club inductee, Tom Hanks, who was ushered in by Paul Simon, Steve Martin, and other special guests.Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestCharles Fitzgerald is a Seattle-based angel investor, with a focus on developer platforms and infrastructure. Previously, he spent 20+ years working on platform businesses at Microsoft and VMware. He can see the cloud from his house.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telco industry is in the midst of a GenAI revolution, with vendors and operators racing to integrate this technology into their products and services. But with all the buzz around AI capabilities, how can telcos tell which solutions can deliver real business value, and which are just marketing hype?For this episode, I sit down with John Abraham, principal analyst and leader of the digital enablement practice at Appledore Research. We dive into how operators can identify true AI innovation, trends in BSS, and how telcos can start to address vendor interoperability challenges. Listen now to hear:The definition of agentic AI [04:50];Questions to ask to determine which vendors have great AI product visions [07:52];The huge problem vendor interoperability presents to telcos [11:06]; andHow Totogi solves the interoperability problem—and DR shares Totogi's AI vision for BSS [13:52].Links and ResourcesRead more about BSS Magic and set up a time to meet with Team Totogi at MWC25 to see it in action. While you’re in Barcelona, be sure to catch my epic talk, “Building an AI-first telco,” at the Gen AI Summit in Hall 6 on Monday, March 3 … and don’t miss Totogi’s exclusive VIP party on March 5. DM me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR for an invite.Learn more about the North American operator that switched billing systems and saved big bucks with Totogi. I’ve written a couple of awesome blogs that explain the massive problem around vendor interoperability and how AI is poised to help telcos break free. Check them out!:Amdocs is ruining your business to keep their empire. AI to the rescue!The AI-first telco won’t wait 5 years for AmdocsRead the article from Sequoia Capital about the shift from Software-as-a-Service to Service-as-a-Software, which incorporates outcome-based pricing and marks an evolution in how software companies monetize their products. Headed to Barcelona for MWC25? Be sure to reserve a table at John’s and my favorite restaurants, Michelin-starred Disfrutar and Atempo. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestWith over 16 years’ experience in the telecom industry, John Abraham is a principal analyst at Appledore Research and leads the digital enablement practice. Previously, he was at Analysys Mason for 11 years, where he led the Digital Experience research segment as Principal Analyst. He has experience working with a varied client base on topics including digitization benchmarking and procurement for CSPs; strategy and go-to market for vendors; and commercial and technical due diligence for financial institutions. Earlier, as a consultant at a BSS vendor, he led requirements gathering, solution definition, and implementation at multiple tier-1 telcos in Asia and Europe. John holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Anna University (India) and an MBA from Bradford University School of Management (UK).Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TelecomTV’s DSP Leaders Council is a hand-picked group of ~100 industry experts (including moi) that weighs in regularly on the state of the telco industry. A recent survey of Council members on the topic of Digital Support Systems (DSS) revealed that operators are grappling with mixed feelings about AI, with some dragging their feet on AI adoption, and others racing toward an AI-driven future. Today, I’m talking about the survey findings with TelecomTV Editorial Director Ray LeMaitre. We dig into where telcos are making progress, what’s holding them back, and what needs to happen to spark industry-wide AI transformation. And you know with Ray—it’s not a conversation unless we talk about COFFEE! Listen now to hear:The good news about operators and startup BSS solutions [4:40];Why the habit of waiting to be "ready" for change might leave slow-moving telcos on the sidelines [8:20];The shocking percentage of telcos that don’t see AI as essential to their future [10:24]; andPlans for the DSP Leaders Council and survey topics going forward [13:49].Links and ResourcesLearn more about TelecomTV’s DSP Leaders Council and its DSP Leaders Reports.Read my blog about the DSS report findings, 3 key takeaways from TelecomTV’s DSS report—one will surprise you.When Ray and I first met, I compared myself to Daenerys Targaryen from the blockbuster TV series Game of Thrones, because let’s face it, sometimes you need to walk through fire to get stuff done in telco. Check out this scene when Daenerys becomes the mother of dragons (warning: explicit scenes, but it’s epic so I’m putting in the show notes anyway!).If you’re like Ray and love dark-roasted, Latin American coffee, check out this video about the best way to brew it.Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestRay Le Maistre was appointed Editorial Director at TelecomTV in April 2020. He has been an editor and journalist covering the telecoms sector for 29 years, previously as Editor-in-Chief at Light Reading, where he worked for 18 years. He is based in the UK, owns too many flowery shirts, and will bore you to tears on the topics of films, football, and coffee if you give him half a chance.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As artificial intelligence (AI) adoption accelerates across the telco industry, operators are grappling with a big challenge: how to empower employees with transformative AI tools while ensuring responsible use. For this episode, I’m talking with McKinsey & Company Partner Ferry Grijpink who leads the global consulting firm’s Center for Advanced Connectivity within the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Practice. As one of the authors of a recent report, Responsible AI: A Business Imperative for Telcos, he has ideas on how telcos can find the right balance between innovation and managing risk. Listen now to hear:The definition of Responsible AI and how it comes into play for telcos [02:27];How to balance responsible behavior with innovation [04:28];Guidance on guardrails and policies that can encourage responsible use across your teams [08:58]; andHow organizations can track AI usage and cost [12:56].Links and ResourcesRead McKinsey & Company’s recent report, Responsible AI: A Business Imperative for TelcosFind out more about McKinsey’s Center for Advanced ConnectivityFerry has been a guest on Telco in 20 two other times. Check out these great episodes for more of his valuable insights:Episode 83: Monetizing Network APIsEpisode 45: Drumming up ways to increase ARPU with McKinseyFerry is famous for his scarves, but they can be hard to style. Check out this video on all the ways to tie a scarf. My trademark: my Golden Goose sneakers! Don’t judge me on the cost; I save money by not buying heels! 👠 I’m partial to the Mid-Star; with their wingtip styling in the front, they qualify as business wear. Check them outIWatch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestFerry Grijpink leads the McKinsey Center for Advanced Connectivity within McKinsey & Company’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Practice, and advises telecommunications companies on strategy, marketing, and operations, including mobile operators that are launching adjacent businesses in areas such as mobile health and money services. He also co-leads McKinsey’s research on deploying and commercializing next-generation infrastructures, such as fiber, mobile broadband, and 5G networks.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telecom industry got a jolt of excitement in December 2024 when Alianza, a nimble cloud communications company, swooped in to buy Metaswitch from Microsoft. The deal promises to breathe new life into Metaswitch's legacy soft-switch technology while giving telcos a clear path to cloud modernization. For this episode, I’m talking with Brian Beutler, founder and CEO of Alianza, about why Alianza made this bold move and what’s next for Metaswitch customers. Listen now to hear:Three reasons why Alianza pursued the MetaSwitch acquisition [03:00];How it plans to create stability for customers and let them define their own cloud journey [05:13];How the company plans to manage 5x growth [09:05]; andThe role AI will play in Alianza’s expanding portfolio [12:24].Links and ResourcesCheck out Alianza’s announcement about its deal to buy Metaswitch from Microsoft.Read more about the acquisition:Fierce Network Exclusive: Alianza buys Metaswitch from Microsoft in deal years in the makingFierce Network Op-Ed: Alianza resurrects Metaswitch from Microsoft graveTelecoms.com: Microsoft sells Metaswitch to AlianzaLight Reading: Alianza buys Metaswitch from MicrosoftUC Today: Telco 4.0 – Alianza’s Ambitious Deal Could Reshape the MarketVisit the Alianza website to learn more about the company.Listen to my Telco in 20 conversation with Brian from March 2024, Ep 87 - scaling telcos’ cloud mountain with Alianza.As with any acquisition being merged into a startup, there are going to be a lot of decisions Brian will have to make with the newly acquired company. A handy (and classic!) book I’d recommend reading is The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen. Brian will have a large Metaswitch customer base to support that’s still on legacy, old-school tech while he’s simultaneously investing in new tech with the Alianza product. It won’t be easy!Ready to see how AI and the public cloud can transform your telco? Give Totogi a call!Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestBrian Beutler is the founder and CEO of Alianza, the leading cloud communications platform for telco service providers. He is passionate about transforming the telecommunications industry by empowering service providers to deliver modernized, cloud-native core communications solutions to supercharge growth, simplify operations and reduce costs. Under Beutler’s leadership, Utah-based Alianza has forged a strategic collaboration agreement with AWS and counts Lumen Technologies, Brightspeed, Viasat and Xplore among its tier-one and nationwide customers. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most telcos use only a small portion of their available network capacity on an average day, but what if telcos could turn this underutilized asset into a new revenue stream? For this episode, I talk with Chris Penrose, NVIDIA’s global vice president of business development for telco, about how the company’s AI-RAN concept is poised to help telcos build efficiency and boost the bottom line. Listen now to hear:The goals of NVIDIA’s collaboration on the AI-RAN Alliance [04:25];The astonishing results of a NVIDIA-SoftBank AI-RAN field trial—including estimated profit margins of 220% for every AI-RAN server added [06:26];The company’s efforts to build a sovereign, foundational LLM for Indonesia [12:12]; andHow other telcos can start to cash in on their unused network capacity and AI’s potential [14:42].Links and ResourcesRead about how NVIDIA and SoftBank designed the world's first combined AI and 5G network that runs telecom and AI workloads simultaneously.NVIDIA also launched a major initiative in Indonesia to develop sovereign AI capabilities tailored for the nation’s 277 million Indonesian speakers.Learn more about the AI-RAN Alliance, a collaboration by NVIDIA and other tech, industry, and academic institutions that aims to use AI to advance RAN technology and mobile networks.Ready to see how AI and the public cloud can transform your telco? Give Totogi a call!Chris and I both love the Texas food scene, so we were thrilled when the MICHELIN Guide started ranking restaurants in our home state recently. But right out of the gate, it made a HUGE miss by leaving Uchi in Austin off the list. No other place comes close! Chris also has two top dining picks in Dallas: Town Hearth and Gemma, which was a MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand pick for 2024.Watch this episode on our YouTube channel. You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestChris Penrose works across the telco ecosystem to drive the growth of NVIDIA’s hardware and software solutions around the world. He helps to create telco-specific offerings that leverage AI/ML, Gen AI, 5G/6G, edge/cloud computing, and advanced networking. He also works with telcos to create sovereign GenAI factories for their nations. Prior to joining NVIDIA, as the COO of FogHorn, Chris led the go-to-market efforts across business development, technical sales, strategic partnerships, third-party distribution, marketing, advertising and public relations globally. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I recently sat down with Jillian Forde on “The Official AWS Podcast” to talk about how Totogi’s AWS-first charging-as-a-service solution helped restore mobile connectivity to 23 million subscribers in Sudan during a crisis. For this episode, I’m bringing a condensed version of our conversation to listeners to spread the word on how having a cloud-native solution can mean the difference between complete service disruption and business continuity. Listen now to hear:How Totogi's AWS-first architecture helped us restore mobile connectivity in 18 days [03:32];Why choosing AWS services like DynamoDB and Lambda over cloud-agnostic solutions was crucial for our success [07:56];How the public cloud transforms disaster recovery from an expensive, rarely-tested backup into an efficient, cost-effective solution [13:39]; andWhy regulated industries need to embrace public cloud now to take advantage of generative AI and stay competitive [16:19].Links and ResourcesCheck out the original, uncut version of my conversation with Jillian Forde on The Official AWS Podcast.Learn more about how Totogi Charging-as-a-Service can help you to eliminate your charger’s unused disaster recovery set up to quickly failover when you need it, only paying for what you use.Check out our case study on our work with Zain Sudan.I also talked about our remarkable work in Sudan with Ali Hussein Kassim, host of Ali Talks Tech in episode 95. Give it a listen!Buy Totogi’s Charging-as-a-Service on the AWS Marketplace. Start at $0.01 per month!One of my favorite movies about attending a business conference is “Cedar Rapids,” about naive insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) who has never stayed in a hotel, never flown in a plane, and has never left his tiny Wisconsin hometown. Tim meets three veteran attendees (John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr.), who coerce him into a life-altering weekend of wild times and sweet temptation. It’s hilariously awesome!Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the transcript for the episode here.Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform telco, but many operators are struggling to fully embrace its potential. This episode’s guest, strategic HR veteran Jim Abolt, believes they need a critical shift in thinking to reach their goal to become AI-first organizations. He shares insight into what most companies are getting wrong about AI transformation, and offers a practical framework for using AI to achieve breakthrough business results. Listen now to hear:Why starting with "let's go do AI" is the wrong approach [04:34];A framework for successfully rolling out AI across your organization [06:59]Jim's refreshingly honest take on AI's impact on jobs [10:07]Why AI tools have to become integrated with employees' daily work rather than separate initiatives [14:07]Links and ResourcesNeed help with telco AI use cases that drive business value? Give Totogi a call. We can show you how to Change the Work and get your employees using and loving AI.Check out these resources to help you put AI to use the right way in your org:Ep 101 – Anthropic’s BIG PLANS for telcoEp 96 – How TELUS turned its data swamp into an AI oasisIf you focus on business value, AI pays for itselfGetting AI right is hard 🚀10 examples of how telcos are using AI (BESIDES customer support!)Jim has appeared on Telco in 20 more than any other guest, including on our very first episode back in October of 2020. Maybe I should start a Five Timer’s Club, like on Saturday Night Live! Listen to his other episodes next: Ep 7 – The HR Series: Telcos, get ready for workforce transformationEp 1 – It starts with…transformational leadershipI love this brilliant ad from Fiverr that shows exactly what’s wrong with using AI only for AI’s sake. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We've also won a 2024 MarComm Award, 2024 Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestJim Abolt is a retired HR executive who is widely regarded as an expert in leadership development, culture shaping, and large-scale organizational change. His career spanned multiple industries, disciplines, and continents. Starting as a labor relations specialist in a Midwest steel mill, he ultimately held global senior management positions with leading companies in the consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical, and software development industries. Jim holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College, and a J.D. and M.A. from the University of Illinois.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A recent Infosys report found that telcos use only 48% of the cloud services they commit to. Fortunately, the Big 3 hyperscalers offer significant discounts to enterprises that commit to spending targets, helping operators reel in cloud costs. A great example is Amazon Web Service’s (AWS) Enterprise Discount Program (EDP). But many telcos leave millions on the table by not using the right strategies and tools to capture these savings.For this episode, I talk with Brandon Pizzacalla, CEO of CloudFix, to talk about how operators can maximize the benefits they get from AWS’s Enterprise Discount Program (EDP). Listen now to hear:The biggest mistakes enterprises make when negotiating EDP with AWS [02:55];Why ignoring "long-tail" expenses leaves millions on the table [06:25];How CloudFix uses AI to uncover hidden optimization opportunities [08:40]; andInnovative ways to get your team to invest in cost optimization strategies [11:07].Links and ResourcesLearn more about CloudFix.Read this case study about how a company that spends $50 million per year with AWS saved ~$28 million over three years with CloudFix.Don’t forget to check out the exclusive TelcoDR/CloudFix partnership that can save you even MORE money.Read more about AWS’s Enterprise Discount Program, and similar offerings from Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.Brandon’s favorite pizza crust is stuffed crust. If you don’t know, this type of crust is usually stuffed with cheese. Confession: I’ve never actually tried a stuffed crust; now there are all sorts of different varieties ranging from “grilled cheese” to “pepperoni stuffed” to “hot dog stuffed” (EW!). It was first introduced to the world in March 1995 by none other than Donald Trump.Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. We’re also ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Now! 🎉If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestBrandon Pizzacalla, CEO of CloudFix, has a robust history of building and scaling SaaS companies, driving innovation, and delivering impactful results.Before taking the helm at CloudFix, he co-founded and led an AI-driven sales engagement platform, guiding the company to $3.5 million ARR, listing notable firms like Xero and HelloFresh as clients. He exited the business in 2023 shortly after it was acquired by a private equity firm. Brandon brings valuable mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and corporate strategy experience to CloudFix from his tenure at Bell Canada. During his time there, he was involved in transactions totaling over $9 billion.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries at breakneck speed, with new capabilities emerging almost daily. As telcos race to harness its potential, questions around ethical use, safety, and practical implementation loom large. In this episode, I dive deep into the world of AI with Neerav Kingsland, head of business development at Anthropic, makers of the AI model Claude. The company is known for its use of "constitutional AI”—an approach that builds ethical guardrails into its AI systems. Listen now to hear:Why Anthropic's approach is centered on ethical AI behavior [04:04];The company’s work with SK Telecom to create an “AI-first” telco [09:45];The potential for AI to dramatically improve personalized marketing [12:03]; andJust how powerful AI models will become in the next few years [14:11].Links and ResourcesLearn more about Anthropic and its use of constitutional AI.Read more about the company’s $100 million deal with SK Telecom.Watch how SK Telecom plans to become an “AI-first telco”.Check out the GSMA’s Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap, which is designed to help operators evaluate and enhance their AI practices. Learn more about Amazon Bedrock. Find out how Totogi’s BSS Magic and PlanAI can help you turbocharge personalized marketing.I write a lot about AI and telco. Check out these blogs to help you put AI to use in your org:Getting AI right is hard 🚀If you focus on business value, AI pays for itself10 examples of how telcos are using AI (BESIDES customer support!)Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestNeerav Kingsland is the head of business development at Anthropic. Prior to Anthropic, he was an executive coach to founders working on AI safety. Before working in AI, Neerav was the Managing Partner of City Fund, a national philanthropic organization backed by Reed Hasting, Steve Ballmer, and John Arnold. City Fund was created to scale the strategies that helped transform New Orleans public schools after Hurricane Katrina, where Neerav was a key leader. He is a graduate of Tulane University and Yale Law School.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This podcast has hit a major milestone—the 100th episode! Can you believe it? Did you know that only 7% of all podcasts make it to this number?We've talked cloud, crushed myths, and pushed boundaries for 100 straight. But we're just getting started. I’ve dropped an episode every two weeks over the last four years, and during that time I've witnessed a dramatic shift in telcos’ attitude towards public cloud adoption. This special episode revisits key moments on the journey that highlight just how far we've come. Let’s celebrate the progress we've made together! Listen now to hear:How sentiment about the public cloud has moved from deeply skeptical to optimistic [02:59];The groundbreaking moves made by major telcos like DISH, AT&T and Telefónica Germany [08:48];Why moving network workloads may be the key to true public cloud transformation [13:29]How Totogi deployed a cloud-based charging system for a tier-one telco in crisis—in just 18 days! [14:16]Be sure to listen to the end for the super funny DR BLOOPER REEL! Links and ResourcesHere’s the talk that started it all—my MWC21 keynote, The paradox of the public cloud, and check out the highlight reel from our time in Barcelona, including a tour of our mind-blowing CLOUD CITY.Check out all the Telco in 20 podcasts featured in this episode with these amazing guests:Ep 1 – It starts with…transformational leadership with strategic HR leader Jim AboltEp 92 – The state of cloud in telco with Iain Morris from Light Reading with International Editor Iain MorrisEp 45 – Drumming up ways to increase ARPU with McKinsey with McKinsey & Company Partner Ferry GrijpinkEp 44 – DISH: The Telco Pioneer with DISH Wireless Chief Network Officer Marc RouanneEp 76 – Into the Nexus of GenAI with Microsoft with Microsoft Chief Technology Officer for Worldwide Telecommunications Industry Rick LievanoEp 87 – Scaling telcos’ cloud mountain with Alianza with Alianza Founder and CEO Brian BeutlerEp 93 – The NETWORK will be the reason telcos move to the public cloud with senior telecom executive and transformation leader Juha KorhonenEp 95 – African telcos: forge a new path! with entrepreneur, commentator, and host of the Ali Talks Tech podcast Ali Hussein KassimEricsson bailing on #MWC21 was a big mistake (HUGE!) that I pounced on—just like in Pretty Woman. Amazing how a little bit of money can really change your look.While a lot of telcos are still ramping up their efforts to get to the public cloud, my buddy Elon Musk has his sights set on Mars and plans to get there in just two years! Check out this Starship launch, the fourth flight test attempting to go farther than any previous one.Are you still here??? In the famous words of Ferris Bueller, GO HOME! IT’S OVER!Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TM Forum's Open Digital Architecture (ODA) and open APIs are aimed at revolutionizing telco BSS/OSS systems, and with successful adoption, they promise to enhance vendor interoperability. But implementing them comes with significant challenges for operators and vendors alike.In this episode, I sit down with Caroline Chappell, founder and director of ccsquared and a former partner at Analysys Mason. We dive into the history and goals of ODA and open APIs, explore the real-world challenges operators face in putting them to work, and discuss why the data layer is crucial for true vendor interoperability. Listen now to hear:How ODA aims to help operators build systems from best-of-breed components, and what challenges stand in the way [04:17];Why the data layer is even more critical than standardized APIs for telecom operations [09:03];Why procurement practices need to change to truly support innovation in the industry [13:32]; andThe disruptive power that combining LLMs and ODA can bring to telco BSS [14:50].Links and ResourcesLearn more about TM Forum’s ODA and open API initiatives.Check out my interview with Ray LeMaistre from TelecomTV about harmonizing data structures and Totogi’s deployment at Zain Sudan, where our cloud-based charger replaced an incumbent system in just 18 days.Watch my epic MWC24 MVNO Summit talk about BSS Magic and the AI-first future of telco business support systems.Download this case study about how Vodafone saved nearly 70% by moving its analytics to the public cloud.We're counting down to the 100th episode of Telco in 20 and celebrating with a special episode dropping October 1. Don’t miss it—like and follow today!I love watching Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos of power washing courtyards, trimming overgrown lawns, and cleaning hoarders’ homes. What’s wrong with me?Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestCaroline Chappell is a leading expert in the application of new software technologies – cloud, open APIs and AI – to telecoms networks and their operations. She has over 35 years of industry experience as a software engineer, research analyst and consultant. She is an influential advocate for the cloudification of the network and its evolution as a platform, the capabilities of which can be consumed as a service. Caroline was most recently a partner at Analysys Mason but has founded ccsquared to investigate the new and disruptive network architecture needed for tomorrow’s AI and extended reality-driven world.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 2007, Safaricom PLC (Safaricom) and Vodafone invented M-PESA, a mobile payment system that has transformed financial services in Kenya and beyond by bringing banking capabilities to unbanked populations. M-PESA has become a cornerstone of the Kenyan economy and helped Safaricom build a reputation for innovation. In this episode, I'm talking with Fawzia Ali, chief consumer business officer at Safaricom. We discuss the success of M-PESA, the company’s efforts to use AI and machine learning for continued innovation, and how it’s preparing its workforce for an AI-driven future. Listen now to hear:How M-PESA simplicity and wide distribution changed the game for unbanked populations [02:12];How Safaricom is using AI and ML to create hyper-personalized plans [06:52];The power of starting with small cohorts of customers and iterating quickly [09:45]; andHow Safaricom is boosting employees’ AI know-how and fostering a culture of AI innovation [13:00].Links and ResourcesIn 2015, American television news show 60 Minutes told the story of M-PESA’s success, and in June of this year, Forbes continued the story with the article, M-PESA: Why the world’s first large mobile payment platform keeps on winning.Earlier this year, Fawzia wrote an article for Marketing Africa Magazine called Learn, Unlearn, Relearn about the importance of setting personal and professional goals and learning new skills. Look for it on page 8.Ready to unlock the power of your data and supercharge your customer experience? Listen to my MWC23 MVNO Summit Talk, SUPERCHARGE your MVNO with personalization where I talk about how you can use ML and hyperpersonalization to drive new revenue.Fawzia and I both have a special relationship with shoes, and she’s even talked about her passion for them in this video from Engage+.My go-to shoes are Golden Goose mid-stars: They have wingtip styling like a man’s business shoe. They’re my “business sneaker.”Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestFawzia Ali is a transformational commercial leader in the FMCG and telecommunications sectors, currently serving as the chief consumer business officer at Safaricom PLC, a leading technology company in Africa. With an impressive track record of success and a deep understanding of the ever-evolving consumer landscape, Fawzia plays a pivotal role in shaping Safaricom's customer-centric strategy and driving the company's growth in the competitive technology sector. She leads a diverse and talented team focused on creating value for Safaricom's customers.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The telco industry is in the midst of a generative AI (GenAI) revolution, with vendors and operators racing to integrate this technology into their products and services. In this episode, I sit down with John Abraham, principal analyst and leader of the digital enablement practice at Appledore Research. We dive into how vendors are applying GenAI to their products, major trends in BSS, how the costs of implementing AI can be justified by real business results, and more. Listen now to hear:The biggest trends in BSS that are driving telco transformation [02:34];How vendors are trying to use AI to revolutionize their products [05:32];Why using AI for code generation is such a big idea [07:53]; and AI pricing strategies and questions operators need to ask about ROI [12:44].Links and ResourcesJohn and I sat down at TM Forum’s DTW Ignite to talk about how Totogi is using GenAI to save telcos huge amounts of time and money with their BSS. Watch a video of our conversation.The real power of generative AI is code generation. Read my blog, The promise of AI is no UI, to find out how Totogi is using AI to accelerate change in ANY BSS system.Check out these Appledore Research reports (paywalled): GenAI in BSSPredictive Analytics and GenAI: Choosing the right tool for the jobLearn more about Appledore Research. Do YOU have a Yeti yet? John LOVED the insulated mug we gave him at MWC. The wonderful drinkware can keep anything cold or hot for HOURS. This Austin-based company is right down the street from my house. Check it out! Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the episode transcript here.Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestWith over 16 years’ experience in the telecom industry, John Abraham is a principal analyst at Appledore Research and leads the digital enablement practice. Previously, he was at Analysys Mason for 11 years, where he led the Digital Experience research segment as Principal Analyst. He has experience working with a varied client base on topics including digitization benchmarking and procurement for CSPs; strategy and go-to market for vendors; and commercial and technical due diligence for financial institutions. Earlier, as a consultant at a BSS vendor, he led requirements gathering, solution definition, and implementation at multiple tier-1 telcos in Asia and Europe. John holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Anna University (India) and an MBA from Bradford University School of Management (UK).Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From streamlining network operations to boosting customer experiences, artificial intelligence (AI) is helping trailblazing telcos stay competitive in a rapidly changing landscape. For this episode, I explore Canadian telco TELUS’ AI transformation with its Chief Insights Officer, Jaime Tatis. We talk about how the operator is already using AI to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and get its workforce ready for the future. Listen now to hear:How TELUS's AI-driven Fuel iX platform is transforming internal IT support [03:53];Why now may not be the time to build telco-specific LLMs [07:29];Why clean, well-organized data is crucial for AI success [09:32]; andHow TELUS uses AI to boost network technician efficiency and more [12:50].Links and ResourcesLearn more about TELUS and its Fuel iX project.TELUS was savvy enough to realize that messy siloed data would weigh down its cloud transformation. Read more about how it worked with Google Cloud and Accenture to get its data future-ready. In October 2023, TELUS became the world's first company to achieve ISO 31700-1 Privacy by Design certification for its Data for Good program, validating its commitment to responsible data.Need some inspiration for ways to put AI to work in your telco? Read my blog, 10 examples of how telcos are using AI (BESIDES customer support!).Check out one of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits of all time, Jimmy Fallon playing Nick Burns, Your Company's Computer Guy, because NO ONE wants to talk to the IT guy.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the transcript for the episode here.Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestJaime Tatis, the Chief Insights & Analytics Officer at TELUS, spearheads the evolution of data, AI, and analytics strategy across the TELUS ecosystem. With a keen focus on fostering a culture of innovation, Jaime drives the company's transformation towards pioneering customer technology solutions. Leveraging data-driven insights and cutting-edge cloud-based infrastructure, Jaime empowers TELUS with state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities. Through this strategic approach, Jaime elevates business performance, enhances operational efficiency, and delivers unparalleled customer experiences, positioning TELUS at the forefront of technological innovation.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's no secret that telcos across the globe are grappling with how to monetize their 5G networks. But in Africa, only 1% of operators have implemented 5G, which puts them in a unique position to take advantage of new technology like AI and the public cloud, and apply them to old 2G and 3G networks.I recently appeared as a guest on the Ali Talks Tech podcast, which focuses on Africa's changing technical landscape. Host Ali Hussein Kassim and I explored how African telcos can capitalize on using the public cloud with mobile networks and how AI and innovative tools are poised to drive real change across the continent. Listen now to hear:How African telcos can benefit from the latest public cloud tech—even on 2G and 3G networks [02:31];Zain Sudan’s groundbreaking work to connect older networks to AI and cloud services [11:02];How cloud-based, pay-as-you-grow models are supercharging MVNOs in Nigeria [17:32]; andHow hyperscaler tools, AI and the public cloud can help telcos hyper-personalize offers and bring in new revenue [19:50].Links and ResourcesShow Notes:Watch the video-version of my full conversation with Ali on the Ali Talks Tech YouTube channel.Read McKinsey & Company’s January 2024 report, Africa’s leap ahead into cloud: Opportunities and barriersRead the announcement of Totogi’s exciting partnership with Zain Sudan, and don’t miss my first conversation with Ali and Abdalla Hamid, Director of IT at Zain Sudan, where we talked about Totogi’s work to restore critical mobile services in Sudan after they were knocked out during the ongoing civil war.Then be sure to check out my recent blog and Telco in 20 episode 89 to find out why the public cloud is PERFECT for Africa. Take a look at the 2022 McKinsey & Company study about FinTech across Africa, African financial services are undergoing a structural shift, which Ali took part in.Ali and I talked about the company that gave me my start back in the late 1990s, Trilogy. It was a $1B startup success story that garnered a lot of headlines at the time. Fast Company wrote about Trilogy in a piece called Insanity Inc. Here’s the cover from that issue. Look for me in the top right corner!In 2015, the American news show 60 Minutes aired The Future of Money about M-PESA, Kenya's mobile money solution from Safaricom.Check out the Ali Talks Tech podcast for insights on Africa's rapidly changing tech landscape.Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel.Read the transcript for this episode here.Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestAli Hussein Kassim, Ali Talks Tech founder and hostAli is a serial entrepreneur and a regular commentator and contributor on all things tech and the policy and regulatory landscape across Africa and beyond. He consults on digital transformation, and serves in leadership roles on public and private sector boards including Africa Fintech Network, Association of Fintechs in Kenya, and Kenya ICT Action Network. He enjoys mentoring and investing in tech entrepreneurs across Africa. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Singtel is a leading mobile network operator (MNO) in the Asia-Pacific region with a reputation for innovation. Its pioneering culture is one of the reasons why Anna Yip, the operator’s CEO of business development and deputy CEO for Singapore, is constantly on the lookout for creative ways to build new revenue streams, customer satisfaction, and subscriber loyalty. Anna recently toured the United States to scope out happenings in the industry, and we caught up for an in-person conversation in… (wait for it)… New York City! Listen now to hear:How Singtel is leveraging its 5G Standalone network to boost revenue [03:45];Why it’s taking part in a Global Telco AI Alliance with other operators to develop an industry-specific large language model (LLM) [08:55];Its plans for a pioneering cross-border rewards program in partnership with seven other telcos, [11:23]; andWhat telcos can learn from Taylor Swift's incredible work ethic and success [14:49].Links and ResourcesLearn more about Singtel.Read about the Global Telco AI Alliance announced at MWC24. Singtel, Deutsche Telekom, e& Group, SoftBank and SK Telecom have joined forces to develop an industry-specific LLM. The operators shared their vision for the project at last week’s DTW24 - Ignite.Singtel is also collaborating with other AsiaPac telcos on a cross-border telco rewards programme that offer perks to globe-trotting customers.Check out Anna’s LinkedIn post from the opening night of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Singapore. (Seamless photo sharing compliments of the Singtel 5G Express Pass!)Then check out my post on Instagram from Taylor’s concert in Houston, Texas. The Reputation album was calling my name!Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the transcript for the episode here.Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestAnna Yip is a senior business leader with more than a decade of experience leading and scaling business in the technology sector. She has built a track record of driving 'intrapreneurship' and successfully building new businesses across markets. A committed people leader, Anna is passionate about mentoring young talent and supporting more women in tech.Currently, Anna serves as the Deputy CEO Singapore and CEO of Business Development for Singtel. Under her leadership, Singtel Singapore became one of the first markets to successfully roll out 5G SA nationwide, with robust migration of customers to the latest mobile technology. Singtel continues to play an instrumental role in empowering people-centric digital lifestyles as Singapore advances as a smart nation. She has also been appointed a Board of Commissioner member of Telkomsel in Indonesia since June 1, 2021.Before joining Singtel, Anna was the CEO and Executive Director of Smartone, a leading telecommunications company headquartered in Hong Kong. Prior to her role at Smartone, Anna headed up Mastercard's operations in Hong Kong and Macau. Anna holds a DPhil (PhD) from University of Oxford and a First-Class Honours degree in Business Administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's hard to believe it's been three years since CLOUD CITY stole the show at MWC 2021 and I boldly proclaimed the dawn of the public cloud era in telecom. It’s amazing how far the industry has come in its public cloud journey since then.Juha Korhonen, a forward-thinking telco transformation leader, recognized the potential of the public cloud back then. At the time he was the head of innovation and digital services at Zain Group, where he was instrumental in launching Yaqoot, a digital mobile brand in Saudi Arabia. Since then, he has done a tour at Gartner as a senior advisor in BSS. I’ve invited Juha back to talk about where CSPs are today, how BSS and OSS are evolving, and the transformative power of AI across telco operations. Listen now to hear:Telcos’ public cloud adoption trends across the globe [01:48];Signs that telecoms are growing more comfortable using the public cloud [04:31], and even ready to think about moving network workloads [08:40]; The need for BSS and OSS to converge to deliver 5G monetization opportunities [11:07]; andHow AI can solve some of the industry's biggest challenges [13:44].Links and ResourcesRead more about Microsoft and AT&T’s deal to move AT&T’s 5G core network to Azure’s cloud platform, with Microsoft acquiring AT&T's Network Cloud tech and talent. Check out this article by The Mobile Network’s Keith Dyer about O2 Telefonica Germany saying goodbye to traditional telco infrastructure and "Guten Tag" to the public cloud.Here’s an article from NVIDIA highlighting how underutilized RAN resources can be. It notes that they typically operate below 50% capacity due to provisioning for peak traffic.Listen to Telco in 20 episode 68, giffgaff is 1,000 times faster with AWS, to hear how the MVNO went all-in on the public cloud and used spot instances to reel in cloud costs.Check out my conversation with DISH Network’s CTO Marc Rouanne about the company’s rollout of a cloud-native 5G network.Read my blog about how telcos can unlock the true value of their BSS with AI.Listen to Juha’s 2021 Telco in 20 episode, Ep 18 – A digital telco: Meet Yaqoot.Watch my crazy first (!) keynote at MWC 2021—I was so nervous! But it was SO good - Ride that public cloud (and now AI!) dragon!Remember CLOUD CITY and that EPIC Bon Jovi concert? I’ll never forget it. Check out my backstage picture with Bon Jovi. And here’s one of Bon Jovi and Juha—what a day!Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the transcript for the episode here.Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Or better yet, come find me at TM Forum’s DTW-Ignite in Copenhagen on June 18 - 20. Send me a DM on Linkedin or X @TelcoDR and we can set up a time to meet. Team Totogi will be in the AWS stand as a Featured Partner, so stop by to catch a demo of Totogi’s BSS Magic. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestJuha Korhonen is a telecom industry veteran. In his 25+ years of industry experience, Juha has held C-level roles, including group director of digital and innovation with Zain Group as well as chief commercial officer for Zain Saudi Arabia and Wataniya Telecom in Kuwait. Lately, Juha worked as senior director, advisor at Gartner. Juha started his career in Europe with Telecom Finland and moved to the US to lead its mobile startup Zed. He has led reimagine and reinvention efforts at traditional operators. He built, launched, and operated a fully digital operator B-Brand called Yaqoot in 2020. Juha lives in the state of New Jersey in the USA, and he is married with three children.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I've spent the last four years championing the game-changing benefits of the public cloud for telcos, from cost savings to faster innovation. While some operators are embracing the cloud (like the O2 Telefonica Germany deal that was announced last week to run their 5G network 100% on AWS), others are doubling down on building their own private cloud—but all signs point to a turning tide. To get an honest take on where telcos stand, I’m talking with Iain Morris, international editor at Light Reading. He connects regularly with the industry’s top leaders to talk about their strategic priorities and technology plans, and writes regularly about where telcos are on their cloud journeys. Listen now to hear:How telcos' perspectives on the public cloud have shifted since 2018 [03:50];Where the line is for moving network workloads to the public cloud [08:39];How DISH Network, AT&T and e& are moving things forward by jumping on the public cloud train [10:00]; andHow generative AI is influencing telcos’ interest in the public cloud [14:30].Links and ResourcesRead my blog, Telco’s shift to the public cloud gets real, about O2 Telefónica Germany and other telcos that are making big cloud moves.Read O2 Telefónica’s recent announcement about launching a new 5G core network built entirely in the cloud.Check out some of Iain’s articles in Light Reading:Telefónica Germany turns to AWS, Nokia in cloud core threat to Ericsson (5/14/24)The public cloud has failed to crack telecom (1/19/24)Telco cloudification poses a huge systemic risk (10/13/23)Read what Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has to say about Bedrock in his 2023 Letter to ShareholdersListen to my 2021 conversation with Iain and his podcast co-host Scott Bicheno in Telco in 20 episode 27, Talking public cloud with Telecoms.com.Read AT&T’s June 2021 announcement about moving its 5G mobile network to Microsoft Cloud.Check out this February 2023 article from Fierce Network’s Linda Hardesty about Microsoft reworking 5G core software from AT&T for sale to other carriers.Iain’s son is a proud member of the University of Denver’s men’s tennis team. Read about their awesome 2024 season.Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the transcript for this episode here.Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Or better yet, come find me at TM Forum’s DTW-Ignite in Copenhagen on June 18 - 20. Send me a DM on Linkedin or X @TelcoDR and we can set up a time to meet. Team Totogi will be in the AWS stand as a Featured Partner, so stop by to catch a demo of Totogi’s BSS Magic. Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestIain Morris is the International Editor at Light Reading, having joined the team as News Editor at the start of 2015. Prior to boosting Light Reading's UK-based editorial team numbers, he was a successful freelance writer and editor covering the telecom sector for 15 years. His work has appeared in The Economist and The Observer, and a variety of trade and business journals. He was previously the lead telecom analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, and before that worked as features editor at Telecommunications magazine. Iain started in telecom as an editor at consulting and market-research company Analysys (now Analysys Mason).Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaSenior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingAudio Editor: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Microsoft has been quick to pick up the GenAI reins, making huge investments in OpenAI and strategic acquisitions like Inflection AI. Now, the hyperscaler wants to help telcos bring AI into their organizations in meaningful ways. For this episode, I spoke with Jason Hogg, GM for AIOps within Azure for Operators, about where telcos are on their AI journey, how Microsoft is helping them prepare data for AI workloads, and how CSPs can steer their organizations to make the most of the AI revolution. Listen now to hear:How Microsoft is helping telcos manage siloed data to support AI, both in the cloud and at the edge [03:21];How AI tools like Azure OpenAI and Azure Operator Insights are being used in operations, fraud detection, and more [05:20];The importance of moving beyond AI experimentation to putting AI models to work in the business [09:22]; andWhy telcos need to redesign their organizations to be AI-first [13:10].Links and ResourcesJason talked about Microsoft’s work with 3UK to use Azure Operator Insights to break down silos and generate new insights. Check out this video overview here. Read my recent blog on how to transform your customer support with AIAt last year’s TelecomTV AI-Native Telco Summit, I took part in a panel on Using AIOps for operational efficiencies. Watch the on-demand recording.Check out Frederick Winslow Taylor’s best-selling organizational design book, Shop Management.Learn more about Totogi’s BSS MagicCheck out Accelerating telco transformation in the era of AI, a blog from Microsoft’s Jason Zandor.In late March, the Telecoms.com Podcast welcomed former Telco in 20 guest Shawn Hakl, Microsoft’s VP of 5G strategy, to talk about the public cloud and 5G. Listen to the conversation. Take a look at this video of “Extreme Buddy Skiing.” It takes a lot of fear, anxiety, and planning to get to the moment where you can drop in on a face like the one they ski. It reminds me of what it takes to make big moves to use the public cloud and AI the right way! Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.You can find the transcript for this episode here.Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.Follow DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on X @TelcoIn20Follow DR on X @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won a 2024 Gold Hermes Award, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!This week’s guestJason Hogg is a General Manager responsible for the Azure for Operators (AfO) AIOps program, which includes Azure Operator Insights and Azure Operator Service Manager. Prior to AfO, Jason led the creation of the Azure Data Lake Storage platform and Azure Media Services’ AI based Video Analytics service. Jason has 30+ years of experience in software development, having spent the last 21 years at Microsoft where he has also worked in Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Research, and Developer Division. Jason holds a MSc (Comp Sci) from University of Washington.Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaEditor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingEditing: Andrew CondellSupervising Producer: Amanda AveryAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.