The Catalyst for
Telco Transformation

By 2020, the volume of raw data in the digital universe could be 44 trillion gigabytes, predicts the International Data Corporation, as the advent of the Internet of Things causes its scale to skyrocket. At the same time, up to a third of all data will consist of unused information [per IDC]. It’s a volume which cannot be processed without AI. However, companies that run the right analyses on this raw material could unleash tremendous value.

And it is the telecommunications industry which is arguably best placed to capitalise. Whether processing millions of phone calls, facilitating browsing or streaming entertainment, analysing call records or servicing equipment proactively, operators are primed to cash in on the huge potential that generating, storing and harvesting such vast amounts of data enables.

“Rising customer expectations and intense competition are forcing operators to deliver tailored customer experiences, across omni-channels, with outstanding quality, despite the network demands of advanced services”
- Ericsson

To meet these challenges, the industry is embracing advanced analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence yet many operators find it difficult to get big data insights out of the lab and into everyday operations. Data silos block progress, states Ericsson, while the massive scale of events and metrics to be analysed can jeopardize the real time promise of even the most robust deployments.

“Telecom operators often require help to unlock the value of data, through targeted and actionable insights.”
- Sheryl Kingstone, 451 Research

Companies may not even know what information exists. Untapped data can lay hidden in various patterns, such as the use of social media and social content or in correlations between different data sets. A great deal of raw data is completely unstructured.

Michael Franzkowiak, founder and CEO of data scientists Contiamo warns that the large data pools accumulating within company’s risk becoming “a data cemetery” if not made suitable for operational use.

“The business potential of analytics is yet to be tapped fully by the telco industry,” asserts Sheryl Kingstone, research director, 451 Research says. “Telecom operators often require help to unlock the value of data, through targeted and actionable insights.”

This is where Telco Data Analytics & AI comes in. Big Data analytics provides an unparalleled opportunity to understand the quality and causes of customer experience. This parallel of conferences targeting the US and Europe markets will reveal how operators can unlock that value.

“Most, if not all, telcos have embarked on some form of ‘digital transformation’ journey in recent times; it’s the business challenge of our time,” says Analysys Mason principal analyst Justin van der Lande, a chair of the Europe event. “Telcos need to use data-driven advanced analytics as part of this process of automation, to answer fundamental questions about how to remain profitable in saturated and commoditised markets, and to make the leap to deliver digital-age customer experience, unlocking new growth from emerging technology.”

Leaders responsible for the development of network architecture from Nokia to EE, Vodafone and Turkcell will discuss the role data analytics plays in enhancing network efficiency and performance. Attendees can discover how to avoid network failure with predictive analytics and glean the latest best practice around network automation.

“Within the digital economy, the importance of companies with experience in big data and its connections to customers will continue to increase.”
- Susan Wegner, Deutsche Telekom

Susan Wegner, VP, Data, AI and Governance for Deutsche Telekom and a keynote speaker at the Europe event urges telcos to meet the challenge head on.

“The boundaries between the digital and analogue worlds will become increasingly blurred where data is concerned,” she argues. “Within the digital economy, the importance of companies with experience in big data and its connections to customers will continue to increase.”

This report lays the groundwork for both events.