Author: Alistair Wilson

Delivering connectivity to the railway industry can be difficult. Over the last two years, LEO solutions have provided a much-needed link between the railways and the rest of the world. To help us explore this phenomenon, we spoke with Torsten John, who is the SVP of Sales, EMEA at Icomera and a top performer in the European railway industry, on Episode 29 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast. Read on to find out more about connecting the railways. 

The LEO market has arguably had the most direct impact on the railway connectivity market in the last 24 months. Why do you think that is? 

Digitalisation in the railways is a very slow process. They’ve always been behind the aviation and the automotive industries in how they adapt to technological shifts. That includes connectivity, Wi-Fi and passenger services, but getting the passenger connected on trains has been an ever-growing demand for travelers, particularly here in Europe, North America and also in vast parts of Asia. However, that area is unfortunately mostly dominated by the quality of the Wi-Fi. Yes, there is a lot of technology in the equation, but it’s still vastly dominated by geography, which impacts Wi-Fi. 

When trains travel in densely populated countries with good infrastructure, such as in the Netherlands, they have much better connectivity by nature than trains traveling in the Midwest or parts of Spain. There are areas where you don’t see 4G or even 3G, so there’s nothing the train operators can do to get a better service for their clients. For these clients, LEO solutions (with the exception of train stations with metal roofs and tunnels or areas with very high buildings such as Manhattan) remove the equation of geography. 

It almost feels like LEO is at the very beginning of what they’re doing. Starlink is a leader in that space, and what Starlink is doing with their current and the next generation, is use the cellular data spectrum such as the 700 megahertz the lower 5G bands, and channel it from space onto Earth. That means that you can connect from your iPhone or Android phone directly to a star. That technology has so much potential to revolutionize cellular networks, which is a dramatic technological shift, not just for connectivity on railways, but in many other areas too. 

Especially in the LEO market, where technology is moving at such a rapid rate, is there risk associated with relying more exclusively on satellite technology?

No connected railway or passenger infrastructure provider – or even freight infrastructure provider – should solely rely on LEO. The Starlink network is by far the most advanced compared to the other four solutions that are currently available, but the problem with Starlink is that their antennas are proprietary. If you put a Starlink solution on your train, you cannot connect to any other system, and if you put another system on the train, you cannot connect to the Starlink network. That creates extensive build and documentation costs around your starting solution. 

So, using only LEO is certainly not the right way to go. You still need to combine it with cellular networks. We’ve seen in our deployments and analyzers that cellular and Starlink augment each other perfectly along the railway. In areas where you have weak cellular coverage, you normally have good LEO coverage and vice versa, making them complementary technologies for the railway. 

To learn more about railway connectivity, tune into Episode 29 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast here. 

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.     

As technology gets smarter, our technology is becoming increasingly connected. On Episode 28 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast, Paddy Gogin, the SVP of Sales at Blues, joined us to share his insights on the future of connected tech, particularly in the IoT sector. Read on for his predictions. 

What impact have intelligent machines started to make on the industry so far?

“I think the IoT is dead, and our SVP of product would agree with me. I think we’re living in another world now, and that’s the world of connected intelligence. I’ll use the phrase ‘connected intelligent machines’ because I assume the machine is the asset. This connectivity has become commoditised, and I think it should be, but we are now in this world where there’s this ubiquitous expectation that any machine should be intelligent. That has not always been the case. Smart machines were very novel about 10 years ago, and getting temperature data from your refrigerator for example was still really cool. Now that’s expected by the customer. 

The future of that is vast and broad. The future of connected machines is accessible to all, and it’s accessible anywhere. Whatever you’re building, our mission is to help people transform physical things into smart intelligence services. People will have complete access to connectivity and be able to connect their assets in a way that is business-effective and cost-effective. 

There’s a great example of satellite connectivity, which has become commoditised too. 10-15 years ago, satellite connectivity was for rich people on boats using Motorollas. We’ve come a long way since then, and I think we’re at the beginning of another wave and inflexion point now. Soon, every machine you see around us will be connected and intelligent, and we will extract data from those assets to do a number of things, but primarily to add value to our customers or create new revenue streams for our own businesses. We will be getting greater insight into our customers than we ever have before, and we’ll know how they use things and what they care about, so we can tailor our businesses towards that.”

How do you see the future being shaped by connected, intelligent machines?

“I think what you’ll see is a greater uptake of products in the space. There are a lot of old-school companies that have done amazing things, like creating generators or industrial machinery, which work, they’re robust, and they’re built for purpose. These companies are now being stress-tested to think differently about their products though, because they aren’t cutting-edge anymore. How do they become the face of innovation when they aren’t plugged into connectivity, data and AI? 

What we’ll see is a transition towards all industries thinking that way. And make no mistake, there will be winners and losers. There’ll be people who won’t see that transition or won’t necessarily want to believe it, and they will lose. Then there will be people who move first, and they will win. 

The future of intelligent machines means greater products for your customers. What it means for the organisation is that you are going to be closer than ever to your customer, and you are going to understand your customer like never before. That means we’ll have stickier customers as well. They won’t just be dating you because of the value you’re giving them now. Connected intelligence is a must, so if they don’t have you in their lives, there will be a big difference to their business.”

To hear more from Paddy, tune into Episode 28 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast here. 

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.     

The last eighteen months have been challenging for connectivity companies when it comes to their talent attraction. Finding and hiring qualified talent has become more difficult than ever due to many specialists moving into bigger tech companies in different sectors. On Episode 27 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast, we spoke with Ryan Carlson, the Head of Digital Marketing at Soracom, about his philosophy of talent attraction. He shared his perspectives, as well as advice for other companies who want to bring people back to the industry. Read on for his thoughts on the subject. 

“Well, my philosophy on talent attraction starts with understanding what the role is and what kind of personality you want. For example, I’ve always found that the best engineers want to solve interesting problems. It starts with the job spec and helping them understand what they will work on. I like to pitch the concept of the problem that they get to help solve. 

Beyond that, there are two different categories of jobs out there. There are jobs where you want a generalist who can take a problem and figure it out. Those are hard. And then there are the ring binder jobs. These are jobs where, if you’ve got a question, you just turn to page 13 to find our process on that. Turn to page 27 for a list of all the people you could talk to about it. They’re well-thought-out jobs where people come into them because they’re not sure of their own skills. They look like an entry-level job sometimes, but they’re often not. They also give people a false sense of job security because they think if they do the things on the checklist on page 1, everything will be fine. The reality is that anybody could do it. 

Individuals need to look at their skills and how they can constantly improve. The days of pensions are over, it’s unlikely that you’ll work the same job for 20 years and then get to be done. That’s not how that’s not how the job market works anymore. For all the time I’ve been in management, my job has been to put myself out of a job. That’s how you create your next role as well, not just job security. Trying to chase job security is a pipe dream, and it’s a false positive. When consolidation happens, people feel like they are invaluable, but a spreadsheet says that they fall into the 13.25% of staff that are being let go. You have to ask yourself how each job that you have reads as a chapter in the story that you want to tell. 

As a hiring manager, my philosophy has always been to choose the candidate who brings something to the table that we still need but don’t yet have. From a diversity perspective, I want people on the team who have different backgrounds, perspectives and economic situations. Especially if you’re in product development, you need people who can advocate from their own perspective. Don’t hire people that are the same as you. Determine what it is that they have that you don’t, and get diverse perspectives onto your team. 

The big telcos are part of the problem, not part of the solution. Where I see success is in those larger companies that have invested in incubators within their own four walls. They’re essentially creating small startup groups within their own company. They’re incubating smaller startups, which attract talented younger people who have unique skill sets, so the larger organisation gets to benefit from having them in their ranks without directly bringing them in. If their goal is to fill cubicle 37b with someone sharp and talented, I’d say good luck with that. That’s just not what the up-and-coming workforce is looking for. 

The stereotype has always been people just work very hard, and they still work very hard, but this generation of workers isn’t going out for happy hours with their boss and coworkers. They’re going home to be with family, so bosses are like, ‘Well, how do I pass the torch?’ That’s where mentorship comes in. We’re in an interesting place with the large telcos, where the way they approach a business is to talk about the fact that they’re working with interesting technologies. That’s really hard, given the current socioeconomic and macroeconomic conditions that we are in. There’s an opportunity to appeal to 18-year-olds who just graduated high school, where lots of them are going into apprenticeship programs for electricians or plumbers because those skills are recession-proof. You always need a plumber. 

Young people are being put off other industries because you need four years of a liberal arts college just to get through screening. We have to find alternative ways to train people in these areas. In the energy sector, they’ve been very successful with programs that get kids into two-year technical programs right out of high school. They’re taking on these roles of senior-level individuals who are about to retire, and they’re saving skills that are about to disappear. We have so much field experience from people in that middle layer who aren’t executives or upper management, but they do the actual work and have that lived experience. In the telco space, AI is going to be addressing some of those issues through training. It’s not stealing someone’s job – it’s just helping the next generation work up to the certification. It’s training people on anomalous things that only a handful of people know. 

It’s surprising how many people whose goal is just a living wage, and there are far too many jobs that don’t provide that. Then others dangle the carrot of making so much money, but you’ll have to work so hard that you don’t get to have a life outside of that role. What if I like biking and having a family? That’s what people want to do. We’re in changing times. The gig economy has radically changed the trajectory of the job market since COVID, and tools like Zoom make it possible to do business from anywhere. In fact, the expectation of getting on a plane or getting in a car and travelling everywhere and doing face-to-face meet-and-greets is now the exception, not the rule. Personally, I think the next generation has their priorities far more in order than my generation ever did, and companies need to adapt to that.”

To hear more about attracting great talent in the connectivity sector, tune into Episode 27 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast here. 

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.     

As automation becomes an increasingly large part of workflows across the connectivity industry, how much control should we give AI over decision-making processes? On Episode 26 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast, we spoke with Wim te Niet, the VP of Global Sales and Service Assurance Solutions at EXFO, about his perspective on the topic. Here are his thoughts: 

What are your views on automation in zero-touch operations, and what are the benefits of moving to automation over manual testing methods, for example?

If you look at what’s driving automation, there are three factors. Look what happened to service providers. Over the past few years, their cost level has gone up significantly. There have been significant salary increases, and we’ve all noticed what happened to our energy bills. Now if you look at service providers and how much energy they use in their data centers, they are running a network that is very energy-intensive. Those different factors have led to a significant increase in OpEx. 

One of the key benefits of moving to automation is OpEx reduction. If tasks are automated instead of people doing the task, that drives your your OpEx cost down. The second key driver, from my perspective, is customer experience. If you think about things like time to repair, response time, and failures in the network, driving that down through automation obviously has a direct impact on customer satisfaction, customer experience, and customer retention. The third factor is network virtualisation. These days, they’re increasingly cloud-based. 

Previously, if you were in London, you would have a physical connection to a voice switch somewhere in the city. You would be able to pinpoint that, if your line is down, there’s probably something wrong with that switch or the connection between you and that switch. In a virtualized and cloud-based environment, there is complete decoupling of the service from the physical location. With the increasing number of devices on the network, and a decoupling of logical and physical infrastructure, network complexity usually goes up, which also drives the need for automation. 

What are the barriers to achieving zero-touch operations?

A major barrier is the psychological impact. Do you let these decisions be made by a machine? That’s something we need to overcome. If you use the analogy to self-driving cars, one challenge is to develop the technology that provides a fully self-driving experience. The producers of these systems say they are more reliable than human beings because they’re quicker and better at decision-making. But actually saying, ‘Okay, we’re now going to leave the decision to the machine,’ is a big thing because if it goes wrong (or when it goes wrong), then there is a real problem. 

If you use that analogy to the service provider network, if your OODA-based decision causes a massive network outage because it makes the wrong decision, as the CEO or CTO of that operator, you’ve got to explain. It’s a technology that is not completely mature, and there’s the psychological elements. Do you actually leave that to the machine, or do you still want somebody with human intelligence to look at it? I think the latter will still be the case for a while to come, which is actually a good thing.

To hear more from Wim, tune into Episode 26 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast here.

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.     

Within the connectivity industry, talent shortages and lack of diversity are rife. On Episode 25 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast we spoke with Jennifer Montague, the VP of Growth at Onomondo, about how she is expanding her team. Here are her insights.

How has hiring been in the last 12-18 months, from a high-level perspective?

People are having a lot of trouble trying to find the right role. As a manager, I don’t want to say hiring has been easy, but there’s been a lot of talent to choose from, which can be good and bad. If you go to a restaurant with a 60-page menu, you can’t really decide what to eat. It’s the same with hiring. I’ve had up to 300 applications for roles, which is a lot to choose from. 

My advice, particularly when it comes to startups, is to know your numbers. In this environment, the money is just all over the place, and it’s growth at all costs. We’re hiring left, right and centre, but you have to prove the value that you’re bringing in, which is why I say ‘know your numbers’ and make sure you keep track of your hires’ outcomes. Look for people who have had an impact, but also for their ambition and potential.

How has your hiring process changed since you’ve grown as a business? 

When you’re a startup, you want generalists who can wear a bunch of different hats. As you get into scale up, you want specialists. You want the people who only do one thing, but they’re damn good at it. That’s always an interesting transition for me. You hire people who start the marketing from nothing, and they’ve done all the hard work and heavy lifting, but suddenly, you reach a point where you don’t need them anymore. That is a really bad feeling for everyone because you want to show appreciation, but you also need specialists in SEO, paid search, or full-stack development and no longer have space for those generalists. 

You’re now hiring based on applications rather than headhunting. How has that affected diversity?

It’s definitely brought out the importance of looking for the potential of each individual. Now, when you’re looking for one particular role, and you see all these people can do the job, then you have to assess what else they bring to the table. Frankly speaking, I live in a very homogenous community. Denmark isn’t really known for a lot of diversity. At the moment, my company’s policy is not to hire remote-only positions, so you have to be physically present and able to commute to the office. That reduces the pool of applicants that I can look for. 

When it comes to one of the things I have done, I’ve added a blurb to my job posts about not ticking every single box because traditionally, women and people of colour will not apply for a job unless they tick every single box. I always say that if you think you can bring something to the table, please apply. I can’t comment on whether I’ve seen a difference in the applicants, but people have been commenting that they were more comfortable applying, knowing that it’s okay not to tick every box. 

The other thing is not looking for a traditional background or education but interviewing for ambitions and motivations, like what you want to do and why you want to do it. That’s helped us take the blinders off. It’s not about whether they fit into this box or not. It’s actually about ‘Do I want to work with this person?’ That helps increase the likelihood of getting non-traditional candidates into a role. 

To hear more about hiring in the connectivity sector, tune into Episode 25 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast here. 

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.     

IoT technology is a key component of smart living. On Episode 23 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast we were joined by Ed Chung, the SVP of Product & Business Development at Endeavour Technology, to talk about his perspectives on the most exciting developing technologies in the IoT space. Read on for his insights. 

“IoT probably means different things to different people. It was probably a term that was invented to capture a whole bunch of things, primarily from a technology point of view. What’s exciting for us at the moment is certain industries have embraced connectivity. 

The one that we’re focusing on at the moment is automotive. A lot of industries over the years have promised that bringing in connectivity would enable new areas of opportunity, either in revenue or by improving the way things work. Over time there have been a number of reasons why things have not happened as quickly as many would have hoped – and I include automotive in that as well, but it’s still one of the leading industries. We’ve all heard about the connected car, and those who have been lucky enough to get into a vehicle that’s been produced recently will see the technology and the way that that car communicates with people and with the outside world, and it has changed a lot. I’ve seen it described as a giant smartphone on wheels. 

That’s particularly exciting for us because not only is that a new product out there but there’s a lot of innovation. There are also aspects of it that people sort of expect and rely on now, but there are also autonomous driving and entertainment applications, which are becoming ubiquitous features. We’ve come from a time when you buy a car and just expect it to work. Now, connectivity is a part of that, as are all the services that run on top of the main function of the vehicle. 

However, we all know it’s not quite like that in the real world, right? Sometimes things just don’t work. That’s applicable not just to automotive but to any industry, but we’re working with a number of partners to try to understand how to improve and solve those challenges, such as poor quality or poor connectivity that’s not fit for purpose. 

Beyond automotive, there are a number of other areas that have embraced connectivity as well. We’re starting to see it on planes – Wi-Fi is available on most airlines. That’s been a pretty significant change in recent years. We’re also seeing some really interesting discrete sectors on the transportation side, even things like connected elevators, as businesses evolve and connectivity becomes more useful and applicable. Machines are talking to other machines, and machines are talking to humans. The need for connectivity is ever-increasing.” 

To hear more from Ed, tune into Episode 23 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast here. 

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.     

IoT is a growing part of the Connectivity industry. On Episode 21 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast, we were joined by Dave Kjendal, the CTO at Senet, to talk about the latest advancements in the IoT field, as well as its practical applications to daily life. Here’s what he said: 

“There are so many that can be talked about in terms of where that technology can be applied. What’s really interesting is that massive-scale IoT is where we see a lot of interest. Utility spaces, such as water utilities, are certainly quite mature in terms of massive-scale IoT adoption. They’ve developed things like metre reading, water quality analysis, and valve controls, done at very large scales using millions of devices that have been instrumented for many years now. That’s been a natural evolution in the space for driving efficiency. 

We’re starting to see that the next opportunity in the utility area is looking at the natural gas area, which includes residential gas delivery systems. So metering, valve control, leak detection, things like this, as well as in the production side of it. Everyone is very aware of the sensitivity of methane to climate change, so a lot of focus is being put on that area. Unfortunately, on the residential side, there’s a loss of life and property that happens on a fairly regular basis. 

Another area of IoT that has been growing is food safety compliance. Making sure that food is stored and prepared safely is another area where instrumentation can really go very far towards minimising costs while guaranteeing safety to the customer. 

Those are maybe not obvious examples for many people who are thinking about the smart thermostat on their wall, but as we see it, it’s that level of instrumentation that really starts to unlock massive-scale value. The next iteration is more focused on smart applications that create heavily instrumented buildings. We saw some of this happen during the COVID period, where occupancy and safety impacted airflow and temperature variations. Things like VOC monitoring and humidity monitoring are the next big steps down that path. 

What’s interesting to think about in those three examples is that there are regulations that are either in place or coming into place in the future, that are the precursors to pushing the market down that path. Many times, industries look at regulation as a threat, but for those of us in IoT, regulation is very often an opportunity for us to deliver solutions cost-effectively, creating a win for the consumer in the bill and for the property owner in meeting the regulatory requirements. It is one of the most interesting massive-scale opportunities as we start to improve our view as a society around what should be done, and we have the tools to implement it cost-effectively.

To hear more from Dave, tune into Episode 21 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast here. 

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.     

The biggest misconception in the telco sector is that it’s a dying, historic legacy industry. In reality, the integration of AI into telco is making a significant impact on society by enhancing efficiency, improving customer experience, and enabling new techniques and services. This transformation is attracting top talent who are eager to engage in innovative areas like satellite LEO and cloud AI orchestration.

Bridging Talent Gaps: Strategies for Attracting Cross-Industry Expertise

To draw skilled professionals from diverse sectors into telco, we must focus on the key areas of impact: network optimisation, data analysis, customer service, and energy efficiency. These domains are crucial for the evolution of the telco industry and offer exciting opportunities for tech enthusiasts looking to make a tangible impact.

One of the most groundbreaking shifts is happening with Open Networking, which is moving the industry away from monopolies historically dominated by big Original Equipment Manufacturers. This democratization of technology and innovation is creating a fertile ground for new ideas and attracting talent interested in making a mark in a more open and collaborative environment.

Innovative Alliances and the Rise of Private Wireless

Innovations through alliances like the TIP have been particularly exciting. These collaborations are fostering a spirit of innovation and breaking new ground in the industry. One of the most anticipated developments in the coming year is the advent of private wireless networks. Operators are re-evaluating their business models, and the enterprise sector is emerging as a significant revenue stream. Private wireless networks align perfectly with this shift, offering bespoke solutions that cater to the unique needs of businesses.

Advancing Diversity and Inclusion

While the telco sector has seen considerable improvements in diversity over the past 50 years, there is still much work to be done. A critical question often arises: How do we attract talent from other industries into telco? Investing in programs that bring graduates into the sector is vital. Ensuring a steady stream of new talent is crucial for the industry’s continued evolution and relevance.

Companies, both large and small, are placing a stronger emphasis on diversity and inclusion. They are implementing strategies that encourage change and make their workplaces more inclusive, allowing individuals to feel confident and valued. This cultural shift is essential for fostering innovation and attracting a diverse range of talents.

The telco industry is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by AI and other technological advancements. By focusing on network optimisation, data analysis, customer service, and energy efficiency, and by fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion, the industry can attract top talent from various sectors. The rise of private wireless and the collaborative efforts through initiatives like TIP are just the beginning of a new era in telecommunications. As we move forward, the connectivity sector will continue to evolve, driving societal impact and offering exciting opportunities for tech professionals worldwide.

As AI becomes more and more integrated into the modern world, all areas of business are finding ways to adopt and adapt. On Episode 19 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast we were joined by Stephen Spellicy, the Vice President of Marketing, Enablement & Business Development at VMware, to talk about how the connectivity industry is moving towards AI adoption. Read on for his insights. 

Is there a genuine motivation for operators to bring in AI?

Well, this is a conundrum that many have. They’re building the new network and expecting new incremental revenue, then the next step is figuring out ‘how do I reap the benefits of that?’ Part of the business strategy should be growing your footprint and retaining it so that you can drive higher levels of ARPU out of your consumer subscribers and enterprise customers. The companies that are looking at being data-driven in the way they build their business and how they execute in the market are the ones who are likely going to survive. 

We’ve seen consolidation across the board in the wider industry (not only in telecom and technology) where the larger players gobbling up smaller companies. Where you see more of this consolidation and the shedding of non-productive assets, markets are becoming more focused on the outcomes of their business strategy. It starts with data and the injection of an advanced labour force that is more keen to understand the trends of our technology sphere. Data science is an area where telecoms probably lack skilled labour. Maybe in the next five years, we’ll see more availability of these resources. But today, telecom should take that first mover advantage to pull those folks into their organisation and start injecting data into everything they do. 

A common perception is that telco is not as exciting as other applications for AI or data science, so how could they attract more talent as an industry?

If you’ve already built a new network and you’re trying to drive higher revenue, you’ll need the right talent. This talent isn’t cheap, but it’s an investment in the future. Vigorous recruiting, both in the field and outside of the field, is necessary. What I mean by that is that telecom traditionally looks for people with a vast understanding of wireless cellular technology, traditional fixed line type technologies and networking backgrounds, but they may need to look into adjacencies. Where are the problem solvers who understand data models and data science, who can be applied to solving telco challenges? Looking across various adjacencies and verticals to find the right kind of talent is going to be effectively an empowering element as companies move forward. 

Training, enabling and investing in your labour force is also really important. Adopting some of these methodologies creates more opportunities for the people already in your company. In other words, utilising the resources you have to drive the highest level of productivity will enable your team to be creative in problem-solving. One of the best ways to create a happy and productive workforce is to give them really hard problems to solve and let them find creative ways to solve those problems. It creates a level of engagement and interest in their job, and it creates more loyalty to the company because it shows that this is a company that challenges them, rewards them when they succeed and invests in them – which are all essential ingredient ingredients that telco needs to consider as they develop their labour force moving forward.

How much responsibility does the telco industry have for ensuring the correct use of AI alongside this new talent?

The first piece of any journey with AI, particularly when we’re talking about data or using information in order to dictate outcomes, is effectively finding a programmatic way to treat data in a sensitive way. With customer-related user-related data, personal identifiable information, etc, you have to make sure that the data that you collect is protected to ensure the privacy and security of your customers. Just from a broad industry perspective across not only telco but any enterprise verticals, this is a common practice that starts with protecting the information that you’re collecting and utilising it as a part of the build of your models. 

The other piece on the ethical side would be to do no harm. You have to use technology to improve operations, the quality of service for your customers and the lives of your employees. Effectively, when you look at your labour force, how do you get the very best out of the team that’s in place? We’re not trying to use automation and AI to make jobs obsolete, we’re trying to use automation and AI to make those jobs easier for those people to get done. Looking at it that way, you’ll never have enough people to do the jobs. These skilled workers don’t have enough time in the day, and you don’t have enough heads in front of computer screens to get the job done, especially as we build out the 5G network and beyond to 6G. The enormity of that challenge is too large for the workforce we have today, so you need technology to augment those people. 

To learn more about integrating AI into your telco workforce, tune into Episode 19 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast here. 

We sit down regularly with some of the biggest names in our industry, we dedicate our podcast to the stories of leaders in the technologies industries that bring us closer together. Follow the link here to see some of our latest episodes and don’t forget to subscribe.