In today’s fast-paced changing telco environment, Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are presented with both opportunities and challenges. The industry has and will always be extremely competitive, but MVNOs must discover innovative ways to differentiate themselves, enhancing experiences, and driving growth. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is that game changer that will help MVNOs simplify their operations and ultimately give that competitive advantage.
By using a tech-first approach enriched by AI, MVNOs can discover new levels of efficiency, personalization, and customer satisfaction. Let’s take a look at how MVNOs can leverage AI, focusing on key areas that breeds innovation, efficiencies, and experiences:
Data: Your New Superpower
Data is the life-line of successful MVNOs. Using AI it will help unlock the full potential of customer, network, interaction and product data, enabling MVNOs to:
- Gain customer insights through advanced analytics
- Predict customer behavior and preferences
- Optimize network performance and resource allocation
- Identify new market opportunities and trends
- In the absence of data AI can help telcos using synthetic data to predict insights and tends
With AI-powered data analysis (like AWS Q), the MVNO that is obsessive about data and uses it to bring its teams together will capable of making better, more informed decisions across all aspects of their business.
Identifying the Right Talent
In the AI-driven telecom landscape, having the right talent is crucial. MVNOs should focus on:
- Recruiting data scientists and AI specialists
- Upskilling existing employees in AI and machine learning
- Fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning
- Partnering with AI experts and consultants when needed
Rather than just thinking about what to do, successful MVNOs are actively finding and nurturing the talent needed to drive their AI initiatives forward.
Innovation: Scalable and Agile Technology
To become more competitive, MVNOs need technology that can scale rapidly and adapt to changing market conditions. AI-powered solutions offer:
- Cloud-native platforms that can scale on-demand (server-less solutions such as AWS Lambda)
- Flexible architectures (event driven composable architecture) that allow for rapid deployment of new services
- Process automation that improves operational efficiency
- Continuous improvement through machine learning algorithms (auto problem detection and correction)
By embracing innovative, AI-driven technologies, MVNOs can respond quickly to market changes and customer needs.
Business and Product-Led Roadmap: The Right Solutions and Partnerships
A successful AI strategy requires a clear roadmap aligned with business objectives. MVNOs should focus on:
- Identifying key business challenges that AI can address
- Prioritizing AI initiatives based on potential impact and feasibility
- Forming strategic partnerships with AI solution providers
- Continuously evaluating and refining the AI roadmap
By taking a business and product-led approach, MVNOs can ensure their AI investments deliver results without the traditional rising costs of customized systems that are difficult to maintain.
Don’t Build – Buy from SaaS Vendors/Partners
Rather than building AI solutions from scratch, MVNOs can leverage Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms that offer:
- Pre-built AI models and algorithms tailored for telecom
- No-code or low-code interfaces for easy customization
- Rapid deployment and time-to-value
- Continuous new features and improvements
By deploying solutions on SaaS, MVNOs can focus on their core business (acquiring and keeping customers) while still benefiting from vendors AI capabilities.
Further considerations
Let’s take a look at a recent example based on different approaches. A tale of two telcos.
Consider the experiences of two telecom companies facing similar challenges.
*(took this from a McKinsey report and it really demonstrates the point)
Telco A took a traditional approach, focusing on meticulously drafting detailed requirements for new systems and processes. Meanwhile, Telco B invested in Artificial Intelligence (AI) specialists and cutting-edge technologies.
By the time Telco A had finished writing its comprehensive requirements document, Company B’s team of AI specialists had already developed and implemented multiple working AI-powered solutions.
These solutions included:
1. An AI-driven chatbot for customer service – resulted in 40% improvement in resolution times.
2. A predictive maintenance based on customer service tickets – help prevent problems on up-and-coming new products and services launches.
3. Using email data that is unstructured to help answer questions – resulted in a 25% staff productivity improvement.
4. A personalized recommendation engine for customer upselling – resulted in a 30% improvement in customers buying add on’s – simply AI identified something that they needed and it made sense to the customer.
This contrast in outcomes highlights several key advantages of embracing AI in the telecom industry:
Data-Driven Insights:
AI can process & analyze vast amounts of data, providing insights that might be missed by traditional approaches as well as using synthetic data to predict outcomes.
Rapid Innovation through agile practices:
Artificial Intelligence allows for faster development and deployment of solutions, enabling companies to address opportunities and challenges quickly.
Competitive Advantage:
Companies embracing AI early gain the edge over competitors who are slower in adoption.
Scalability:
Cloud native and AI solutions can be scaled easily to meet growing demands or changing business needs.
Flexibility and Adaptability:
Artificial Intelligence powered systems can evolve and improve over time.
Conclusion: Levelling and Leading the Playing Field
As we blend innovation, efficiencies, and experiences, AI empowers MVNOs to compete effectively in the evolving telecom landscape. By leveraging data as a superpower, identifying the right talent, embracing scalable technology and cloud/AI native partners to expand your ecosystem with more value, following a product/business-led roadmap, and adopting SaaS AI solutions, MVNOs can level the playing field and maintain their leadership in the market and be leaders and disruptors.
Dare I say it ‘The future can be dictated by MVNOs’ those that can embrace AI to provide customers with exceptional experiences, optimize operations (back office), and drive innovation throughout the organization. By embracing AI-driven, MVNOs can not only survive but thrive and lead the way in this telecommunications revolution.
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