Telcos must commit to continuous, dynamic reinvention.

As data continues to grow and generative AI becomes more pervasive, it will put further strain on current networks. To thrive in a world driven by volatile macro environment and accelerated innovation enabled by next-gen technologies such as cloud, edge, 5G, data and AI, telcos must commit to continuous, dynamic reinvention. The network of the future must be a modern one – that is an enabler of future technologies and innovation, not a cost center.

Gen AI
Generative AI can drive efficiencies, freeing up time and resources critical for telcos to innovate their network and transform their business to be more agile and resilient. While traditional AI can deliver value in optimizing deployment orchestration, planning and supply chain, new benefits enabled by generative AI can design and automate network site configurations, allowing engineers to easily validate or fine tune projects, therefore reducing time-to-market.

However, to harness the benefits of generative AI requires equal attention on people and training as it does on technology. While there are huge opportunities ahead for telcos using generative AI, it needs to be evaluated carefully from a technical, legal and governance perspective.

Power of 5G
As a disruptive technology, 5G will play a crucial role in the total enterprise reinvention journey of every industry helping drive innovation, create new products and revenue streams, in addition to delivering cost and productivity benefits while supporting sustainability and resiliency.

The future of our digital economy is heavily reliant on the widespread adoption of 5G. It is expected that 5G services will create millions of new jobs not just for the telecom industry, but in other areas like data analytics, human-computer interaction, and varied industries of healthcare, retail, energy, and education. With India’s young population and large pool of technology talent, we have the potential to become the world’s cradle for 5G skills, creating numerous job opportunities and fueling the country’s digital growth through focused skilling interventions.

Network modernization
As per industry estimates, in the past 15 years, digitalization has increased a staggering 162 times, while network capacity has grown only 43 times and innovation spend on network has grown just two-fold. Narrowing the gap in digitalization and network capacity will require more investment in network modernization such that network itself becomes a competitive advantage.