Telstra, AI firm Quantium joint venture to bolster offerings

Telstra has joined Australian data science and AI specialist Quantium in a joint venture to bolster the telco’s product offerings.

The joint venture (JV) aims to combine Quantium’s data science and AI capabilities with Telstra’s customer, product and network data assets.

Telstra would give its customers access to personalised and data-enabled products and offerings, embed proactive and predictive AI and machine learning across its business, and improve its core business through advanced analytics and machine learning.

Telstra chief executive Andrew Penn said the partnership would be a key enabler of Telstra’s T25 data and AI ambitions.

“This new JV will not only provide personalised and data-enabled products and offers for Telstra’s customers, it will also embed proactive and predictive AI and machine learning across Telstra’s core business,” Penn said.

“Focusing on our customers and improving the way we serve them is crucial to the success of our T25 strategy, and this partnership will supercharge that ambition by reshaping how we add value for our enterprise customers and enable improvements in the personalisation of offers and value for members of Telstra’s rewards program, Telstra Plus.

“This partnership goes beyond just those direct benefits for customers and will look at how we can also use advanced analytics and machine learning to drive value for our core business, for example to identify fraudulent activity more effectively, or to make enhanced credit decisions.”

The combined offerings will be delivered in partnership with Telstra’s managed services business, Telstra Purple, and will focus on the telco’s enterprise customers in sectors like mining, agribusiness and supply chain.

Telstra said the JV would create a ‘whole of tech stack’ proposition for industrial customers to help them automate tasks quicker and make smarter and more accurate decisions across their value chains.

Also involved is Telstra’s Data Hub, offering enterprise and government customers the capability to securely share and aggregate their data while leveraging Quantium’s big data capabilities.

Quantium CEO Adam Driussi said, “We are delighted to partner with Australia’s leading telecommunications company to help unlock the potential of data and AI for both Telstra and its customers.”

“The three key ingredients in any digital transformation are cutting-edge smart networking and connectivity, superb IT and world class data science and AI. This partnership brings all these ingredients together to create a unique ‘whole of stack’ solution that promises to transform Telstra and deliver enhanced experiences and incredible value for its customers.”

Telstra said the two companies are finalising the partnership’s detailed scope, but have also started working together to service some enterprise clients. CRN