Digital Transformation in the Telecom Industry

The telecom sector impacts and empowers everything. Whether retail industry, e-commerce, the automotive industry, or business basics like production, supply chain, and IoT(Internet of Things), telecom use cases are everywhere. 

In fact, at the very heart of this digital transformation lies telecom infrastructure–offering applications, device interconnectivity, and access that enables digital disruptions across the globe via the latest 4G and 5G networks. 

Therefore to understand what digital transformation in the telecom sector looks like, we need to understand the core of this industry–networks that are becoming increasingly complex. 

The dizzying rate of evolution of the telecom industry can be attributed mainly to what is considered “new ordinary” post-pandemic–the need for seamless and fast connectivity for people to work, study, access healthcare, and stay in touch with family and friends.

Digitization has undeniably been one of the most significant forces of change, converting possibilities into reality. 

Everyone, including the Communication Service Providers (CSPs), understands why and how digital transformation is critical to their long-term success. It’s the only way for them to manage the scope, success, scale, and complexity of the 5G networks, especially with flat budgets. 

Also Read: Digital Twin and its Impact on Telecom Networks

Many are slowly gravitating towards adopting network automation to obtain the desired results. 

Let’s try and understand how technological advancements in business intelligence and analytics have benefited the telecom industry.

Network optimization

Artificial intelligence is critical for telcos to build self-optimizing networks to support the higher bandwidth projected for the upcoming 5G network. These allow operators to optimize network traffic quality based on time and region data. Moreover, AI in the telecom industry looks for historical patterns using advanced algorithms, enabling telcos to identify network defects and predict anomalies, so CSPs can proactively fix problems before they impact the end users.

Business intelligence and analytics

Adding business intelligence and analytics powered by machine learning helps the telecom sector to draw data-driven insights and make informed decisions. To meet the growing customer demand and expectations of a seamless experience, telcos need to understand their audience better. Business intelligence and analytics will play a vital role in helping them decode enormous customer data, identify buying patterns, and improve offerings accordingly.

Automated customer support

Another important application of AI for the telecom industry is the conversational AI platform–chatbots, for customer support. Also famously known as virtual assistants, they have learned to automate and scale individual conversations. AI adoption in the customer support domain has helped telcos manage massive support requests for installation, setup, troubleshooting, and maintenance, which usually overwhelms the customer service personnel. With the help of AI and self-service capabilities, customers can learn how to install and operate their own devices, reducing the number of support queries to a large extent.

Furthermore, these virtual assistants also improve the customer service experience by indulging in personalized customer engagement and intelligent conversations.

Cost-reduction

One of the biggest challenges of the telco industry is the amount of data produced and the kind of investment it needs to analyze it. Moreover, customer data is present in different places and originates from various sources. The telecom industry is constantly struggling to reduce its OPEX (Operational Expenses), and technologies like AI and ML can help manage data using tools based on predictive analysis and sophisticated algorithms, which is majorly the reason for inflated operational expenses.

Transition to the cloud

Adopting cloud technology leads to various benefits ranging from lesser use of hardware to eliminating human errors and redundant manual processes. Moreover, the migration to the cloud leads to wider accessibility across the globe and more streamlined operations at lower costs. The telecom sector will be able to meet the next generation of workloads such as IoT, 5G, or machine learning processes through cloud-based solutions. This will help make the telecom sector more agile and deliver positive outcomes for the network slack. 

To sum up:

Transformation is nothing new for the telecom industry. CSPs and operators have been refining and reshaping themselves since time immemorial to reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, and deploy new tools and technologies. Along the way, telco leaders have demonstrated exceptional qualities like imagination to envisage different ways of doing things, the dedication to pursue that vision, and the commitment to inspire others to join the journey. 

The next phase of transformation is more fundamental for the telecom sector. The future of telcos will be shaped by the extent to which today’s leaders can anticipate the magnitude of change–and act quickly to thrive and stand apart from the competition in this new reality. 

We at Lepton are dedicated to assisting you with your digital transformation journey using our robust geospatial intelligence suite with a wide range of location-based solutions tailored to your business needs. 

To get started, initiate a discussion with our experts now!  or check out how lepton software benefits the telecom industry.