Digital Transformation World Series 2021 Updates
(Sponsored by Ericsson)
October 14, 2021
The Importance of Partnerships and Collaboration in the 5G Ecosystem
I’m reflecting over all the important content shared over the past four weeks as TM Forum’s Digital Transformation World Series 2021 comes to an end.
Aside from all the technology information shared for CSPs, I was most moved by the focus on partnerships and collaboration in the 5G ecosystem.
Although we’ve all spent much of our time apart over the past 18 months, there’s never been this level of determination and willingness to partner and collaborate across the industry.
You’ll see what I mean in the clip below, which is from the closing roundtable discussion. It features many different perspectives around the industry, all with the goal of overcoming the obstacles to make working together easy and productive. Amazing.
👉🏻 Watch the replay on-demand until October 29 👈🏻 CSPs have free access to register for the event and view the replays.
October 13, 2021
Case study — Meeting Your Customer’s Expectations with Pre-Paid Transformation
- How to respond to the growing demands and expectations from customers for a better customer experience
- How to build a digital experience with unique capabilities
- How to plan for change, tuning, optimization and adaptation in an agile way
- How to measure change to deliver the right customer experience, and how to know when you’re making an impact
Panelists:
Shailin Sehgal, Product Enablement Technology Executive, Telstra
Mats Karlsson, VP & Head of Solution Area BSS, Ericsson
👉🏻 Watch the replay on-demand until October 29 👈🏻 CSPs have free access to register for the event and view the replays.
The goals of our pre-paid mobile transformation strategy is to simplify customer experience, adapt to new ways of working and take the cost out of the business. — Shailin Sehgal, Telstra
We picked a full stack approach with Ericsson’s DXP (digital experience) platform along with their charging system. The idea was to reduce integration time and cost. — Shailin Sehgal, Telstra
I’ve noticed this overall theme at Digital Transformation World Series 2021: Taking the concepts of “working together” and “partnerships” to the next level, and describing what that looks like exactly.
This case study highlights how Telstra and Ericsson worked together with one mindset. 👏🏻
We had to apply a lot of risk mitigation together and change control in this setup. It was a really good way of working. We truly worked as one team. -Mats Karlsson, Ericsson
What were the results of this Telstra and Ericsson pre-paid mobile transformation case study?
We have definitely seen phenomenal results. As Mats mentioned, the catalog design extends itself down to the charging system.
Because of that, we were able to define a charging template that goes from charging all the way up to the product catalog, which speeds up the offers of new plans to the market.
We have migrated 1.8 million subscribers. The pre-paid customers experience an activation speed of less than a couple of minutes. It used to take 10 minutes.
Our migration success rate has been greater than 99%. — Shailin Sehgal, Telstra
October 11, 2021
C-Level Interview with Jan Karlsson, SVP, Head of Business Area Digital Services at Ericsson
“Ericsson’s 5G is live in over 94 networks. As part of that, we are truly on a journey of automating our customers’ networks for the future. We see this automation as vital to solving the real problems in the transition from 4G to 5G non-standalone (NSA), and further into 5G standalone (SA).” — Jan Karlsson
Listen to Jan Karlsson in the video interview below as he shares:
- What lessons we’ve already learned from 4G into 5G
- Where we are starting to see early signs that 5G services are being monetized in a positive way
- What is critical for monetizing the value of 5G
- What opportunities are around the corner for network slicing
- How we, as an industry, can maximize our potential
Timestamps for Interview Questions:
:15 — What lessons are we already learning in the journey from 4G into 5G non-standalone and further into standalone?
3:24 — We are starting to see early signs that 5G services are being monetized in a positive way, what do you see as critical for monetizing the value of 5G?
7:10 — Where do you see the opportunity around network slicing, and how can we as an industry maximize our potential?
In this interview, I enjoyed learning about Ericsson’s Dual-Mode 5G Core platform that simplifies the shift to future 5G operations. It brings the same capabilities to 4G as 5G, which results in a greater ROI for the operations team.
Of course, all of this is leading up to 5G standalone. As an aside, it’s amazing to me that we are now moving into 5G standalone after only two years! I always knew 4G and 5G would be tied together for a long time, but I had no idea that we’d be talking about 5G standalone so quickly.
In 5G standalone, there is no dependence on the 4G network at all. The 5G radio connects directly to the 5G Core. 5G standalone brings faster speed, better capacity and more coverage. Plus… improved network slicing capabilities, which is tied to new business opportunities and revenue streams.
Here are a few more notable quotes I pulled from Jan Karlsson’s video interview:
“Consumer demand for 5G is rapidly outpacing what we saw for 4G. At this rate, there will be 3.5 billion 5G subscriptions globally by 2026 — accounting for 40% of all mobile subscriptions.” (Data Source: Ericsson Mobile Report)
“Orchestration has already been put into place by many CSPs to gain control over virtualized environments in 4G networks. But with the introduction of cloud native 5G core, the need for orchestration only accelerates. 5G was truly designed to be orchestrated.”
“There is still a lot of work to do on the 5G ecosystem. It’s great to see that new partnerships are being forged, but we need to make those partnerships work at the business level, as well as the technical level, in order to create the clear value we can provide beyond connectivity.”
👉🏻 Read Jan Karlsson’s recent blog post: 5G Ecosystem Strategies: Is There a Winning Formula? 👈🏻
September 29, 2021
FIRESIDE CHAT: Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) for Open RAN
👉🏻 Watch the replay on-demand 👈🏻 CSPs have free access to register for the event and view the sessions.
Panelists:
John (Jack) Murray, AVP Inventive Science, AT&T Labs
Peo Lehto, Head of Solution Area OSS, Ericsson
Haseeb Akhtar, Head of End-to-End Network Evolution, Ericsson
As the traditional lines between information technology and networks dissolve, it’s nice to hear success stories from those who are leading the way and excelling in innovation.
In this chat, Haseeb Akhtar interviewed John (Jack) Murray and Peo Lehto about Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) for Open RAN.
To summarize:
1. Everyone agreed that RAN management is important to O-RAN and OSC.
2. They discussed the fact that introducing new technology, mid-band spectrum and virtualization will bring additional network complexity. Effective management tools are needed to support both new and existing networks.
3. This increased network complexity can be addressed by open, multi-vendor and innovative rApps-based solutions.
4. Haseeb finished the discussion with a request for operators and vendors to invest in O-RAN and OSC for delivering an open and innovative network management ecosystem.
I selected four questions and answers from the interview to share with you below.
O-RAN is a hot topic at the moment. In your opinion, where are we on the hype-cycle curve for O-RAN?
Let’s look at some statistics on O-RAN and OSC. Based on current public data, O-RAN has 30+ specifications while OSC has produced several million lines of code contributed by 400+ people. O-RAN has certainly passed its infancy. It started with lower layer split and now started to focus on RAN management. — John (Jack) Murray, AVP of Wireless and Access Systems Architecture, AT&T Labs
Yes, I agree that O-RAN has gone past the peak cycle. The ambition of multi-vendor open interface, however, is in its early stage, and still limited to trial activities. The introduction of SMO will facilitate the opportunity to innovate in this space. Ericsson is one of largest contributors and driving these activities in the O-RAN alliance. — Peo Lehto, VP Head of SA OSS, Ericsson
Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) is a complex area. What role does O-RAN standardization play in improving multi-vendor interworking and reducing complexity?
(Both Peo and Jack agreed that the desegregation of RAN increases network complexity.)
The SMO will allow operators to deliver consistent capabilities across multiple vendors. The rApps, for example, will level the network performance and experience. The opening of interoperability between vendors will create a horizontal architectural stack with different speeds of deployment.
Network complexity is growing in different dimensions, e.g., new target services, critical communications, due to the disaggregation of RAN, etc. Proper standardization and specifications are key to be able to handle this complexity. — Peo Lehto, VP Head of SA OSS, Ericsson
O-RAN opens up the standard interfaces, models and data across different vendors so that solutions can be interoperable. It enables more consistency for the operations team.
Standardization does not necessarily reduce complexity, especially since disaggregation introduces more network elements. We are working hard to manage this complexity. — John (Jack) Murray, AVP of Wireless and Access Systems Architecture, AT&T Labs
Peo, you have been very active in OSC. From Ericsson’s perspective, what role do you think the OSC plays in contributing towards SMO platform software?
OSC provides a reference implementation that allows crash testing of O-RAN specifications. It helps to accelerate industrialization and commercialization of products by providing ready to use components. It also fosters innovations by providing early means for proof of concept and trials. — Peo Lehto, VP Head of SA OSS, Ericsson
What do you see as some of the important use cases for rApps?
Use cases for gradual non-service-impacting upgrades and deployment (i.e., canary upgrade), intelligent workload placement (e.g., in the cloud infrastructure), optimization of frequency management (e.g., frequency layer management), and end user QoE enhancement using A1 policy recommendation. — Peo Lehto, VP Head of SA OSS, Ericsson
The main rApps use cases are advanced antenna management, cloud infrastructure management, improved spectrum utilization, improved power management and enhancement of user experience. — John (Jack) Murray, AVP of Wireless and Access Systems Architecture, AT&T Labs
How important is it that the SMO uses open interfaces and APIs? What are the benefits of having an open R1 interface between the rApps and SMO services towards the RAN?
They are critical for driving more intelligence to the network. With the addition of more spectrum and advanced antennas, we need capabilities to manage the needs of different parts of the network. Each open component may potentially bring innovation due to focused attention.
The open rApps are a key vehicle to realize customization, optimization, and innovation of the deployed networks. — John (Jack) Murray, AVP of Wireless and Access Systems Architecture, AT&T Labs
R1 interface changes the traditional radio domain to an open platform that will allow innovation. It allows innovation from multiple stakeholders on a common consolidated architecture.
Basically, the industry will shift from single vendor innovation to an open innovation ecosystem. However, robust APIs and SDKs are needed for enabling developers to build rApps easily. — Peo Lehto, VP Head of SA OSS, Ericsson
Thank you both for sharing your helpful and important insights!
👉🏻 Watch the replay on-demand until October 29 👈🏻 CSPs have free access to register for the event and view the replays.
September 23, 2021
Keynote Industry Voices: 5G Ecosystem Strategies: Is There A Winning Formula?
- How do the 5G B2B co-operation models differ from earlier models?
- How to develop a shared platform where partners can collaborate, co-create, co-sell and co-market with each other.
- How to shift the business model to create revenues with exponential growth potential.
- Aligning business objectives to share in the risks and rewards of monetization efforts.
Enrique Blanco, CTIO, Telefonica
Ruza Sabanovic, EVP & CTO, Telenor
Li Huidi, Vice President, China Mobile Group
Jan Karlsson, Senior Vice President, Head of Business Area Digital Services, Ericsson
I always like listening to Jan Karlsson👆🏻 (Senior Vice President, Head of Business Area Digital Services, Ericsson). In this short clip from this session at Digital Transformation World Series 2021, he talks about what he views is the greatest potential for the modernization of 5G. Enjoy!
Transcript:
“I see the greatest potential for the modernization of 5G as being the ability to create an environment where we create an ecosystem where each of the partners has an opportunity to make a fair financial return.
And that it’s simpler, faster and more low risk to work through the ecosystem than going direct.
In order to make this a possibility, we have 3 challenges on our hands:
- We need to make the system across OSS, BSS, core and radio work as a platform that enables the innovation and the deployment of new services.
- We need to be brave and dynamic in our partnering, and invest in partnerships where it makes sense.
- Above all, we need to make sure that what we are delivering through this ecosystem makes sense to the end customer ~ and to keep this as our north star.”
Here are some other inspiring quotes I pulled from the other speakers.
The pandemic has reminded us of the value of connectivity. — Nik Willetts, CEO, TM Forum
No one is big enough to do this on their own. How do we co-create together? Let’s be the ecosystem and be partners in order to meet the continuously changing demands of the customers. — Ruza Sabanovic, EVP & CTO, Telenor
We no longer work in the board room. We work in the bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen. Connectivity matters more than ever. The modern telco must deliver new services and security. — Keri Gilder, CEO, Colt Technology Services
September 20, 2021
Digital Transformation World Series 2021 starts this week! This TM Forum virtual event lasts four weeks, and it’s in my top 5 virtual events to attend this year. Last year’s Digital Transformation World Series event won the “Best Digital Conference” award by Digital Event Awards. Based on the agenda for this year’s event, it’s going to be even better.
At this event, the leading minds in the telecom industry will get together to discuss digital transformation and their cutting-edge ideas. These conversations are designed to assist service providers with growing their 5G revenue, so it makes sense that Ericsson will be sharing their wisdom and insight.
I’m happy to announce that I’ll be covering Ericsson’s participation in this event. 🥳
Ericsson will cover:
- How to determine new business opportunities to seize with 5G
- How to take advantage of new consumer and enterprise use cases
- How to apply Ericsson’s flexible step-by-step approach to building a robust foundation for long-term success
- Much more
Please check back to this page on the dates below for a synopsis of Ericsson’s main sessions (and their customers’ sessions) at Digital Transformation World Series 2021.
- September 23: Keynote — 5G Ecosystem Strategies: Is There a Winning Formula? (Jan Karlsson, Senior Vice President, Head of Business Area Digital Services, Ericsson)
- September 29: AT&T and Ericsson will speak about service management and orchestration for Open-RAN.
- September 29: Telia will discuss adopting a pragmatic approach to enterprise-wide IT and network automation.
- October 13: Telstra and Ericsson will speak about Telstra’s pre-paid mobile transformation.
Click Over to Digital Transformation World Series 2021 for More Information
See you soon!
