Here are examples of what our customers are saying about the value they see: 

Generative AI is proving to be the key to unlocking unprecedented levels of personalization, performance, and customer engagement, as well as the opportunity to change the experience of being on the operator’s network. Microsoft’s strategy to support generative AI adoption in telecommunications centers on four pillars:

1. Elevating customer experience
2. Optimizing business and operations support systems
3. Modernizing the network
4. Unlocking new revenue streams

By focusing on these areas, we aim to enhance customer satisfaction through AI-powered support, streamline business operations with advanced automation, upgrade network infrastructure for better performance and security, and create new revenue opportunities through innovative AI-powered solutions. This comprehensive approach ensures that telecommunications providers deliver exceptional service while driving growth and efficiency.  

Elevating customer experiences 

Differentiation in the telecom industry is a growing challenge, and customer experience is emerging as a key competitive advantage. By leveraging AI-infused customer care, telecommunications companies are enhancing customer experiences through the use of branded service assistants. These AI-powered assistants provide personalized customer support and unique interactions—helping telecoms differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Vodafone Group is investing in both employee and customer experiences. Recently, they announced a plan to provide Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 to their workforce. This generative AI tool will be rolled out to 68,000 employees across the organization to further improve productivity, innovation, and digital efficiency. This follows a successful pilot where Copilot for Microsoft 365 saved over three hours per person, per week—freeing employees to work on more creative, innovative, and valuable tasks, improving work-life balance and enhancing services and supporting Vodafone’s 350 million customers worldwide.   

Vodafone continues to personalize services and improve customer satisfaction by leveraging Microsoft Azure AI Studio, Azure OpenAI Service, and Microsoft Copilot along with Azure AI Search to enhance its customer experience with their virtual assistant, “TOBi,” and their customer agent solution, “SuperAgent.”   

“We aim to provide fast, personalized customer experiences that inspire confidence, but to continue to do that in the face of rising customer expectations, we needed to find a way to better manage complex customer inquiries efficiently and ensure timely and personalized responses.”

Ahmed Elsayed, Chief Information Officer United Kingdom and Europe Digital Engineering Director at Vodafone Group

Today, TOBi engages in more than 45 million conversations a month with customers and is expected to grow to half a billion over the next few years while reducing average hold time by more than one minute.  

Recently, PLDT selected Amdocs’ market-leading Intelligent Networking Suite to transform their network operations. The solution operates on the public cloud, featuring unified network inventory, service and network orchestration, and business process automation capabilities. This agreement also includes the customer service solution for case management, which is part of the Microsoft and Amdocs Customer Engagement Platform (CEP). CEP is a comprehensive, AI-powered solution designed for telecommunications service providers. It offers a unified platform for marketing, sales, commerce, and customer service—enabling telecoms to deliver seamless, digital-first experiences to both consumer and enterprise customers.

Optimizing business and operations support systems 

Telecoms are benefiting from modernizing their Business Support Systems (BSS) and real-time Operations Support Systems (OSS) with data solutions and Copilot for Microsoft 365, an AI-powered productivity tool that integrates with Microsoft 365 apps. At Telkomsel, their chat–based virtual assistant Veronika contributed to a 15% reduction in customer escalations resulting in a net promotor score (NPS) that is 27% above the industry average.

Generative AI assistants for employees empower customer care agents to manage multiple inquiries efficiently, broadening their expertise and resulting in more personalized services leading to improved customer satisfaction and retention.  

Orange France is using generative AI to enhance customer service, marketing, internal and external communications, and network operations, with dedicated support from Microsoft. Use cases include fully integrated tools for rewriting FAQs, generating product sheets, and assisting developers with writing code. Laetitia Orsini Sharps, Consumer Department Director at Orange France, sees this technology as “a promising vector for improving customer service and making employees’ work easier,” allowing service teams to reduce the time it takes an agent to investigate and analyze the root cause of complex cases from 20 minutes to less than 3 minutes.

Modernizing the network 

Telecoms can improve security, network efficiency, scalability, and reliability by using a carrier-grade, AI-infused, and secure hybrid cloud. This modernization effort will reduce costs and drive revenue growth, positioning telecoms as leaders in the digital age.  

Telecoms are protecting their networks from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Nokia’s latest innovation, the integration of a generative AI assistant with its NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome, demonstrates this proactive approach to security. Leveraging Azure OpenAI Service, this assistant enhances the efficiency of threat detection and resolution. Nokia expects the generative AI assistant to reduce the time it takes to identify and resolve a threat by up to 50 percent, depending on the nature of a cyberattack. As telecoms continue to fortify their defenses, such advancements are crucial in ensuring the security and reliability of critical operations. 

Real-time analytics capabilities allow telecoms to monitor network performance, detect anomalies, and optimize resource allocation to make data-driven decisions. Microsoft Fabric provides telecoms with real-time data, bringing order to a diverse and complicated data estate, enabling them to scale AI efforts. Fabric integrates data from various sources, including other clouds or on-premises sources, extending to where their data resides, providing a holistic view of telecom operations. The platform’s data visualization tools enable telecom companies to present complex data in an understandable format, facilitating better communication and collaboration across the organization.  

Unlocking new revenue streams 

Using Azure OpenAI Service to scale personalized customer experiences can result in an annual increase in average revenue per customer of 3% to 7% and a reduction in annual churn of 20% to 30%.² Telecom investments in AI and network modernization are unlocking new revenue streams with a platform for rapid development, deployment, and monetization of new services.  

As digital ecosystems expand, telecoms are offering advanced services where applications interact with their networks through APIs, turning their networks into programmable platforms that adapt to changing demands. Azure Programmable Connectivity (APC) offers a seamless Azure experience, providing a unified, standard interface across multiple operator networks globally while abstracting the complexities inherent to network APIs, ensuring code consistency and reliability, as networks continue to evolve. Developers can focus on building applications without worrying about underlying network changes.  

Telecoms can enhance their B2B strategy by leveraging Microsoft’s advanced technologies and strategic partnerships. Yobi Data works with telecoms to better understand customer behavior without compromising privacy.

“Accessing and managing the data necessary for effective AI can be prohibitively expensive—not to mention risky, and inefficient. Yobi Data finds the signal in the noise, empowering telecoms with access to advanced analytics and AI-derived insights into consumer behavior, network performance, and operational efficiency, all based on our own Private-by-Design data set. With these tools, telecoms can reduce churn, increase revenue, and improve customer experience—all without the time, expense, or burdens of new data acquisition.”

Max Snow, Chief Executive Officer, Yobi

The integration of real-time voice AI services using Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Translator, and other services allows telecoms to differentiate themselves in the market.

“By partnering with Microsoft, Norwood Systems is pushing the boundaries of innovation in telecommunications. Leveraging Azure AI in our cutting-edge solutions like our CogVoice™ and Visual Voicemail platforms, we’re empowering telecoms operators to unlock new revenue streams, elevate customer engagement, and deliver next-generation experiences. Together, we’re reshaping the future of communication services.”

Paul Ostergaard, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Norwood Systems 

As telecoms continue to integrate AI into their strategies, the opportunities for growth and innovation are boundless. Recently Korea Telecom (KT) announced a multibillion dollar partnership with Microsoft to accelerate AI transformation for 650,000 companies and 17 million customers in Korea. “The partnership with Microsoft presents a pivotal opportunity, not only for technological collaboration but also for expanding Korea’s AI foundation and driving transformative innovation across industries and daily life,” said KT CEO Young-Shub Kim.

Microsoft’s commitment to supporting this transformation through advanced AI technologies and strategic partnerships will empower telecoms to stay ahead of evolving market and customer demands. 

Explore further how AI is reshaping the telecom industry

Microsoft for telecommunications

Accelerate telco transformation in the era of AI

Start your journey

• Learn more about Azure OpenAI Service capabilities.
• Read the white paper “Scaling telecommunications AI at speed.”
• Connect with us at Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas, Nevada from October 8 to 10, 2024, where Microsoft is a Platinum Sponsor for the Telco AI Summit. We look forward to welcoming you to our speaking sessions or in our executive meeting rooms in the West Hall, Level 2.

¹ IDC’s “Telecommunications Service Provider DX Plans and Strategies Survey Highlights Study”, IDC #US52480824, August 2024. 

² New Technology: The Projected Total Economic Impact™ Of Azure OpenAI Service In Reinventing Customer And Constituent Engagement, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting, July 2024. 

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Join Microsoft at IBC2024

At Microsoft, AI isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a transformational force that is revolutionizing the way people work, collaborate, and innovate. Whether you are looking to optimize your operations, unlock new monetization opportunities, or empower your content creators, at IBC2024 you will see how we have moved beyond the AI hype and are deploying this technology with cutting-edge solutions tailored specifically for the media industry.

The opportunity to engage with so many customers, partners, and colleagues during this action-packed event deepens my excitement and optimism for the future of our industry. I always depart from Amsterdam feeling inspired by the creativity, innovation, and thought leadership showcased across the panels and presentations. Above all, it’s a joy to catch up with everyone and make new connections. 

How to make the most of your time with Microsoft at IBC2024

Visit our booth (located in Hall14, A14) to experience how we are reimagining media with AI

• Explore the power of AI: Unleash your creativity by crafting your own avatar with the assistance of Microsoft Designer. Transform yourself into a whimsical cartoon, a classic Renaissance painting, a superhero character, or any fantastical creation you can imagine. Let the fun begin! 
• Attend our demos: We have a great lineup of demos showcasing how you can optimize your operations, unlock new monetization opportunities, and empower your content creators with cutting-edge Azure products and Microsoft partners.
  • Enhance content searches with natural language scene descriptions by integrating new multimodal capabilities from Azure AI with IPV’s Curator Media Asset Management (MAM) product. Demonstrated by IPV.
  • Verify authentic content using Microsoft’s Content Integrity suite, which provides end-to-end Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA). Identify rogue viewing sessions to combat piracy in real-time, using EZDRM’s anti-piracy proof of concept (POC). Presented by Content Integrity.
  • Analyze email marketing lists and predict user behavior: Uncover strategic insights and optimize marketing campaigns using Yobi’s engine. Demonstrated by Yobi.
  • Create an interactive second-screen experience designed to accompany free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel distribution, using the integration of Microsoft Azure PlayFab and Azure OpenAI Service. This interactive e-commerce experience highlights how viewers can seamlessly interact with content, driving deeper engagement and new monetization opportunities. Showcased by OBT Live.
  • Leverage AI assisted storytelling across script, production, and postproduction for content creation. Presented by Support Partners.
  • Maintain the original speaker’s voice using Azure AI-powered video translation services, featuring contextually accurate translation with voice cloning. Demonstrated by Cognizant.
• Visit the Microsoft Copilot lounge: The lounge will highlight various Copilot applications across the media ecosystem, including an advanced over the top (OTT) platform demo by UIC Digital and PwC, integrating AI copilot capabilities for personalized, real-time interactions and insights using sports content. A marketing demo will show the power of Copilot and Microsoft Fabric for data-driven conversations. Support Partners will showcase a series of content creation copilots spanning script analysis, casting and production, and editing.  

Learn more from Microsoft and industry experts at these insight-packed content sessions

• Transforming Media Production with AI: Insights and Innovations
  Join experts from Microsoft, Disney, Adobe, and Support Partners as they explore AI’s transformative impact on media production. This panel will showcase real-world applications for scriptwriting, storyboarding, production management, and post-production enhancements, with insights drawn from active AI projects—highlighting efficiency gains and innovation. Taking place in Hall 14, Content Everywhere Theater on Saturday, September 14, 2024 from 1:30 PM to 2:10 PM CEST.
• Unlocking Monetization panel
  Explore how emerging data science, machine learning, and conversational AI are revolutionizing media monetization. This session covers first-party consented data, connected TV, and second-screen apps driving omni-channel e-commerce experiences. Learn how these advancements are reshaping consumer demand and opening new monetization avenues for media brands. Taking place in Hall 14, Content Everywhere Theater on Sunday, September 15, 2024 from 12:15 PM to 12:35 PM CEST.
  • Presented by Microsoft, Yobi, and Fremantle.
• AI-Powered Interactive Marketing: Bringing Characters to Life
  Join Microsoft as we explore how generative AI and Azure are revolutionizing the creation of digital characters and animated storytellers. This session will demonstrate how studios can streamline previsualization workflows and enhance promotional marketing for animation. Discover how these AI-powered technologies are broadly applicable across the media industry for bringing characters to life. Taking place in Hall 14, Content Everywhere Theater on Friday, September 13, 2024 from 12:15 PM to 12:35 PM CEST. 
  • Presented by Microsoft and Support Partners.

Meet the Microsoft team  

Confirmed attendees so far include: 

• Silvia Candiani, Vice President Worldwide Telecommunications, Media and Gaming.
• Paige Johnson, Vice President Global Media and Entertainment Industry Marketing.
• Simon Crownshaw, Worldwide Strategy Director Media and Entertainment.
• Andy Beach, Chief Technology Officer of Media and Entertainment.
• Federico Suria, EMEA Regional Business Lead Telecommunications and Media.
• Andrew Jenks, Director of Media Provenance and Executive Director of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity at Microsoft.
• Craig Ashley, Director Global Media and Entertainment Industry Marketing. 

Join Microsoft at IBC2024 to see how we are reimagining media with AI. We are looking forward to seeing you! 

Microsoft’s commitment to the media and entertainment industry  

Microsoft enables media organizations to achieve more through a trusted and secure platform, built to empower content creators and distributors, enhance the viewer experience, and reimagine monetization strategies. More information can be found on the Microsoft media and entertainment industry solutions website.

Microsoft at IBC2024

Gain critical insights, share expertise, and unlock business opportunities

Explore the event

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Today, we are witnessing an extraordinary evolution, where AI is revolutionizing every aspect of content creation, distribution, viewer engagement, and monetization. The show serves as a powerful stage to witness firsthand the profound impact of AI on the industry. At Microsoft, we are bringing these elements to life across our platform and ecosystem. Attendees will see that we have moved beyond hype and are deploying this technology at scale powered by data and the Microsoft Cloud.  

This is an era defined by tech intensity, characterized by personalized content delivery, on-demand streaming services, data-driven advertising, and a shift towards immersive and interactive experiences. We are committed to empowering our customers to navigate these changes successfully. Whether you’re a content creator, broadcaster, ad agency, or streaming platform, adapting to the expectations of a global, tech-savvy audience is imperative. This shift presents both challenges and opportunities, and at Microsoft, we stand ready with our partners in this dynamic landscape. 

Our industry-specific solutions are designed to enhance production efficiency and cost-effectiveness, while our advanced analytics unlock valuable insights. We are redefining the video editing process to drive audience engagement and amplify personalization. 

As AI catalyzes one of the most profound transformations in the industry’s history, I am personally thrilled to invite you to join us in redefining the future of creativity, content, and experiences. 

Microsoft for media and entertainment

Transform the future of creativity, content, and digital experiences

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Join Microsoft at 2024 NAB Show to see how we are reimaging media

Microsoft empowers media organizations to achieve more through a trusted and secure platform supported by a comprehensive partner ecosystem. Join us at our booth (W2657) to see how data and AI are reimagining the media landscape.

Empower content creators and distributors

• Break down language barriers and opening content to a global audience with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI Services. 
• Streamline production process using Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Power Platform, and Adobe, enhanced by Azure AI Vision Studio and Azure AI Video Indexer.  

Elevate the viewer experience

• Experience your AI assistant at work with Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, where AI helps automate and personalize the content creation process, offering a new way to work. 
• Captivate your audience with Microsoft Azure PlayFab tools for engaging content that automatically adapts to viewer preferences and behavior.   

Reimagine monetization strategies

• Maximize revenue with insights that help reach a broader audience, as demonstrated by YOBI with the power of Azure Databricks.   
• Optimize ad revenue by expanding reach of advertisers through precision targeting and personalization with Copilot in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and Microsoft Fabric.

Come see the future of interactive TV

Come visit the Capitalize Zone (W2149) to experience Beat the BUZZR®️. Beat the BUZZR®️ takes the future of interactive TV to the next level by showcasing its dynamic interactivity using content from Fremantle’s BUZZR®️ television network, a treasure trove of pop culture and game show classics, such as Family Feud, To Tell The Truth, and Supermarket Sweep. Leveraging the collaborative strengths of Microsoft, NVIDIA, and an extensive partner ecosystem.   

Beat the BUZZR®️ not only invigorates these classic programs with interactive elements like quizzes, trivia, and personalized insights but also opens the door to innovative monetization strategies for content owners. This platform serves as a testament to how the intelligent use of data and AI can revolutionize both audience engagement and revenue generation. Dive deep into your favorite episodes and see how Beat the BUZZR®️ is crafting new possibilities for content monetization, making every interaction an opportunity to captivate and capitalize.  

At the heart of this transformation is a coalition of esteemed partners:

• Prime Focus Technologies breathes new life into archival content, employing their CLEAR AI to deepen and enrich metadata, unlocking a treasure trove of interactive potential.  
• MediaKind revolutionizes the broadcasting experience, making dynamic ad placements and seamless content delivery a reality, ensuring each moment resonates with crystal clarity.  
• Alice & Smith stretches the bounds of fan interaction with XR Server, making the leap from passive observation to active, immersive participation.  
• Microsoft Advertising redefines the advertising landscape, integrating interactive, real-time content that speaks directly to viewers’ interests and passions.  
• SymphonyAI’s Revedia delivers a masterclass in analytics, turning raw data into a goldmine of insights, enhancing content strategy, and fine-tuning monetization models.  
• UIC Digital elevates the user experience, melding intuitive design with captivating aesthetics while integrating all systems and components seamlessly to ensure the user journey is as engaging as the content itself.

Each partner demonstration in the NAB Capitalize Zone is a portal to understanding how these contributions not only support the Beat the BUZZR®️ experience but also contribute to new revenue models and engagement strategies in the media landscape.

Hear from Microsoft and industry expertise in the sessions

In addition to catching us at our booth, you can hear from Microsoft in a variety of ways. Below are the different sessions you’ll be able to find Microsoft at.

Keynote session

AI in Media and Entertainment—Hear from Paige Johnson, Microsoft’s Vice President of Media Industry, and other industry leaders in a conversation around the applications of AI in Hollywood and the benefits and pitfalls of its growing use in productions and development.   

Microsoft sessions

• Unscripted Evolution: How AI is Reshaping Reality TV and Documentaries—Hear from Andy Beach, Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer of Media and Entertainment, and other industry leaders on the exciting AI technology that will help creators unleash new forms of unscripted content, even for reality TV and documentaries.   
• Leveraging Azure AI for Media Production and Content Monetization Workflows—Hear from Andy Beach, Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer of Media and Entertainment, and Amit Tank of MediaKind as they discuss how Generative AI can streamline media production, reduce costs, and accelerate content delivery to market at scale.  
• Retro Reimagined: Monetizing the Future of Interactive TV—Hear from Andy Beach, Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer of Media and Entertainment, and other industry leaders as they dive into the transformative journey of classic content into the interactive digital age. They’ll explore the Beat the BUZZR®️ showcase and discuss how the partnership came to be.  
• AI-Empowered Monetization: New Content Strategies for Media Companies—Hear from Andy Beach, Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer of Media and Entertainment, as he joins NVIDIA to discuss new revenue opportunities and strategies for in the content economy, including predictive analytics and personalized recommendations to automated content curation, generation, and targeted advertising.  
• Content Credentials – New Requirements for Media Provenance Labels for Gen AI Content—Hear from Andrew Jenks, Microsoft’s Director of Media Provenance and Executive Director of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), and other industry leaders as they give an update on the C2PA’s standards for maintaining media provenance labeling with the emergence of generative AI.  
• Panels on New Challenges and Opportunities in Media—Hear from Andrew Jenks, Microsoft’s Director of Media Provenance and Executive Director of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), and other industry leaders as they discuss how broadcasters, service providers, and networking technology companies are creating and deploying advanced Core Networks to maximize the opportunities of NextGen (ATSC3) Broadcasting.  

Microsoft’s commitment to the media and entertainment industry

Microsoft enables media organizations to achieve more through a trusted and secure platform built to empower content creators and distributors, enhance the viewer experience, and reimagine monetization strategies. More information can be found on Microsoft media and entertainment industry solutions. 

The post Microsoft at the 2024 NAB Show: Reimagining media with data and AI appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

I am excited to return to Mobile World Congress (MWC), February 26 to February 29, 2024, in Barcelona. AI has become a strategic imperative for telecom companies to gain a competitive edge and thrive in the market. AI has been proven to accelerate transformation by enabling telcos to provide better customer service and experience, optimize network performance and reliability, enhance security, and innovate new products and services. We are specifically seeing how generative AI is providing a big boost to the telecommunications industry. Microsoft has a long history of partnering with telecommunications companies, and the era of AI has provided tremendous opportunities for joint innovation and collaboration.

This year, we look to inspire and enable telco transformation at the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event. Keep an eye out for compelling updates from Microsoft Azure for Operators and industry-making news from partners. We look forward to discussions around the latest use cases in the industry. 

MWC Barcelona 2024

The world's largest and most influential connectivity event

Register now

Powerful Microsoft and partner demos in the booth 

Microsoft empowers telecommunications organizations to achieve more through a trusted and secure platform supported by a comprehensive partner ecosystem. Our booth (3H30 in Hall 3) will showcase several scenarios that are critical to enabling the transformation process.

• Elevate customer experiences
  Empower service teams with data-driven insights to increase productivity and enhance care. Come see how many customers are using Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to enable self-service, expedite issue resolution, and deliver frictionless customer experiences at scale. Learn about end-to-end customer care powered by AI and see various industry use cases from customers: Telkomsel, Vodafone, MTN, and NTT (other solutions to be announced).
  
  Amdocs, in partnership with Microsoft, launched a unified Customer Engagement Platform leveraging the power of generative AI. Integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365, it is an all-encompassing, AI-powered marketing, sales, commerce, and customer service platform serving consumer and enterprise customers on a single, open, telco, and cloud-native platform.
• Streamline business operations
  Use cloud-native apps, smart processes, and automation to streamline workflows, improve operations, and connect your business. Work and collaborate securely with anyone, anywhere, anytime, using intelligent tools. Witness Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 in action along with exciting new demos from Microsoft Mesh and Teams Phone Mobile. Visit TM Forum in our booth and learn how AI has boosted developer productivity. Experience how GitHub Copilot simplifies the creation and consumption of TM Forum Open APIs by generating the required code that complies to the API guidelines in the development language of your choice.
• Modernize the network
  Run modern networks and carrier-grade workloads on a trusted, hybrid cloud platform purpose-built for operators to optimize existing investments and improve network efficiency, scalability, and reliability. Transform your service management experience into a modern cloud service and remove data silos and deliver business insights from your massive datasets. Witness our end-to-end security solutions leveraging Microsoft Security Copilot and Nokia’s NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome.
• Monetize 5G and beyond
  Drive today’s new revenue streams and tomorrow’s growth by exposing operators’ innovation to consumers, enterprises, and developers in the Microsoft Cloud, spanning 5G to space and beyond.
  
  See new Azure for Operators demonstrations of solutions for the enterprise edge along with Etisalat and Pegatron 5G. 

Microsoft and industry experience in the sessions 

Take advantage of the opportunity to hear from Microsoft executives and industry experts on stage in the following sessions:  

• Keynote 1: Open Gateway—The Art of What’s Possible: Monday, February 26, 2024, from 09:30 AM CET to 10:45 AM CET in Hall 4, MWC Main Stage. Featuring: Jason Zander, Executive Vice President of Strategic Missions and Technologies, Microsoft.
• Azure for Operators portfolio announcements: Monday, February 26, 2024, from 11:00 AM CET to 11:45 AM CET in Hall 6, Stage A. Featuring: Yousef Khalidi, Corporate Vice President, Azure for Operators, Microsoft, Customers and Partners.  Register today, seats are limited.  
• Women in Telecommunications and Technology Networking Event: Monday, February 26, 2024, from 12:30 PM CET to 2:30 PM CET in Hall 6, Networking Hub.
• Humanising AI: Monday, February 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM CET in Hall 5, Stand 5F81 (Tecnotree).
• Manufacturing DX Theme Opening Session: Monday, February 26, 2024, from 4:30 PM CET to 5:25 PM CET in Hall 6, MWC Stage A. Featuring: Kathleen Mitford, Corporate Vice President, Global Industry Marketing, Microsoft. 
• Keynote 5: New Strategies for a New Era: Monday, February 26, 2024, from 5:30 PM CET to 6:15 PM CET in Hall 4, MWC Main Stage. Featuring: Brad Smith, Vice Chairman and President, Microsoft.  
• Go Cloud or Go Home!: Tuesday, February 27, 2024, from 11:00 AM CET to 11:45 AM CET in Hall 6, MWC Stage B. Featuring Shawn Hakl, Vice President of 5G Strategy, Microsoft.
• Beyond 5G Connected Everything: February 27, 2024 at 12:00 PM CET in Hall 5, Stand 5F81 (Tecnotree).
• 5G Futures Summit—The Evolution of the 5G Era: February 28, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM CET in Hall 6, Stage C.
• Can AI Take Off Without 6G?: Thursday, February 29, 2024, from 11:00 AM CET to 11:30 AM CET in Hall 6, MWC Debate Stage. Featuring Jason Hogg, General Manager, Azure for Operators, Microsoft.  

Check back for more sessions to be announced.

Our commitment to industry 

Microsoft empowers telecommunications organizations to achieve more through a trusted and secure platform built to elevate customer experiences, streamline business operations, accelerate network transformation, reinvent product innovation and monetization, and build a secure data-driven business. Stay tuned for exciting announcements at MWC Barcelona 2024.

Our commitment to the telecommunications industry extends beyond MWC Barcelona 2024. More information can be found on the Microsoft for telecommunications website.  

The post MWC Barcelona 2024: Accelerating telco transformation in the era of AI appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service

Transform your organization with AI-driven solutions

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The big impact of generative AI

Discussions about the potential of generative AI on the telco industry are everywhere. “IDC is projecting that generative AI will add nearly USD10 trillion to global GDP over the next 10 years.”¹ Other analysts are projecting telco productivity increases in the billions for customer service, marketing, sales, app development, network insights, and operations. At Microsoft, we’ve already seen the benefits of generative AI across the company. The Microsoft global customer support team streamlined operational efficiency while delivering exceptional customer satisfaction with Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service. There was a 31% increase in first call resolution and a 12% increase in customer satisfaction. Learn more about modernizing your customer service experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service. The Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions organization used Microsoft Copilot for Sales to simplify workflows and help its sellers more efficiently build relationships with clients.

What does generative AI do for telco?

Generative AI empowers telco to work with vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and generate novel solutions, promising to transform traditional practices and foster industry-wide innovations. By embracing generative AI, telco companies can overcome challenges, unlock new revenue streams, improve operational efficiency, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. It’s a key ingredient in accelerating the transformation from telco to techco. And with so many potential applications for generative AI, it’s important to identify what has worked so far. To provide some inspiration, here are a few success stories that show us generative AI’s potential to transform the industry and drive substantial value.

Elevating customer experiences

Indonesian telco company Telkomsel introduced Veronika—a virtual assistant that integrates Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. Veronika is rooted in natural language processing and machine learning, and according to Vice President of Customer Journey and Digital Experience at Telkomsel, Danang Andrainto, “Veronika continues to innovate by integrating the best AI technology to infuse intelligence into its functions, resulting in the delivery of solutions that are progressively more accurate.” Veronika recommends telco packages based on customers’ needs, and it can quickly and accurately address customer concerns. Here’s more of the story of Veronika and how generative AI is making it better.

And Veronika isn’t the only one. Bots are becoming more popular and effective in providing a digital-first customer experience. They can handle complex queries, improve customer engagement, and reduce operational costs. They can reduce the average handling time and save millions of dollars per month. These bots can help customers with various tasks, such as checking balances, paying bills, troubleshooting issues, and finding the best deals. They can build personalized scripts for next-best offers based on real-time data and insights. They can enhance end-to-end call center engagements from customer inquiry summarization, providing real-time information to resolve questions for sales agents, to analyze live sentiment, and to suggest personalized scripts for next-best offers; and they can create post-call analyses on agent performances. They can also create customer-sentiment analysis to help monitor and improve customer experiences across multiple touchpoints. Bots are transforming customer care strategies for many businesses around the world.

Bots are helping employees too. South African telco group MTN launched SiYa—an employee bot that can assist workers with inquiries, information on company policies, and employee-to-company interactions. And ultimately, MTN hopes SiYa can help customers with purchases, advice, and service. “By harnessing the power of AI and APIs, we are not only future-proofing our operations but ensuring that our customers, both internal and external, can look forward to a more streamlined, efficient, and data-driven experience,” MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi says.

Aimee is BT Group’s new digital assistant. Kevin Lee, Chief Digital Officer for Consumer Division of BT Group, says, “Our pilots with generative AI with Microsoft are designed to see if we can more rapidly make Aimee the most personal, customer-focused, intelligent digital assistant delivering value through every interaction.” But Lee says he doesn’t want Aimee to replace human-to-human interactions; he wants Aimee to help customers meet their needs more efficiently and accurately. Aimee is meant to be a support, and her role is unlimited.

Accelerate network operation

If we look to the technical side of things, generative AI can improve network operations for operators too. Three UK leveraged Azure Operator Insights by creating and optimizing network configurations, policies, and parameters based on the data collected from the network performance, traffic, and user behavior. Generative AI can learn from the existing network settings and generate new ones that can enhance the network’s efficiency, reliability, and security. For example, generative AI could help design and deploy optimal network slices for different use cases and customers or adjust the network parameters to cope with changing demand and conditions. Generative AI can also help to automate network management tasks like fault detection, diagnosis, and resolution by generating and executing appropriate actions based on the network state and the desired outcomes. It can use natural language processing and generation to enable more human-like interactions between network operators and the network systems, using voice commands to control the network functions or receiving natural language explanations of the network status and its issues. Generative AI applications for network operation include:

• Generative AI can be used to optimize Radio Access Network Configuration Optimization parameters based on the network performance data and the operators.
• Generative AI can generate and execute network policies, configurations, and actions based on the network data and the operator’s goals.

Organizations can be more efficient

Generative AI can help make knowledge management more efficient with the ability to increase the productivity of HR, finance, legal, and customer service departments. By using bots, organizations can provide faster and more accurate answers to their employees and customers. For example, Finland’s largest telco and tech company, Elisa, has used Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, which helps knowledge workers with various tasks, such as finding documents, scheduling meetings, and creating reports. Katja Bäckström, Elisa’s Senior Vice President, Customer Service and Customer Service with Copilot, says, “With Copilot, traditional data entry is eliminated, and customer data can be accessed directly from customer discussions. Copilot can easily be asked about the latest actions with the customer and a proposal for creating the next agenda. In the end, Copilot improves both the employee experience and the customer experience.”

Multinational tech and telco company Lumen uses Copilot. Lumen’s customer service teams surface relevant policies with Copilot, they summarize tickets, and they easily find repair instructions from manuals. They can quickly create presentations, new business proposals, and statements of work. “Our people are seeing immediate productivity improvements with Copilot, allowing them to focus on more value-added activities each day,” Kate Johnson, president and CEO of Lumen Technologies, Inc. says.

Marketing and sales benefit from generative AI

But can generative AI help your marketing and sales departments?

Generative AI can help create appealing and customized content for different audiences and channels, such as blog posts, social media posts, landing pages, email campaigns, and more. For example, a telco operator could use generative AI to create titles, summaries, keywords, or captions for their online content based on the target audience’s interests and actions. 

Generative AI can also help classify and segment customers based on their attributes, desires, preferences, and actions, using data from various sources, like web analytics, customer relationship management platforms, or social media. A telco operator could use generative AI to group their customers into different profiles, for example, such as the innovators, the loyalists, and the value seekers. They could then adjust their messages and offers accordingly. 

Generative AI can help recommend appropriate and personalized products or services to customers based on factors such as their previous purchases, web history, and feedback. For example, a telco operator could use generative AI to suggest the best bundle, plan, or add-on for each customer, based on their budget, needs, and usage patterns. 

Generative AI can help create interested and qualified leads for the sales team by finding and contacting potential customers who match the ideal customer profile, using data from various sources like third-party databases, social media, or web analytics. For example, a telco operator could use generative AI to create leads for their business solutions by identifying and reaching out to prospects who are searching for similar services, have high intent, and meet the criteria of decision makers.

Amdocs, in partnership with Microsoft, launched a unified Customer Engagement Platform, leveraging the power of generative AI. Integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365, it is an all-encompassing AI-powered marketing, sales, commerce, and customer service platform serving consumer and enterprise customers on a single, open, telco, and cloud-native platform.

Developer productivity

With GitHub Copilot for Business, 46% of new code is now written by AI, and developer productivity has increased by over 55%. AT&T uses Azure OpenAI Service in a few ways. It moves legacy code into modern code using generative AI, which helps the developers focus on creating modern tools and experiences for workers and customers. AT&T employees can ask generative AI questions about their insurance plans or getting hardware for a new employee. And AI helps with storage problems or computer issues company wide. Read more about AT&T’s developers and generative AI.

GitHub Copilot simplifies the creation and consumption of TM Forum Open APIs by generating the required code that complies to the API guidelines in the development language of your choice.

Accelerate your own generative AI journey with Microsoft

Partner with Azure OpenAI Service to transform your telco organization with AI-driven solutions for enhanced operations, innovative services, and exceptional customer experiences. The service offers many opportunities to explore AI-driven solutions for your organization. We hope to see you at Mobile World Congress 2024 as well. We’ll be there talking about how AI is accelerating the telco industry’s transformation.

About the study
The IDC study, commissioned by Microsoft, is based on results from 2,109 enterprise organizations totaling more than 13 million employees worldwide across 16 countries globally. Through the questionnaire, respondents were identified as the decision maker for AI within their organization.   

¹Official Microsoft Blog, New study validates the business value and opportunity of AI, November 2023. 

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