Innovation In Telecommunications

Are Telcos Facing a Kodak Moment? In 1975, an engineer at Kodak built the world’s first digital camera. The prototype worked. It saved images to tape. It was fast and silent. But Kodak shelved it. The leadership feared it would threaten their film business. They saw the technology, but not the shift in value. By 2012, Kodak had filed for bankruptcy. Not because the world stopped taking photos, but because the meaning of “photography” had moved somewhere else. Telcos may be at similar risk.... Six converging forces are reshaping the role of connectivity in the digital economy, putting pressure on the relevance of traditional telecoms. First, the mass adoption of eSIM is eliminating switching friction. With over 600 million devices already active and most new smartphones going embedded-only by 2026, the user no longer chooses a telco—they tap a setting. Second, satellite-to-device connectivity is becoming commercially viable. AST SpaceMobile, Lynk, and others are entering direct service. Coverage is no longer tied to tower density. Third, digital platforms are absorbing the customer relationship. Retail, banking, and app ecosystems now bundle connectivity as a feature. The telco brand is disappearing from the experience. Fourth, regulatory frameworks are promoting open access and neutral hosts, further weakening exclusive operator advantages. Fifth, ARPU is flat, Capex is rising, and margin pressure constrains reinvention. Sixth, user expectations have shifted. Growth belongs to those offering simplicity, transparency, and control. Telcos have two strategic paths: become digital-native brands or evolve into automated network platforms. There is little space between. Infrastructure may remain. But relevance must be re-earned.

As an AI engineer, this is the kind of application of AI I find most interesting. Not in apps. But in infrastructure. Most telecom networks are still designed in a static way. Capacity is planned in advance, which works until real-world demand suddenly spikes, like at a railway station during peak hours or a stadium during a match. That is where Vodafone Idea Limited approach stands out. They are using an AI-powered Self-Optimizing Network that dynamically shifts capacity in real time to high-demand areas. And with Vi’s 5G footprint set to expand from 43 cities to 133 cities nationwide by May 2026, this is not just a concept on paper, but something being rolled out at scale. From a systems perspective, this is similar to autoscaling in distributed systems, but applied to telecom infrastructure. Instead of over-provisioning everything, the network keeps observing usage and reallocating resources where needed. We often talk about AI as a feature. But this is AI acting as a control system, quietly optimizing things in the background. And honestly, that is where AI creates the most impact, when it becomes invisible. #Vi5G #5GIndia #Vi #VodafoneIdea

NATO nations seek a light-based internet backup up in space: A defence need will reshape telecoms forever. 📡🛰️ Let me break down why this is a massive market shift: Right now, our global internet runs almost entirely through undersea cables. These handle $10 trillion in daily transactions. And they're incredibly vulnerable. Just this February, a single sinking ship in the Red Sea took out 25% of Europe-Asia internet traffic. NATO's response? They're building a space-based backup network using laser communications. The $2.5M HEIST project launches testing in 2025. The tech leap is staggering: Current satellite links push 5 gigabits per second. New laser systems? 340+ Terabits. That's enough to replace major undersea routes. Why this matters for telecoms: The military is essentially funding the R&D for next-gen internet infrastructure. Once proven, this tech will transform commercial networks. Think Starlink, but with laser speeds and unbreakable security. This is the biggest infrastructure shift since fiber optics. And it's happening now. And here are the key players that are fighting off for a piece of the new SpaceCom infrastructure -which will likely be worth hundreds of billions. 1) Corporate Ventures AAC Clyde Space (Sweden) - Developing 10 Gbps laser terminals for small satellites - Leading €3.5M consortium with TNO and FSO Instruments - Launching next-gen CubeCAT system by 2026 Sony Space Communications (Japan) - Corporate spin-off launched 2022 - Focusing on miniaturized optical devices for microsatellites - Leveraging Sony's advanced optical expertise 2) Established Startups Mynaric (Germany) - Peter Thiel-backed, publicly traded Market cap: $184M - Leading provider of industrialised laser communication products BridgeSat (USA) - Series B funded, $10M raised - Building global optical communications network - Focus on LEO satellite connectivity solutions 3) Emerging Players Archangel Lightworks (UK) - £4M seed funding in 2023 - Developing TERRA-M miniature ground stations - Recently demonstrated rapid deployment capability Astrogate Labs (India) - Developing 1U form factor terminals - Offers 150 Mbps at 1000km range - Cost-competitive with RF systems Cailabs (France) - €26M Series C raised - 26 patent families - Specializes in multi-mission ground stations Xenesis (USA) - $20M funding secured - Offers optical communications as a service - Developing Xen-Link platform We've made our pick at Silicon Roundabout Ventures from the above builders. I'm sure it's going to be an exciting race. And once the infrastructure is there, what it will enable will usher a new era for the human race, like the spread of broadband internet. #deeptech #defense #telecom #spacetech

Telecom builds the road. Others collect the toll. Telecom invests billions in spectrum, fiber, sites, and energy. The return? Regulated margins and constant cost pressure. Meanwhile: 🚀 Platforms monetize usage 🚀 Cloud monetizes scale 🚀 Apps monetize attention All of them ride on networks they don’t own. This isn’t a failure of execution. It’s a structural value-capture problem. Connectivity is priced like a commodity, while everything built on top is priced as a service. Until telecom moves closer to: 👉 service ownership 👉 platform thinking 👉 ecosystem control it will keep financing other people’s growth. The real question is no longer how fast networks are built — but who owns the economics of what runs on them. #Telecom #DigitalEconomy #ValueCapture #PlatformEconomy #FutureOfTelecom

The Telecom Industry in Transformation: Reflecting on three key challenges: Digitalisation and evolving consumer needs are transforming many sectors, with the telecom industry being no exception. In response to this dynamic landscape, I would like to share three technology challenges the telco industry must engage with over the coming years:   1) EMBRACING THE CLOUD: The development of cloud-native services for telecom functions such as voice and data is a huge challenge. This involves refactoring our traditional network hardware and monolithic telephony systems, moving everything into the cloud, and changing to devops working models. The payoff? Flexibility, faster service updates, resiliance, and the facilitation of personalised interaction options for our clients. Yet, we must overcome many transformation hurdles. The implementation of virtualisation and automation technologies requires a complete update of our network architecture, new product versions from our vendors, as well as a lot of skill and competency changes for our employees.   2) NAVIGATING THE AI WAVE The advent of #GenAI provides the telecom industry with an array of tools and services. AI can enhance efficiency across numerous areas from chatbots, AI-assisted call center agents, hyper-personalized marketing strategies, to optimized network maintenance. However, beyond efficiency, AI also holds the potential to introduce innovative services benefiting the end customer. Trust, privacy, and transparent handling of customer data are key to the acceptance of these new features.   3) ENSURING TRUST AND SECURITY The potentially most significant challenge ahead is maintaining robust security and customer trust. With hundredthousands of cyber attacks per month on our own Swisscom infrastructure and projected global damage from cyberattacks reaching USD 10 trillion per annum by 2025, security is paramount. In the future, trust-based innovation will be the competitive edge for telecoms and IT service providers. Earning trust is an ongoing, hard-pressed task that cannot be simply bought or created through marketing campaigns.   Achieving these challenges will require one crucial element - our employees. Developing the right skill set and a supportive corporate culture is key to handling such transformative pressures.   What challenges do you see for the telecom industry? How are these mirrored in your field? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Swisscom #TelecomIndustry #Transformation #CloudTechnology #CyberSecurity #InnovatorsOfTrust 

Some companies don’t wait for growth to plateau. They act before the slowdown, not after.   In 2016, the Indian telecom market looked saturated. Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea dominated the landscape. Voice was cheap, data was expensive, and high-speed internet was largely confined to metros. Most of India, beyond the metro cities, was still waiting in the digital queue.   Then came Jio.   Backed by Mukesh Ambani’s vision and Reliance’s deep pockets, Jio didn’t play by the existing rules. It rewrote the game entirely.    Instead of entering the market slowly, Jio poured in over ₹2,50,000 crore (~$33 billion) to build the most advanced, all-IP digital infrastructure in India: • 1.1 million km of fiber laid across the country. • 175,000+ towers built. • JioFiber and JioAirFiber brought gigabit internet to over 1,100 cities and towns. • JioSpaceFiber launched satellite broadband to reach India’s remotest corners.   This was not an incremental play. It was an aggressive, audacious leap designed to create affordability, not wait for it to emerge.   While competitors introduced 4G in patches and raised tariffs defensively, Jio entered with: • All-data network using VoLTE (no legacy voice). • Free voice calls and dirt-cheap data. • Unlimited plans that undercut everyone.   The response? • Vodafone and Idea merged to survive. • BSNL and MTNL lagged, saddled with aging infrastructure. • Airtel fought back, but Jio had already redefined expectations. What followed was a digital revolution: • ₹152/GB dropped to under ₹10/GB. • 200M+ subscribers joined Jio in just two de years. • India became the largest mobile data consumer globally by 2017. • Jio’s footprint helped boost India’s per capita GDP by an estimated 5.65%. • Jio holds a robust and diverse spectrum portfolio across multiple frequency bands, crucial for its telecom services and 5G rollout. • Jio’s 5G user base has surpassed 200 million, making it the largest 5G operator in India.  • E-commerce, fintech, edtech, and OTT industries rode the “Jio effect” into hypergrowth.   Jio didn’t disrupt by responding to a threat. It acted before there was one. It saw the opportunity that others missed or ignored.   And that’s the real lesson.   Too many companies wait for signs of decline before they innovate. They play defense. They protect old models, and by the time the wall is visible, it’s too late to turn.   Agility isn’t about speed of reaction. It’s about clarity of vision.   Whether you're a startup or a legacy giant, the question isn’t just “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨?” It’s “𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘵?” Because the boldest moves, the ones that reshape industries, aren’t made in response to disruption.   They cause it. They see the inflection point before it arrives and build for it.   Let’s talk about building before the inflection point.   #Leadership #Growth #Innovation

In 2016, Mukesh Ambani launched a telecom company that gave everything away for FREE. His competitors laughed. 6 months later, they lost $23 Billion September 5, 2016. Mukesh Ambani made an announcement that would shook India's digital landscape to the core: Reliance Jio would offer free voice calls for life, zero-cost data for 3 months, and the lowest data rates globally at ₹50/GB. What followed fundamentally transformed how billions of Indians accessed the internet. Within 170 days, Jio acquired 100 million subscribers. This was the fastest customer acquisition in telecom history. It grew faster than Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype. But behind these numbers lay an even more brilliant strategy. Before Jio, India's telecom giants - Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea - operated in a comfortable oligopoly. Average data costs? ₹250/GB. Their combined market share? Over 80%. Jio didn't just compete - they made this entire business model obsolete overnight. The strategy was brutally effective. By investing $32 billion in building India's largest 4G network before launch, Jio could offer services at virtually zero marginal cost. While competitors were burdened with 2G/3G infrastructure costs, Jio went all-in on 4G LTE. The numbers tell the story: In the first fiscal year after Jio's launch, Airtel's profit dropped 72%. Vodafone India reported its first-ever quarterly loss. Idea Cellular's market value fell by 40%. The industry's total debt ballooned to ₹4.6 trillion ($70 billion). But Jio wasn't just offering cheap services - they were fundamentally changing consumer behavior. Within one year, India's mobile data consumption jumped from 200 million GB to 1.2 billion GB per month. The average Indian's data usage surged from 165MB to 9.6GB monthly. By March 2017, India's telecom sector had consolidated from 12 operators to effectively 4. Smaller players like Aircel and Telenor exited. Vodafone and Idea merged in desperation. The industry's quarterly revenues fell from ₹40,000 crore to ₹27,000 crore. Jio's investment thesis was revolutionary: - Treat data as a commodity, not a luxury. - Build massive scale. - Monetize through digital services, not just connectivity. While competitors saw telecom as a utility business, Jio was building a digital ecosystem. By 2019, Jio became India's largest telecom operator with 331 million subscribers. More importantly, they'd fundamentally altered India's digital economy. Mobile data consumption per user reached levels higher than developed markets like South Korea and France. Jio single-handedly made India the world's largest mobile data consumer, surpassing even China. From 2016 to 2019, India's internet user base doubled from 350 million to 700 million. This wasn't just market disruption - it was a revolution. What did you learn from success story of Jio? Follow Dheeraj Gupta for such corporate success stories

Video accounts for more than 70% of global internet traffic, and telecom operators have built their entire CapEx and RoI models on the assumption that this demand will keep exploding. More video → more bandwidth → more spectrum → more cells But here’s the disruption: NVIDIA Maxine. Instead of transmitting raw video frames,#Maxine sends only key facial points and uses AI on the receiver side to reconstruct the video in real time. The result: up to 10× less bandwidth compared to traditional codecs like H.264. The same video call that needed 2 Mbps now works at 200 Kbps—with no loss in perceived quality. In other words, we’ll move from pixel transmission to "Semantic Transmission", where just a compact representation is sent and AI regenerates the full experience locally. If 70% of today’s internet usage can be compressed by 90% or more, the very foundation of telco growth models collapses. #MNOs risk overbuilding networks for traffic that may never materialize. #5G and #6G won’t disappear, they bring ultra-low latency, massive #IoT, and industrial automation, but the assumption that video growth will fund RoI on spectrum auctions and network rollout is now shaky. The “data tsunami” may be an illusion. Telcos must adapt quickly: Shift from pipes to platforms, offering AI-native services and edge compute. Partner with AI players rather than being sidelined as commodity bandwidth providers. Bandwidth was king in the MPEG era. In the AI era, intelligence is king. Watch this short video to find what Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, has to say: https://lnkd.in/dmXPF-Xz #AI #NVIDIA #Maxine #VideoCompression #AICompression #Telecom #5G #6G #MNO #Telco #Bandwidth #CapEx #RoI #DigitalTransformation #EdgeAI #FutureOfConnectivity

Starlink, a division of SpaceX, has announced its plans to introduce Direct-to-Cell, a groundbreaking feature that uses its vast satellite network to allow voice calls on regular smartphones. What sets this apart is its simplicity—there’s no need for modifications to your device. As long as your phone is LTE-compatible, you’re ready to connect. This innovation could fundamentally change how we think about mobile communication. Imagine being able to make calls from the remotest corners of the Earth—whether you’re deep in a rainforest, sailing in the middle of the ocean, or trekking across deserts—with no cell towers in sight. Starlink’s satellite system makes this scenario entirely possible. According to a letter sent by SpaceX to the FCC, the service has already proven successful with devices from major brands like Apple, Samsung, and Google. Tests confirmed smooth communication using the PCS G Block spectrum, across urban and rural areas, indoors and outdoors, and even under tree cover or clear skies. Crucially, SpaceX emphasizes that any LTE-enabled smartphone will work with this technology—no hardware upgrades required. Even slightly older models like the iPhone 13 or iPhone 14 can benefit from this satellite connectivity, proving that cutting-edge communication doesn’t have to leave older devices behind. One of the most significant advantages of Starlink’s service is its flexibility. Unlike traditional satellite communication systems that often restrict users to preset messaging options, this new solution allows consumers to send fully customizable messages through their preferred platforms. In emergency situations, this added context could be life-saving, enabling users to clearly communicate their needs. Whether it’s a text to check in with loved ones or a critical call during an outdoor expedition, this innovation promises seamless, reliable communication where it was previously impossible. And this is just the beginning. SpaceX’s letter to the FCC hints at future expansions, including support for the Internet of Things (IoT), improved voice communication, and even web browsing through the satellite network. These advancements aim to deliver even greater value for individuals, businesses, and emergency services. By making it possible to stay connected from virtually anywhere, Elon Musk’s Starlink continues to push the boundaries of modern communication. Whether for work, emergencies, or simply keeping in touch, this latest development could redefine what it means to be connected in an increasingly mobile world. https://lnkd.in/ghsQVVM6 #spacex #starlink #satellite #communication #connectivity #innovation #mobility

#2024predictions for telecom. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝-𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Telecom networks will evolve into a unified cloud-edge architecture where cloud resources seamlessly extend to the edge of the network. This integration will enable low-latency, high-bandwidth services closer to end-users. ➡Microservices and Containers at the Edge: The adoption of microservices and containerization will extend beyond centralized data centers to the edge of the network. Telecom operators will leverage lightweight, scalable containers and microservices to deploy and manage applications efficiently in distributed edge environments. ➡Edge Computing for Latency-Sensitive Applications: Edge computing will become a fundamental component for latency-sensitive applications such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and real-time communication. The placement of computing resources at the network edge will reduce round-trip times, enhancing the overall user experience. ➡Dynamic Orchestration with CI/CD: Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) practices will be tightly integrated into the telecom infrastructure. Dynamic orchestration of services and applications at the edge will be automated through CI/CD pipelines, enabling rapid updates, improvements, and the deployment of new features with minimal downtime. ➡Network Slicing Optimization: It becomes more dynamic and adaptable. Edge computing combined with CI/CD will allow for optimized network slicing, enabling telecom operators to tailor services based on specific application requirements. ➡Enhanced Security Measures: As services become more distributed, security will be a top priority. The convergence of cloud, edge, and containerized environments will lead to the implementation of enhanced security measures, including encryption, identity management, and threat detection, to protect data at both centralized and distributed points. ➡Ecosystem Collaboration: Industry collaboration & standardization efforts will intensify as various stakeholders work together to define common interfaces & protocols. This collaboration will facilitate interoperability, making it easier for telecom operators to deploy multi-vendor solutions seamlessly. ➡Efficient Resource Utilization and Scalability: The combination of cloud, containerization, & edge computing will enable telecom operators to optimize resource utilization and scale services more efficiently. This dynamic scalability will be crucial for handling fluctuating workloads and ensuring a consistent quality of service. The convergence of cloud computing, container/microservices, edge computing, and CI/CD in telecom in 2024 will result in a more agile, efficient, and responsive network infrastructure that will empower telecom operators to deliver innovative services and reduce latency. How do you see this dynamic duo revolutionizing network capabilities & user experiences? #telecom #edge #cloud Image credit: LF Edge