The telco industry is in the midst of a generative AI (GenAI) revolution, with vendors and operators racing to integrate this technology into their products and services. In this episode, I sit down with John Abraham, principal analyst and leader of the digital enablement practice at Appledore Research. We dive into how vendors are applying GenAI to their products, major trends in BSS, how the costs of implementing AI can be justified by real business results, and more. Listen now to hear:

• The biggest trends in BSS that are driving telco transformation [02:34 ];
• How vendors are trying to use AI to revolutionize their products [05:32 ];
• Why using AI for code generation is such a big idea [07:53 ]; and 
• AI pricing strategies and questions operators need to ask about ROI [12:44 ].

Links and Resources

• John and I sat down at TM Forum’s DTW Ignite to talk about how Totogi is using GenAI to save telcos huge amounts of time and money with their BSS. Watch a video of our conversation.
• The real power of generative AI is code generation. Read my blog, The promise of AI is no UI, to find out how Totogi is using AI to accelerate change in ANY BSS system.
• Check out these Appledore Research reports (paywalled): 
  • GenAI in BSS
  • Predictive Analytics and GenAI: Choosing the right tool for the job
• Learn more about Appledore Research. 
• Do YOU have a Yeti yet? John LOVED the insulated mug we gave him at MWC. The wonderful drinkware can keep anything cold or hot for HOURS. This Austin-based company is right down the street from my house. Check it out! 
• Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.
• You can find the episode transcript here.

Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. 

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This week’s guest

With over 16 years’ experience in the telecom industry, John Abraham is a principal analyst at Appledore Research and leads the digital enablement practice. Previously, he was at Analysys Mason for 11 years, where he led the Digital Experience research segment as Principal Analyst. He has experience working with a varied client base on topics including digitization benchmarking and procurement for CSPs; strategy and go-to market for vendors; and commercial and technical due diligence for financial institutions. Earlier, as a consultant at a BSS vendor, he led requirements gathering, solution definition, and implementation at multiple tier-1 telcos in Asia and Europe. John holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Anna University (India) and an MBA from Bradford University School of Management (UK).

Podcast Credits

• Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR
• Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
• Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
• Audio Editor: Andrew Condell
• Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery
• Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio
• Music: Dyami Wilson