Mobile World Congress (MWC) is taking place in Barcelona, Spain this week. While phone vendors continue touting greater AI capabilities, businesses look beyond the latest smartphone features to extract more value from their telecom providers and to improve operations.
According to Capgemini research, businesses are more concerned about the fundamentals. Some 74% of B2B organisations look to telecoms providers to simplify the buying process. While 43% of organisations would pay a premium for a better customer experience.
Add in the 7/10 organisations that cite dedicated customer support, 24/7 assistance, and AI-powered self-service options as areas for improvement, and it seems telecoms firms have a long way to go. Six out of ten B2B organisations would also like their telecom provider to contribute to business innovation. Find out more in Capgemini’s “Top six expectations of telecom’s business customers.”
On that theme, McKinsey is looking forward to seeing how 6G network news at MWC will shape the future of the business. They also consider how AI could revitalize profitability for telcos and how an AI-enabled software product development life cycle will fuel innovation.
MWC packing in gadgets and services
Among the many big tech names at the show, Nokia is still a force in the back-office. Its new AI-powered Radio Access Network (RAN) is making a splash for business. Tommi Uitto, president of mobile networks at Nokia, said: “We enable the evolution of 5G networks toward a multi-purpose cloud platform that unlocks new revenue models and infrastructure synergies, enhancing RAN performance and efficiency with AI-powered products and services.”
And, it would be hard to ignore the gadget aspect of MWC. Early reveals from the show floor include a concept solar-powered laptop from Lenovo and smartphone from Infinix. They aim to help improve mobility, reduce the need to carry powerpacks around and end 1% battery panic, as long as the sun is shining.
Expect more news from the show over the week as high-end smartphones and AI connectivity continue to steal the show.