Prompted by some late opportunism by Spain-based Telefónica, which has simply issued a press notice (extensively lined) to declare itself the perfect telco-born ‘techco’ in Europe, six months after the analysis was first launched, RCR Wi-fi has returned to the unique evaluation by analyst home Omdia to count-down the highest 5 cellular operators on the planet (as of 2024) for digital (telco-to-techco) reinvention. As a result of Telefónica, regardless of its good work, solely locations fourth.
As per the under graphic – which reveals the highest 12, truly – Omdia locations a trio of Asia Pacific (APAC) companies within the prime spots within the league desk, main the cost from their friends in Europe and North America. So as, China Cell, NTT, and SK Telecom – in China, Japan and South Korea, respectively – have made the perfect progress up to now at combining conventional telecoms with adjoining ‘expertise’ providers, and reinvented themselves nominally as ‘tech-cos’, says the agency.
Telefónica ranks fourth within the benchmark, and highest among the many non-APAC also-rans – reflecting its “progress as a supplier of cybersecurity and different enterprise digital providers”, together with IoT and AI, by way of its devoted Telefónica Tech enterprise division, created in 2019. US-based AT&T, UK-based Vodafone, and UAE-based e& (Etisalat) are tied in fifth – and successfully spherical out this RCR top-five evaluation. Typically, operators are making “good progress”, says Omdia.
For the file, Reliance Jio in India is simply behind in sixth (eighth within the checklist); France-based Orange and Germany-based Deutsche Telekom are joint-seventh (9 and 10, out of 12 within the checklist). Axiata in Malaysia and MTN in South Africa deliver up the rear. Curiously, maybe, the likes of China Telecom and China Unicom (each in China), Softbank (Japan), Verizon and T-Cell US (US), BT/EE (UK), América Móvil (Mexico), and Bharti Airtel (India) don’t get a point out.
Telefónica, six months late, explains the entire techco shtick: “This evolution… drives a strategic change that includes providing every buyer customised digital options… [so they can] compete in an more and more demanding and dynamic market.” It additionally takes the chance to speak about its 6,000 digital “consultants” with 4,000 “certifications in digital expertise”, and the way it’s unbundling and “softwarising” its community structure globally to make it match for goal.
It writes: “By selling community autonomy by way of knowledge administration, AI and ML, the community might be higher tailored and extra resilient and sustainable, bringing advantages reminiscent of increased high quality of providers, higher allocation of sources, and minimization of working prices.” It mentions, as properly, its position within the GSMA’s world telco Open Gateway initiative, to develop programmable networks by way of APIs; it has 10 APIs, in complete, and an open community platform in Brazil, Spain, and Germany, it says.
Mario Silva, technique and enterprise transformation director at Telefónica Tech, says: “We lead the transformation and evolution of the societies and economies of the nations the place we function, due to the event of cloud computing capabilities, cybersecurity, IoT, Information and Synthetic Intelligence. We provide revolutionary, differentiated, and sustainable options that contribute to a extra digital and linked future.”
However sufficient of Telefónica; right here is an edited Omdia evaluation of the remainder of the highest 5 telco-born techcos – lifted from the unique press assertion in April, and front-loaded when it comes to content material in direction of China Cell, because the top-placed finisher. All of the under quotes are from Omdia.
1 | CHINA MOBILE
“China Cell ranks first within the telco-to-techco benchmark with a rating of 31 factors out of a possible most of 40, based mostly on the size of its high-speed broadband platform; its capabilities in AI, huge knowledge, and safety; and its portfolio of enterprise digital providers and vertical market options. Digital transformation income, which is China Cell’s time period for income from new digital providers, accounted for 29.4% of China Cell’s service income in 2023, a rise of twenty-two.2% 12 months on 12 months, based on the corporate’s stories.”
2 | NTT (30/40)
“NTT ranks second within the benchmark, (scoring 30 out of 40), reflecting its strengths in software program providers and within the enterprise market.”
3 | SK TELECOM (28.5/40)
“SK Telecom, which ranks third (with 28.5/40), just lately unveiled a brand new technique to grow to be a world AI firm. SK Telecom’s new AI providers embrace an AI-based digital assistant, A., which it plans to launch all over the world, with different telcos.”
4 | TELEFONICA (27/40)
As above, Telefónica ranked comparatively properly (27/40) due to its Telefónica Tech unit; it led the non-APAC runners and riders.
5 | AT&T, E&, VODAFONE (all 26/40)
“AT&T, e&, and Vodafone rank equal-fifth within the benchmark. AT&T says that being an early adopter of AI has helped it to make working value financial savings of $6bn. e& adopted a brand new technique in 2022 to grow to be a number one world expertise and funding group and has acquired or developed belongings and capabilities in a number of digital service and expertise areas. Vodafone has elevated its deal with the enterprise market, together with enterprise digital providers, and goals to increase its IoT operation, already the biggest of its sort outdoors China, as a standalone unit in partnership with Microsoft.”
