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Putting AI to Work: A Conversation With Comptel's Niilo FredriksonTT: There seem to be two approaches to AI: Number crunching and "thinking." NF: That is accurate. In its simplest form, you can essentially divide technologies into these two types by looking at the kind of algorithms they use. When talking about neural networks, which are typically used in machine learning, people sometimes use the term "deep learning." That is the human mind-like approach. The other approach, big data crunching, is based on more traditional computation, the horse power-type application of analytics algorithms. TT: Which does Fastermind use? NF: Both. We've combined them in Fastermind, very consciously. There are lots of engines and products and platforms out there that do exactly those kinds of things. There is nothing magic about it. The base technology and algorithms are out there. While it's obviously a technical challenge, there is no super-secret hidden sauce. The secret sauce is how you apply the technology. That's why we've included in Fastermind the business users' tool, which we call the Logic Builder, which you can use in a very specific mobile operator context for leveraging the AI capabilities and connecting them to customer engagement work flows. TT: So there's an interface to the sales channels, CRM platform and big data repository with all the data from customers, so on and so forth. This creates a bridge to tap into that and ride on top of it. NF: Exactly. It's the ability to [create] extra data for the user of the analytics and AI capabilities. But is also works the other way around. Based on the results, actions are pushed into various channels. The first action in the example was that the customer received a notification on his or her phone saying, "Hey, why don't you stop by our retail location?" But it doesn't stop there. At the retail location the agent on his iPad gets a notification saying, "Hey, this customer is coming in. And by the way, we know that if we offer a 15% discount to this particular customer on the iPhone, there's a very high likelihood of closing the sale." TT: When was Fastermind introduced? NF: We launched the Fastermind suite in its current form at the very end of last year. Salesforce.com Inc. , who we consider a partner, has included us in their telco blueprint as the recommendations engine. In other cases, we offer it directly to mobile operators and then integrate to the systems that they have in place. TT: What is the value of contextual and intelligent customer engagement? NF: Look at how operators engage with their customers. Their average net promoter scores, their net satisfaction scores, are as an industry horrible compared with pretty much anybody else, and especially if you compare them to newcomers such as WhatsApp and Amazon. What we've noticed is that [there are big improvements] when customer engagement is personalized and contextual and intelligent, meaning that I as an operator offer you something which makes sense. That's an intelligence piece. If I offer you an iPhone but you want an Android, it doesn't make sense. That's the first check point: Does it make sense? The second is that it needs to be personalized. It needs to be part of what you've been doing. It makes sense personally for you based on other actions you've taken previously. Then the last is contextual. If you happened to be having dinner with your family, that is not a great time for me to offer you anything, even if it is free, because you don't want to be interrupted. However, if you happen to be commuting to work on a train, that could be a great time to communicate with you.
— Carl Weinschenk, Contributing Writer, Telco Transformation < Previous Page 2 / 2 |
In part two of this Q&A, the carrier's group head of network virtualization, SDN and NFV calls on vendors to move faster and lead the cloudification charge.
It's time to focus on cloudification instead, Fran Heeran, the group head of Network Virtualization, SDN and NFV at Vodafone, says.
5G must coexist with LTE, 3G and a host of technologies that will ride on top of it, says Arnaud Vamparys, Orange Network Labs' senior vice president for radio networks.
The OpenStack Foundation's Ildiko Vancsa suggests that 5G readiness means never abandoning telco applications and infrastructures once they're 'cloudy enough.'
IDC's John Delaney talks about how telecom CIOs are addressing the relationship between 5G, automation and virtualization, while cautioning that they might be forgetting the basics.
On-the-Air Thursdays Digital Audio
ARCHIVED | December 7, 2017, 12pm EST
Orange has been one of the leading proponents of SDN and NFV. In this Telco Transformation radio show, Orange's John Isch provides some perspective on his company's NFV/SDN journey.
Special Huawei Video
Huawei Network Transformation Seminar The adoption of virtualization technology and cloud architectures by telecom network operators is now well underway but there is still a long way to go before the transition to an era of Network Functions Cloudification (NFC) is complete. |
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