Forward thinking, innovative companies are using the public cloud to deliver easy-to-use telco software that reduces costs and speeds deployments. Today’s guest, Erlend Prestgard, is the CEO and co-founder of one of these visionary businesses, Working Group Two. His team has built a multi-tenant, public-cloud-native, mobile core running on AWS—something naysayers have said today’s tech couldn’t support. Click play to hear our conversation about: 

• Why building a mobile core network on AWS is revolutionary [03:03];
• What business value it delivers [04:11];
• How the telco industry is responding, and the outdated perceptions some leaders are still hanging onto [11:34]; and
• The most important lessons Working Group Two has learned about the best ways for telcos to get to the public cloud [15:18].

Listen now by clicking play above or subscribe through your favorite podcast platform—see the links in the right column above. You can find the transcript for this episode here. 

Links and Resources

• Learn more about Working Group Two
• Watch my talk about monetizing private enterprise networks with Ray LeMaistre on TelecomTV
• Find out how Working Group Two helped Hutchison reduce its mobile core stack from 22 different vendors down to just one serving multiple countries
• Listen to my podcast conversation with Justen Burdette, CEO of Mobi, a Working Group Two customer
• Read about Totogi’s Charging-as-a-Service, built on AWS
• Try out orienteering, one of Erlend’s favorite hobbies and a great analogy for what he and I are doing to get telcos to the public cloud
• You’re going to need more than a map to navigate the public cloud. Just like in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you’ll need to do your research on the best services, pricing, and operational playbooks to get it working just right.

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

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Platinum MarComm Award, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.  If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!

This week’s guest

About Erlend Prestgard

Erlend Prestgard is CEO and co-founder at Working Group Two. He has worked at the intersection of business development and technology with telecom operators, internet companies, and industry advisors. Before leading and co-founding Working Group Two, Erlend worked with the Telenor Group, Aspiro (including the music service now named Tidal), McKinsey & Company, and UBS Investment Bank. He is on a mission to radically enhance innovation in the mobile industry. 

Podcast Credits

• Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDR
• Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
• Editor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
• Editing: Andrew Condell
• Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio
• Music: Dyami Wilson