Telco in 20

For the last year and a half, I’ve been obsessed with one of the biggest collaborations worldwide between a telco and a hyperscaler: AT&T and Microsoft Azure. In 2021, the CSP sold its network cloud to Azure. Since then, people in the industry have been wondering what’s been going on, who’s doing what, and how things are going. For this episode, Shawn Hakl, Microsoft VP of 5G Strategy, joins me to answer these questions and talk about: Why the partnership made sense for both sides [02:37];The benefit of handing over infrastructure management to a hyperscaler [04:22];How Azure and AT&T collaborate and divide responsibilities [05:52]; andThe challenges of bringing it all together and adopting a new playbook [12:03].Links and ResourcesRead AT&T’s June 2021 announcement about Microsoft’s acquisition of its Network CloudCheck out this Protocol article from July 2021, Why AT&T moved its core tech — but not everything — to Microsoft AzureHere's Shawn’s update on the collaboration from early 2022Listen to other Telco in 20 episodes featuring Microsoft Azure:Ep 5 Rick Lievano: The BFC’s: Putting Microsoft’s Azure to the test for telcosEp 9 Yousef Khalidi: Microsoft’s big moveA big part of the strategy for Azure with its acquisition of AT&T’s Network Cloud is to refactor the code to run natively on Azure and then sell it to other operators. Read my blog on why refactoring for native public cloud is key to really leveraging the power of the public cloud.Shawn is way into making antique furniture by hand, and even made a piece with a SECRET DRAWER. You know what else has a secret drawer? The Resolute Desk, at least according to the movie National Treasure. Watch how Nicolas Cage cracks the code and finds the hidden drawer.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 DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Gold Hermes Award and was recognized on Forrester’s list of the Top 100 Channel Podcasts and Feedspot’s Top 10 Telecom Podcasts list. 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 guestAbout Shawn HaklShawn Hakl is responsible for building and executing the product strategy and partnerships for Microsoft’s Azure for Operators portfolio. His team works across product, engineering, and sales to help operators execute on the digital transformation of the core and edge networks. Prior to Microsoft, Shawn served at Verizon as the Senior Vice President of Business Product, responsible for a $29B portfolio covering services such as enterprise networking, 4G/5G, cyber security, collaboration, and IoT. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaEditor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingEditing: Andrew CondellAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

India is a fascinating place for telco operators. It’s home to more than a billion subscribers, while also having some of the lowest ARPU on the planet. This means mobile operators there not only need carrier-grade software products, they need to get them for a low, low price. Last week I delivered a keynote at Voice & Data’s “5G and the future of mobile data” conference in Delhi, India. I’ve turned that talk into this podcast episode to share why the public cloud is perfect for India’s unique telco market and how to unlock its full potential. Listen now to hear:Why the public cloud is such a good fit for India’s operators [04:47];Why using cloud native telco software is critical to success [06:40]; andThe simple way to tell if a telco software solution is truly cloud native, and not just “cloud washed.” [07:44]Links and ResourcesRead the article in Voice & Data or on my blog about why the public cloud is perfect for IndiaWatch Voice & Data’s full recording of the conference sessions Check out the Totogi website and buy it on AWS MarketplaceRead this piece by Light Reading about India’s 5G spectrum auctionThis is the 50th episode of Telco in 20 – can you believe it? Did you know that only 4% of active podcasts have more than 10 episodes?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 DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Gold Hermes Award and was recognized on Forrester’s list of the 100 Channel Podcasts and Feedspot’s Top 10 Telecom Podcasts list. 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!Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaEditor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingEditing: Andrew CondellAssociate Producer: Kriselda DionisioMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When it comes to rolling out enterprise software, no one takes one for the team like the guys and gals in charge of delivery. They’re always on the front line, ready to battle any obstacle to get the system up and providing value to customers. Up until now, rolling out a telco charging engine has been a huge, heavy lift for the delivery folks. But not anymore, because the public cloud-based Totogi Charging System is delivered in a completely different way. For this episode, I’m joined by Totogi’s global head of delivery, Damon Wheaton, to talk about: Why it’s so hard for telcos to deploy a traditional charging system [03:12]; What’s so different about deploying Totogi’s Charging as a Service [08:06]; Why building on the foundation of the public cloud is a total game changer [09:16]; and Why Totogi is PERFECT for telcos in India [15:14].Links and ResourcesCheck out the Totogi website and find us on AWS MarketplaceRead this piece by Light Reading about India’s 5G spectrum auctionThen check out this article in the Wall Street Journal about Reliance Group emerging as the big winnerListen to the last episode of What’s Up with Totogi, The Future of Charging with Totogi CMO Hakan Dursan where we talk about the differentiation of the plan design system – built by marketers, for marketersYears ago, when I worked at Trilogy, we gave out the Han Solo in Carbonite award to someone who went above and beyond to take one for the team, just like the delivery folks do every day. I mean, who doesn’t want a life-size figure of Hans Solo, the ultimate team player, in their office?Enterprise software is NO-NO-NO-NOTORIOUS for being over promised and under delivered. Reminds me of the 1986 song Notorious by Duran Duran. Watch the original music video and sing along with me!Watch the original “Wassup” Budweiser beer commercial—a true classic—and then check out the revival ad, launched during the pandemicWanna 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 DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Gold Hermes Award and was recognized on Forrester’s 2021 list of the Top 100 Channel Podcasts and Feedspot’s Top 10 Telecom Podcasts list. 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 guestAbout Damon WheatonDamon Wheaton has worked with telecoms for more than 25 years and witnessed the evolution of analogue networks to generations of digital networks. He has extensive experience working for telecom operators, software vendors, network equipment providers, and global consulting and professional service organizations. As the global head of delivery for Totogi, he is instrumental in rolling out Totogi’s cloud-based BSS platform, which empowers operators and breaks legacy software vendor lock-in. He was formerly Global VP for Professional Services at MATRIXX Software, Inc.Podcast Credits●  Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDR●  Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media●  Editor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing●  Editing: Andrew Condell●  Music: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Moving to the public cloud is a major transformation for most telcos. There’s a lot at stake, and failure can spell disaster for an organization and its leaders. But the hard truth is that 70% of big transformation projects fail according to research from McKinsey & Company. In this episode, I sit down with Teena Piccione, a change management expert at Google, to dig into what telcos can do to keep their public cloud journey on track. Click play to hear our conversation about:The reasons big projects fail [03:15]; How to build support for change in your organization [04:14];What to do to get a derailed project back on track [07:59]; andHow to handle resistance to change [12:14].Listen to our conversation 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 ResourcesThis episode combines two topics I love – transformation and human resources. Here are other great TelcoDR insights on these topics: The first episode of Telco in 20! It starts with transformational leadershipEpisode 7, Telcos, get ready for workforce transformationLearn how Verizon has navigated its public cloud journeyRead my blog about how to start your move to the cloud Teena and I talked before she left for Alaska – the last of the US states she had left to visit. Here’s a picture from her trip. Check out this trailer from Insomnia, starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hillary Swank. It’s a great movie about a veteran detective sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate the murder of a teenage girl.Watch this fun scene from the 1987 movie, Overboard, with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. 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 DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Gold Hermes Award and was recognized on Forrester’s 2021 list of the Top 100 Channel Podcasts and Feedspot’s Top 10 Telecom Podcasts list. 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 guestAbout Teena PiccioneTeena Piccione joined Google's corporate engineering team in February 2022 to lead the Technical Engineering Teams. She previously led Google Cloud’s Telco, Media & Entertainment, Gaming (TMEG) Industry Sales and Customer Engineering teams. She has served as the EVP/CIO for RTI International, a non-profit research institute, and held leadership positions at Fidelity Investments (COO) and AT&T (running the Big Data Center of Excellence startup). Teena sits on advisory committees with NC State University, the Digital Transformation Committee for the Governor of NC, and The Kenan Institute.Podcast Credits●  Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDR●  Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo●  Editor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing●  Editing: Andrew Condell●  Music: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Let’s be real: shifting workloads to the public cloud is no easy task. I’ve met a bunch of telecom leaders who debate about what is the best approach - should we go in one giant leap, or a series of steps? Their hesitancy to go all-in has left telco vendors designing and supporting multiple solutions—including private and hybrid cloud offerings—to meet them where they are, wherever that may be.If the shortest path between two points is a straight line, and if we all agree that the destination is the public cloud, why take a half measure? I think it’s a waste of time and money. Why spend on interim steps when you could be investing in gaining public cloud know-how and competitive advantages immediately? Everyone knows how much I like to dig into topics like these with people who don’t see eye-to-eye with me. That’s why I’m super psyched to have Shaun Whalon, VP of digital monetization at CSG, on the podcast. There’s a lot Shaun and I agree about—like that the move to the public cloud is inevitable for telco—and a lot we don’t agree on, like the best way to get there. Hit play to hear our conversation about:The difference between CSG’s Ascendon and Encompass products [04:00]; How CSG’s definition of SaaS and cloud native differ from mine [06:30];How the speed at which hyperscalers are rolling out new regions is affecting telecoms’ cloud journey [10:09]; andWhy I don't agree with a hybrid approach, and why Shaun feels it can't be avoided [15:43].Listen to our conversation 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 ResourcesRead CSG’s press release about EncompassShaun mentioned our episode with BT Chief Architect Neil McRae. Listen to him talk about BT’s multi-cloud approach. I’ll bet you can guess my opinion!Shaun should know about head winds: he comes from the windiest part of Ireland, Donegal. Learn more about it.Heed this ominous warning from a classic scene from the TV show Breaking Bad: “No more half measures, Walter”Don’t miss this Porky Pig Looney Tunes – he gets stuck in a hotel with an expensive bill to pay. He can’t get out – the perfect metaphor for legacy telco software! And finally, here’s a big shoutout to Shaun’s daughters and their YouTube baking channel – mini orange fairy cakes, anyone? 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 DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Gold Hermes Award and was recognized on Forrester’s 2021 list of the Top 100 Channel Podcasts and Feedspot’s Top 10 Telecom Podcasts list. 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 guestAbout Shaun WhalonShaun Whalon is a senior executive with 20+ years of experience in the communications industry. He specializes in software and hardware customer service delivery, customer support, outsourced managed services, and baselining and improving customer experience. He has worked in multinational environments including Asia, Australia, Central and South America, Sub-Sahara Africa, and UK/Europe. Podcast Credits●  Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDR●  Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media●  Editor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing●  Editing: Andrew Condell●  Music: Dyami Wilson  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One thing I’ve learned from talking to telco execs across the globe about the public cloud is that security is top of mind. Another thing I’ve learned is that many of them don’t know a lot about just how secure the public cloud is. So for this episode, I’m joined by Amy Zwarico, director of cybersecurity at AT&T, one of the world's largest and oldest telcos. She’s here to explain why the public cloud is more secure than the way many telcos are doing business today, and how AT&T has been preparing for its transition to use Azure. Hit play to hear our conversation about:What convinced AT&T that the public cloud and Microsoft Azure were the path to the future [02:32];How AT&T shifted operating models to run workloads in the public cloud [04:47];What advice Amy has for teams starting their cloud move [08:23];Why developing security patterns ahead of time is critical [09:11];How AT&T has benefited from its cloud migration [10:40].Fun fact: Amy is our first female guest on Telco in 20! We both want to see more women in tech leadership, so we finish our conversation by talking about how to encourage STEM learning and IT careers for young women. For every listen to this episode in the first 30 days, we’ll donate $1 to the Girls Who Code chapter of my high school!Be sure to subscribe and follow this podcast. You can find the transcript for this episode here.Links and ResourcesRead the June 2021 announcement about AT&T and Microsoft joining forcesCheck out AT&T’s cybersecurity blogDownload  this AT&T Cybersecurity report about securing the edgeLearn more about Girls Who Code, an awesome nonprofit that works to close the gender gap in technologyCheck out pictures of my gorgeous high school alma mater, El Paso HIgh School. Don’t miss the super cool amphitheater football stadium. Famous graduates include F. Murray Abraham, Sandra Day O’Conner, Beto O’Rouke – and yours truly, of course!Amy loves classical music and singing, and has performed with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO) in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Learn more about ASO.I, on the other hand, am NOT a singer – but I did rap (terribly) in an early podcast episode featuring Forrest Brazeal. Check it out!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 DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Gold Hermes Award and was recognized on Forrester’s 2021 list of the Top 100 Channel Podcasts and Feedspot’s Top 10 Telecom Podcasts list. 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 guestAbout Amy ZwaricoAmy Zwarico is a director in AT&T’s Chief Security office. She’s been involved in Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) security since the Amsterdam release, and currently serves as vice chair of the ONAP Security Subcommittee. Amy has worked in the telco industry for more than 25 years, focusing for the past 20 years on app sec, cloud security, applied cryptography, mobility security, software supply chain security and policy. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCoEditor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingEditing: Andrew CondellMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Telco leaders have been scratching their heads about how to monetize their 5G network. One of the world’s top think tanks, McKinsey & Company, has opinions on this topic—and research to back them up. For this episode, I’m joined by McKinsey Partner Ferry Grijpink, founder of the McKinsey Center for Advanced Connectivity. He’s got great insights into how data analytics can help telcos personalize the subscriber experience and boost ARPU. Listen now to hear our conversation about:What McKinsey’s research reveals about monetizing 5G investments [03:19];Why telcos need to un-commoditize their products [04:36];How delivering more personalized offers can boost ARPU [09:30]; andWhy the public cloud, AI, and ML are critical to achieving ARPU growth [16:19].Links and ResourcesCheck out these resources from McKinsey & Company:The value of getting personalization right—or wrong—is multiplyingHow AI is helping revolutionize telco service operationsUnlocking the value of 5G in the B2C marketplaceFind out how the Economic Times looks at personalization in this article: Which way 5G wind blows; significant shift in how telco operators engage with customersRead this piece from Light Reading’s Mike Dano, Could 6G mark a return to usage-based pricing?Telcos are starting to play with personalization. Read this article on Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom’s early experiments on combining their data with personalizing the experience.I owe Ferry dinner BIG TIME, and he can name the place and time whenever he wants to! That’s because I disrupted his talk at MWC22 with my talk, The Public Cloud is NOW (oh, the irony!). Check out those drums at the beginning!If I took Ferry to dinner in Austin, we’d head to my favorite restaurant, Uchi. I know - sushi? In Texas? But it brings in fish daily from Toyosu, Japan, and it might be the best sushi restaurant in the United States. It’s better than Nobu!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 DRHave an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us knowFollow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDRThe Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Gold Hermes Award and was recognized on Forrester’s 2021 list of the Top 100 Channel Podcasts and Feedspot’s Top 10 Telecom Podcasts list. 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!About Ferry GrijpinkFerry leads the McKinsey Center for Advanced Connectivity within McKinsey & Company’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Practice, and advises telecommunications companies on strategy, marketing, and operations, including mobile operators that are launching adjacent businesses in areas such as mobile health and money services. He also co-leads McKinsey’s research on deploying and commercializing next-generation infrastructures, such as fiber, mobile broadband, and 5G networks. Podcast CreditsExecutive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDRSenior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo MediaEditor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard MarketingEditing: Andrew CondellMusic: Dyami Wilson Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

DISH Wireless EVP and Chief Network Officer Marc Rouanne talks about DISH’s cloud-native 5G network, its partnership with AWS, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

BT Chief Architect Neil McRae talks about the company's digital transformation and strategies for working with hyperscalers ... and pinball, of course! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amol Phadke, Google Cloud's MD & GM for the Global Telecom Industry, talks about what the hyperscaler is doing in the telco space. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.