SAS Institute adviser sees new business opportunities for telecom operators

Telecom operators could expand beyond connectivity by helping companies analyze production data, or by using mobile-network data to understand tourism and retail foot traffic, according to Mari Nilsson Björkman, a global telecom adviser at SAS Institute.

After more than 30 years in the telecom industry, including work at Ericsson, Nilsson Björkman sees opportunities in services built around operators’ existing assets and expertise. She says Telia’s extensive network and long-standing position in Sweden could help it serve organizations seeking greater control over their data and digital infrastructure. Telenor, she says, can build on its experience with IoT, connected products and systems, including through Telenor Connexion.

Such offers may be developed with partners. In one example she described, a large Italian telecom operator provides connectivity to manufacturers while SAS contributes analytics. Operators’ encrypted data could also help businesses understand movement patterns, she says, though opening network functions through APIs does not automatically attract app and software developers.

Nilsson Björkman identifies customer service as a potential source of relatively quick returns on AI investment. She says digital support has improved at understanding questions and adapting responses, while AI is also used to save energy and plan network capacity.

Moving trials into operational use remains difficult. Legal, security and regulatory issues can keep projects in test environments. Nilsson Björkman says operators need to focus on applications with clear value, the skills and organizational changes to deploy them, and coordinated oversight of AI use across the business. She is working on AI governance through industry group TM Forum.