Nothing keeps telco execs up at night like the question, “Where’s my ROI?” After all, they’re making huge investments in equipment and 5G rollouts without being completely clear on how these outlays will boost the bottom line. But the hazy promise of new revenue is real, and one opportunity that may work is to couple 5G with IoT to monetize the network.
In this episode, I talk with Pete Bernard, Senior Director of Azure Edge Devices, Platforms and Services, about how 5G, IoT, AI and the edge can work together to help telcos make bank and get a good night of sleep. Tune in to hear our conversation about:
- Where telcos are looking for network revenue opportunities [3:51];
- Shifting business models that focus on solutions over connectivity [5:05];
- The advantages of cellular in the edge space [8:26];
- Super cool applications on the horizon [9:51];
- Why the internet is a pandemic super hero [11:54];
- How Azure is working to speed the pace of innovation for its customers [15:30].
And don’t miss my Telco in 20 takeaway [20:50] to hear about the awesome plans I have for this year’s Mobile World Congress – it will be the party of the year – and YOU can snag an invite. Check it out.
This week’s Guest
Pete Bernard
Senior Director of Azure Edge Devices, Platforms and Services
Pete drives Microsoft’s strategy for the intersection of 5G, AI and IoT, as well as company-wide silicon partnerships with companies such as Qualcomm and NXP. He holds numerous patents in telecom, mobility and imaging and has been driving ecosystem partnerships and product innovation in the intelligent edge, telecom and services for more than 20 years. In 2016, Pete coined the term “Always Connected PC” and helped drive Microsoft’s intelligent-edge strategy to enable Windows compute devices to always be connected to the cloud. He is the host of The IoT Unicorn podcast from Microsoft.
Listen to our conversation by clicking play above or subscribe through your favorite podcast feed.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
- Listen on your favorite podcast platform – see the links above under the audio player.
- You can find the transcript for this episode here.
Links and Resources
- Listen to Pete’s old podcast, The IoT Unicorn Podcast
- Check out Spatial.io for a peek into the future of VR/AR-enhanced work
- Discover the Hololens 2 and the mixed reality game RoboRaid
- Read about Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3 smart glasses
- Make your life easier with a robotic window cleaner
- Follow Pete Bernard on Twitter @digitaldad
- Track Coronavirus vaccinations around the world
- Register for this year’s Mobile World Congress and get on my guest list
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Podcast Credits
- Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDR
- Executive Producer: Kristin Donelson, OneLouder Marketing
- Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
- Editor/Producer: Alisa Jenkins Wilson, Springboard Marketing
- Audio Editing: Andrew Condell
- Music: Dyami Wilson
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