Newsletter archive
Missed out on a previous newsletter? Catch up on every single Telco in 20 newsletter to date, right here. ⬇️
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Why AI’s future might depend on nuclear energy
April 23, 2024
Earth Day 2024 has me thinking about the energy demands of artificial intelligence. Is nuclear power the answer?
The public cloud is PERFECT for Africa
April 9, 2024
The public cloud is taking off in Africa—and it’s a perfect match for the continent’s telcos.
Cloud bursting for disaster recovery
March 26, 2024
Telcos can slash disaster recovery costs by 90% and eliminate the headaches of maintaining an on-prem system. Here’s how.
How to transform your customer support with AI
March 12, 2024
Customer support is the first place to look when adding GenAI to your org. We set out to boost performance in this area, and today we handle 56% of queries with no human intervention. Here’s how we did it.
5 things you gotta do at MWC24
February 23, 2024
There are a few things I’m especially looking forward to at MWC 2024. You should check them out, too!
4 ways to spot #fakeAI
February 13, 2024
There are companies doing it right and others that are faking it. How can you distinguish the true AI innovators from the charlatans?
The perfect BSS
January 30, 2024
The BSS landscape in telecom is a mess. But change is coming. Totogi is ready to bring together AI and the public cloud to save the day.
Turn your Open Gateway APIs into a strategic advantage
January 16, 2024
Open Gateway is solving one challenge to taking back lost CPaaS revenue. Now, telco needs to solve the other one.
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Do telcos need an AI strategy?
December 19, 2023
GenAI is brand new and changing fast, which is why every telco needs a strategy to drive the use of AI through their organization.
Dead Vendor Walking – What to do when your vendor is TOAST
December 5, 2023
Watch out for warning signs that your telco software vendor is struggling and take these steps so its problems don’t become yours.
TelcoDR’s top picks for AWS re:Invent ‘23
November 21, 2023
Next week is AWS re:Invent, the annual event where AWS makes major announcements and generally promotes itself and all of its cool new tech.
What to watch at Microsoft Ignite
November 7, 2023
Microsoft annual Ignite cloud conference kicks off next week. I’ve whittled down the 500+ session catalog to 30-some topics that are most relevant to telcos.
MVNOs, it’s time to Moneyball with AI
October 24, 2023
Embracing AI, the public cloud, and Totogi’s SaaS solutions can help MVNOs compete with big league MNOs.
How MVNOs can use AI
October 10, 2023
Here are five ways operators and MVNOs of all sizes are leveraging AI for game-changing results. Don’t get left behind!
5 questions to test if it’s SaaS or not
September 26, 2023
Worried you’re getting #fakeSaaS? Ask your vendors these questions to tell if their solutions are the real deal.
Ready to kick Twilio to the curb? Meet Whoosh!
September 12, 2023
We ran through all the content we’ve created this year to identify major themes and build a TelcoDR Cheat Sheet. Think of it as Obama’s summer reading list, but with a telco twist.
Think you’ve already lost to Twilio? Think again.
August 29, 2023
We ran through all the content we’ve created this year to identify major themes and build a TelcoDR Cheat Sheet. Think of it as Obama’s summer reading list, but with a telco twist.
TelcoDR’s watch list for Google Cloud Next
August 15, 2023
We ran through all the content we’ve created this year to identify major themes and build a TelcoDR Cheat Sheet. Think of it as Obama’s summer reading list, but with a telco twist.
TelcoDR’s Summer Reading List 2023
August 1, 2023
We ran through all the content we’ve created this year to identify major themes and build a TelcoDR Cheat Sheet. Think of it as Obama’s summer reading list, but with a telco twist.
Who wins in the Nokia-Red Hat deal?
July 18, 2023
Nokia recently announced that it will offload its Nokia Container Services and CloudBand Infrastructure Software to Red Hat. My initial response was: WUT?
I can help you save BIG BUCKS on your AWS bill
July 4, 2023
There’s a super cool SaaS platform that can quickly find MILLIONS of dollars in savings and go get them for you AUTOMATICALLY.
How to save 50-90% on compute with spot instances
June 20, 2023
The telcos that win big with the public cloud will be those that get really skilled at optimizing the cost of their workloads.
Is Open Gateway the answer?
June 6, 2023
Twilio, the communications platform, stole SMS and an important revenue stream from telcos. Let’s discuss the ingredients for a successful comeback.
For Cloud AI, it’s all about the chips
May 23, 2023
Cloud AI stands ready to transform telcos, but they will need the hyperscalers’ purpose-built chips to unlock its power.
Create new revenue streams by monetizing private enterprise networks
May 9, 2023
This year’s MWC attendees were blown away by how easy it was to set up a private network and let enterprise customers monetize it.
The BIG Problem with Generative AI
APRIL 25, 2023
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is game changing for the telco industry. But can telcos fire it up “as-is”?
It’s easy being green with the public cloud
APRIL 11, 2023
Telcos can reduce emissions and costs while meeting customers’ increasing bandwidth demands with help from the public cloud.
I’m optimistic about telco
MARCH 28, 2023
Don’t listen to naysayers! The future of telco is bright. Celebrate your network and the untapped potential of solutions like Kandy.
On Cloud 9: Special MWC23 Edition
MARCH 14, 2023
Did you miss any of the exciting haps around the public cloud and telco at MWC 2023? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!
Machine learning is changing the game for telcos
FEBURARY 28, 2023
Telcos can use ML to improve experiences, reduce churn, increase ARPU, and more. And they need to use the public cloud to do it.
Turn that telco data into customer love
FEBURARY 14, 2023
These MNOs and MVNOs are using subscriber data, AI, ML, and the public cloud to deliver personalized experiences, proactive support, targeted offers and customer love to their subscribers.
Bring the CLOUD to your BSS
JANUARY 31, 2023
Totogi is bringing the public cloud to BSS on the ground. Why? Because BSS capabilities are what’s important—not necessarily where it’s running.
I’m Buying.
JANUARY 17, 2023
Somebody has to refactor telco software for the public cloud. The big vendors aren’t, so my team will—through the $1B Telco Transformation Fund.
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Should you build for repatriation?
DECEMBER 21, 2022
Let’s talk about the elephant in the cloud: should you build your workloads in the public cloud with the idea that you can move them back on prem?
TelcoDR’s re:Invent recap
DECEMBER 6, 2022
AWS re:Invent happened last week, online and live in Las Vegas. Here are the most interesting announcements for telco to come out of the event.
Coding with connectivity: Using the new DISH network APIs
NOVEMBER 22, 2022
DISH Wireless has a new open network API platform that anyone can use to add connectivity to anything with unfettered access.
MVNOs: Use personalization (and the public cloud!) for differentiation
NOVEMBER 8, 2022
MVNOs can set themselves apart by delivering exceptional, personalized subscriber experiences thanks to telco tools built with public cloud technology.
Google Cloud Next And Microsoft Ignite: Let’s Recap The Haps
OCTOBER 25, 2022
Google Cloud Next and Microsoft Ignite have wrapped. Here’s a recap of announcements from both events that affect telcos the most.
Your playlist for this week’s Google Cloud Next and Microsoft Ignite
OCTOBER 11, 2022
Google Cloud Next and Microsoft Ignite kick off this week. Here are top picks for sessions that telcos should attend.
How Amazon ditched Oracle databases for good
SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
Amazon’s consumer business shut down 100% of its Oracle databases. Here’s how they did it so you can do it too.
Why the public cloud is perfect for India
SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
The public cloud is perfect for India’s unique telco market. The only catch is that operators have to select software built for the public cloud.
Public cloud outages are your problem
AUGUST 30, 2022
It’s time to set the record straight about outages in the public cloud. The tech of the public cloud is more resilient than your own data center.
Deploying a new charger used to take a year. The Totogi Charging System takes hours.
AUGUST 16, 2022
The Totogi Charging System is so easy to deploy that people can’t quite believe it’s true. But it’s the real thing.
A public cloud masterclass with Vodafone
AUGUST 02, 2022
Vodafone has been rebuilding its business intelligence infrastructure piece by piece, replacing outdated tech with the latest and greatest.
The double bubble is NOT double trouble
JULY 19, 2022
There are two common approaches telcos use when moving workloads to the public cloud. Which one is best?
Need innovation? You won’t find it in an RFP
JULY 6, 2022
Requests for proposals, or RFPs, were great when new software installations were costly, time-consuming, once-per-decade efforts. Times are changing.
The Telco Pioneers: DISH Wireless
JUNE 21, 2022
DISH Wireless Executive Vice President and Chief Network Officer Marc Rouanne talks about DISH’s cloud-native 5G network – a game changer for telco.
3 Things You Need to Do to Become a Tech-Co
JUNE 7, 2022
Lots of telecoms are thinking about pivoting to become tech companies. Before you decide to do this, consider the challenges.
Why Do People Think Kubernetes Is Cloud Native?
MAY 24, 2022
In today’s cloud native infrastructure and applications, Kubernetes is not the final step. You’ve got to use more of the public cloud than just containers.
Save Big Money By Storing Data In The Cloud
MAY 10, 2022
The economics are simple: you’ll save money by storing data in the public cloud.
How to tell if that vendor’s application is truly cloud native
APRIL 26, 2022
Telco CTOs and CIOs, use these questions to figure out which vendors are doing cloud native right.
Bet on the future
APRIL 11, 2022
Instead of making technical decisions based on where technology is today, factor in the hyperscalers’ plans for the future.
TM Forum Open APIs hit a milestone
MARCH 29, 2022
TM Forum recently announced more than 500,000 downloads of the Open APIs, and they’re gaining momentum across a variety of vendors and CSPs. Why now?
Can you feel it? The public cloud is NOW
MARCH 15, 2022
If you haven’t started your move to the public cloud, the time is now! Here are the three biggest things slowing telcos down, and how to address them.
Three can’t-miss sessions for telcos at MWC 2022
FEBRUARY 24, 2022
We’re pumped for Mobile World Congress, the biggest event in telco! It runs from February 28 to March 3, 2022 in Barcelona (and also online).
How to keep cloud costs under control
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
When you start shifting workloads to the public cloud, a couple of things happen. Your costs shift from fixed to variable, and power shifts from your bureaucracy to individual technologists.
How to keep moving to the cloud
FEBRUARY 1, 2022
I get this question a lot from telco leaders who want to accelerate their cloud journey. I won’t lie: It’s a big job. It’s like what my mom always tells me, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
The secret sauce for your cloud transformation: HR
JANUARY 19, 2022
2021 was the year of the public cloud in telco. DISH went all-in on AWS. AT&T sold its Network Cloud platform tech to Azure. Verizon is integrating with all three hyperscalers. I could go on..
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All aboard the public cloud train!
DECEMBER 28, 2021
I can’t believe it’s already time to usher in 2022. What a year 2021 has been. I went 5 for 5 on my predictions for this past year, but it still brought surprises, including the incredible opportunity to bring telco and the public cloud front and center during MWC21.
AWS Private 5G blows the roof off re:Invent
DECEMBER 09, 2021
I was ready for some big announcements during AWS re:Invent. I shared my list of can’t-miss sessions. But AWS Private 5G? Huge. Like rock-the-socks-of-telco huge.
Top takeaways from Microsoft Ignite
NOVEMBER 18, 2021
Earlier this month, Microsoft announced more than 90 upgrades to its cloud services during its annual Microsoft Ignite conference.
Top takeaways from Google Cloud Next
NOVEMBER 3, 2021
It’s hyperscaler event season! Which means tons of announcements (easy to miss), tons of talks (who has the time?), all jam-packed together so we’re wading through all of it to help you navigate the noise.
Here’s what you need to know about public cloud software
OCTOBER 12, 2021
In my many conversations with telco execs, one of the biggest myths I find myself having to overcome about the public cloud is that it’s all about the infrastructure.
Why DISH’s cloud native network will work
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
In April, news broke that DISH would be hosting its RAN and mobile core on Amazon’s public cloud infrastructure. Now, a new announcement has come around.
Why use the public cloud at the edge
AUGUST 20, 2021
Over the past few months, there have been a number of high-profile announcements of telcos partnering with the hyperscalers to augment their edge networks.
And then there were three …
AUGUST 6, 2021
During this past quarter three big telcos made bold announcements about their plans to partner with hyperscalers to get to the public cloud – DISH with AWS, AT&T with Azure and Bell Canada with Google Cloud.
MWC21 has wrapped… and the journey has just begun
JULY 20, 2021
MWC21 is in the books and boy, did we ROCK IT. We took over the Ericsson stand and created the most vibrant, engaging exhibit that MWC has ever seen.
Show time! Don’t miss CLOUD CITY at MWC21
JUNE 22, 2021
We’re raising the roof at MWC21 … Literally! CLOUD CITY is going from render to reality. The roof is going UP, and next week, vendors, visitors, and public cloud tech are going IN!
Just 47 days away … all systems go for Barcelona!
MAY 12, 2021
If you follow me on Twitter (and if not, why not? I’m hilarious!), you may have seen the video and photos of our vision for CLOUD CITY. It’s one hundred percent awesome.
MWC is happening! Here’s the latest on Cloud City.
APRIL 22, 2021
With 66 days to go, excitement about MWC continues to build. GSMA announced recently that Spain will allow non-EU attendees to travel to Barcelona for MWC – hooray!
Countdown to Cloud City
APRIL 1, 2021
You may have heard that we’ve taken over Ericsson’s 65,000-square-foot booth at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2021 in Barcelona.
The new ant at the picnic
MARCH 9, 2021
This week I’m taking part in TelecomTV’s annual DSP Leaders World Forum. I’ll be participating in two ways: a panel and a talk, both available March 9.
It’s time to get rid of software customizations
FEBRUARY 23, 2021
Just because you CAN modify software to do something, doesn’t mean you SHOULD modify the software.
FOMO about the public cloud
FEBRUARY 9, 2021
Telcos have been starting small, taking steps, and moving applications to the public cloud. But the other day someone on Twitter asked, “What proof do you have that this is ACTUALLY happening?”
Be like Vodafone and move your analytics to the public cloud
JANUARY 26, 2021
Read about how one of the biggest telcos out there is reaping the rewards of moving to the public cloud.
The double bubble
JANUARY 11, 2021
What stops so many people from even starting cost-saving projects is the dreaded DOUBLE BUBBLE.
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2021 Forecast
DECEMBER 29, 2020
Take a look at the biggest headlines from 2020, plus predictions for 2021. Here’s a good question: will telco get to the public cloud before Elon Musk puts people on Mars?
BHAGs FTW!
DECEMBER 15, 2020
Big hairy audacious goals – B.H.A.G. – no it’s not the name of a kids’ book, but a phrase made famous by the mid-90s business book “Built to Last”.
Think twice before building your own public cloud
DECEMBER 1, 2020
The other day I was talking with a telco exec in South America who told me he was planning to build his own public cloud.
Hasta la vista, source code
NOVEMBER 17, 2020
One thing people don’t talk about enough when they talk about the public cloud is how you can completely eliminate MILLIONS of lines of code.
Stop using latency as a reason to not move to the public cloud
NOVEMBER 3, 2020
Faster is better, and so when it comes to speed and telco services, it’s all about measuring latency. So what’s latency?
Don’t listen to Rakuten hecklers
OCTOBER 21, 2020
At the end of last month, cloud-pioneering operator Rakuten announced the rollout of its ultra-high-speed 5G service. Exciting news, right? Not if you believe some voices in the telco sector.
The public cloud can turn telcos into (data) oil barons
OCTOBER 6, 2020
It’s been more than 15 years since we first heard that ‘data is the new oil.’
Call centers, you need to up your CX game – fast.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
Treat your customers like crap, and they’re not coming back.
Get ready for increased chatter around OpenRAN
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
If you’re not hearing about cloud, you’re hearing about “OpenRAN.’
What gives with Amdocs acquisition of Openet?
AUGUST 25, 2020
Unpacking the claim that Amdocs acquired Openet for its cloud-native capabilities.
Telcos, stop talking and just get on with it
AUGUST 12, 2020
When we look back at the events of 2020, one of the few good things to result from the pandemic will surely be the re-focus on the importance of ‘digital transformation.’
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