We discuss the following topics in this blog:

1. How Adopting Analytics is Key?
2. Embracing Agility.
3. How to Leverage Monetisation Opportunities?

In addition to these topics, we shall also be answering the following FAQs:

1. What is WiFi?
2. What is an Optical Fibre Cable?

1: How Adopting Analytics is Key?

The truth is, being clued in can get you very far. But, just possessing intelligence is not enough in today’s hyper-competitive world. You would also need to know how to make the best use of it. With artificial intelligence and machine intelligence making strides into many key industries, telcos must tap into these new ways of Knowing or be left behind. Data is everywhere today and it can get overwhelming if not properly utilized to its full potential. Managing data, storing it and using the right technology to process and derive useful insights for business growth can be immensely rewarding for telcos.

2: Embrace Agility

A cat landing right on its feet after a 10-foot fall is one of greatest wonders of the pet kingdom. For telcos, it can bring the same level of wonder if they can stay the course through the ups and downs of the industry – dealing with increasing competition, keeping up with demanding customers, innovating and bringing products to market faster. This can be achieved with rethinking software development and deployment strategies, for example, choosing a devops-based approach can drastically shorten the time-to-market while microservices architecture simplifies the software development process to a great extent.

3: Wow your Customer

Lately, I’ve been fascinated with how digital native companies, the ones born and bred on a strong dose of digital platforms, are engaging their customers.  Whether it is Uber, Amazon or Netflix, they all have one thing in common – they put the customer at the centre. They make the best use of technology to offer engaging, intuitive experiences to the customer, taking personalization to a whole new level. Telcos can take a leaf out of their book too and leverage technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to offer a more personalized and intuitive experience.

4: Innovate. Innovate. Innovate

Today, there is no doubt that technology is the key driver of innovation. In a world that demands a lot of our time, energy and attention, what we need is a solution to simplify. Which is why telcos can truly delight their customers if they are able to offer solutions and services that simplify their lives, for example, adopting digital on-boarding means customers never have to queue up at a branch, ever.

5: How to Leverage Monetisation Opportunities?

So you’ve gone ahead and invested in infrastructure and technology. What’s next? An important part of going digital is the ability to make technology work for your business in an efficient manner. For instance, digital solutions offer umpteen monetisation opportunities – from location insights for targeted advertising, offering tailored choices for customers, explore use cases enabled by seamless convergence of next-gen networks and much more. With digital solutions, the monetisation possibilities are endless.

With these steps in mind, you’ll be well on your way to kick start your digital journey.

FAQs

What is WiFi?

Put simply, WiFi is a technology that uses radio waves to create a wireless network through which devices like mobile phones, computers, printers, etc., connect to the internet. A wireless router is needed to establish a WiFi hotspot that people in its vicinity may use to access internet services. You’re sure to have encountered such a WiFi hotspot in houses, offices, restaurants, etc.

To get a little more technical, WiFi works by enabling a Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN that allows devices connected to it to exchange signals with the internet via a router. The frequencies of these signals are either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bandwidths. These frequencies are much higher than those transmitted to or by radios, mobile phones, and televisions since WiFi signals need to carry significantly higher amounts of data. The networking standards are variants of 802.11, of which there are several (802.11a, 802.11b, 801.11g, etc.).

What is an Optical Fibre Cable?

An optical fibre cable is a cable type that has a few to hundreds of optical fibres bundled together within a protective plastic coating. They help carry digital data in the form of light pulses across large distances at faster speeds. For this, they need to be installed or deployed either underground or aerially. Standalone fibres cannot be buried or hanged so fibres are bunched together as cables for the transmission of data.

This is done to protect the fibre from stress, moisture, temperature changes and other externalities. There are three main components of a optical fibre cable, core (It carries the light and is made of pure silicon dioxide (SiO2) with dopants such as germania, phosphorous pentoxide, or alumina to raise the refractive index; Typical glass cores range from as small as 3.7um up to 200um), Cladding (Cladding surrounds the core and has a lower refractive index than the core, it is also made from the same material as the core; 1% refractive index difference is maintained between the core and cladding; Two commonly used diameters are 125µm and 140µm) and Coating (Protective layer that absorbs shocks, physical damage and moisture; The outside diameter of the coating is typically either 250µm or 500µm; Commonly used material for coatings are acrylate,Silicone, carbon, and polyimide).

An optical fibre cable is made up of the following components: Optical fibres – ranging from one to many. Buffer tubes (with different settings), for protection and cushioning of the fibre. Water protection in the tubes – wet or dry. A central strength member (CSM) is the backbone of all cables. Armoured tapes for stranding to bunch the buffer tubes and strength members together. Sheathing or final covering to provide further protection.

The five main reasons that make this technology innovation disruptive are fast communication speed, infinite bandwidth & capacity, low interference, high tensile strength and secure communication. The major usescases of optical fibre cables include intenet connectivity, computer networking, surgery & dentistry, automotive industry, telephony, lighting & decorations, mechanical inspections, cable television, military applications and space.