Telco's Sophistication Paradox: Why They Can't Explain Their Own Genius

The Telco Century Club (100+ years of telco experience between us) is back with a brutal reality check on an industry that's mastered building brilliant technology but completely botched explaining why anyone should care.

Charles teams up with telecoms veterans Rob Jones (Sylva Growth Partners) and Chris Lewis (Lewis Insights, The Great Telco Debate) for an unfiltered dissection of why 25 years of "transformation talk" has changed absolutely nothing. From Telstra's genius digital twin platform that died because no one could pitch it internally, to network APIs that sound impressive but solve problems nobody asked for - this episode exposes the sophistication paradox that's killing telco innovation.

Key Battlegrounds:

• Why telco layoffs are a perpetual pattern, not strategic responses
• The "build it and they will come" mentality that's still sabotaging 5G monetisation
• How MVNOs are eating traditional operators' lunch through superior segmentation
• AI-native platforms making MVNO entry cheaper and easier than ever
• Middle Eastern operators like e& and STC outplaying Western telcos with actual execution
• The coming satellite reality check (spoiler: it won't replace mobile networks)
• Network APIs heading to the technology graveyard alongside network slicing

Reputation-Staking Predictions for 2026: Chris bets on AI chatbots finally becoming genuinely useful. Rob sees Google dominating user experience through AI integration. Charles predicts internal AI efficiency gains - if telcos can resist their urge to overcomplicate everything.

Plus: Will the US take a stake in Nokia or Ericsson? And our final verdict on whether telcos will transform, disappoint as usual, or somehow make things worse.

Timestamps:

00:00 The Telco Century Club Returns

00:53 18 Months Later: Still Building Tech Nobody Understands

03:13 The Layoff Epidemic: Why It Never Actually Ends

08:04 Telco to TechCo Dreams Meet Harsh Reality

10:02 Network APIs: The Communication Disaster Continues

20:26 AI Reality Check: Separating Hype from Hope

28:20 Why OpenAI Might Go Broke (And Apple's Playing It Smart)

29:15 MVNOs Quietly Stealing Market Share

33:14 AI-Native Platforms: The MVNO Revolution Nobody Saw Coming

36:41 Satellite Hype Crashes Into Indoor Coverage Reality

41:15 2026 Predictions: Putting Reputations on the Line

49:35 Final Verdict: Will Telcos Finally Transform or Keep Disappointing?