Over the last few years, Microsoft has been working overtime to become a carrier-grade hyperscaler for the industry. For this episode, I talk with Microsoft Chief Technology Officer for the Worldwide Telecommunications Industry Rick Lievano about the recent general availability of Azure Operator Nexus, its work with AT&T, and Microsoft’s $13 billion investment in OpenAI. 

Listen now to hear:

• Where telcos are today with their move to the public cloud [02:33];
• How Azure Operator Nexus is poised to change the game [04:02];
• The latest on Microsoft’s network cloudification work with AT&T [7:17]; and
• The company’s big bet on GenAI and how it’s paying off for telco [12:57]. 

Links and Resources

• Check out this awesome story in Fast Company, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella is winning Big Tech’s AI war. Here’s how.
• Learn more about Azure Operator Nexus and read the announcement about it becoming generally available this summer. 
• Listen to Rick’s first time as guest on the Telco in 20 podcast, episode 5, The BFCs: Putting Microsoft Azure to the test for telcos
• Ready to hear more great stuff about GenAI and telco’s future with the public cloud? Catch my keynote at MVNO Nation Live, running October 23 - 25 in Valencia, Spain. 
• Learn about the ninja move of pickleball, the Erne, and learn how to do it yourself!
• You can find the transcript for this episode here. 

Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.

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This week’s guest

About Rick Lievano

Rick Lievano is the Worldwide CTO for the Microsoft Telecommunications industry. He works with customers and partners in developing telecommunications industry solutions and reference architectures to address the rapidly changing needs of service providers across the globe. He is an enthusiastic participant and speaker in many industry communities, an advocate of industry frameworks and open standards, and holds TM Forum Open Digital Architecture and Business Development Manager Career Certifications. At TM Forum, he is a member of the Collaboration Sub-Committee, overseeing the effective creation and adoption of pragmatic best practices and standards to deliver value to the membership. Rick currently leads initiatives to help operators achieve more by infusing artificial intelligence across their business. 

Podcast Credits

• Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDR
• Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
• Editor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
• Editing: Andrew Condell
• Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio
• Music: Dyami Wilson