Perspectives in Mobile

The offshore operator Tampnet is in active discussions in the UK, Germany, Norway and Poland to expand its offshore connectivity model, CEO Elie Hanna told MEF: "There are now many discussions for our "Roam-like-home" model and other models we offer", Hanna said in an interview with MEF podcast "Perspectives on mobile". This follows agreements in the U.S. and with KPN and Odido in the Netherlands, 

Mobile connectivity is expanding beyond terrestrial networks, with offshore, satellite, and hybrid systems challenging traditional roaming models. The industry is shifting from a single-access approach to a blended model combining roaming, network sharing, and native access to ensure seamless coverage.

Identity, authentication, and billing stay with the home operator, while a more distributed access layer drives new commercial models. Meanwhile, roam-like-home schemes are eroding high roaming fees without reducing operator value.

In this episode of Perspectives on Mobile, Riccardo Amati speaks with Tampnet CEO. The discussion also touches on the evolution of legacy roaming agreements, the scale of API monetization, and the move toward a platform-based, multi-party telecom ecosystem where coordination becomes the key differentiator. 

RCS is finally scaling—and it’s rewriting the rules of messaging monetization.

At the same time, AI is rapidly transforming messaging into a two-way, conversational and increasingly autonomous channel, while the industry faces mounting pressure around pricing models, trust, fraud, and identity. A key shift is emerging: messaging is no longer just about delivery—it’s about engagement, orchestration across channels, and measurable business outcomes.

In this episode, Stephanie Lashley, Vice President of Messaging Products at Bandwidth and MEF Board Member, shares her perspective from both the carrier and platform side of the ecosystem.

We explore the evolution of A2P SMS as a backbone rather than a legacy, the real monetization potential of RCS, why pricing models are set to diverge, and how AI, fraud, and data sharing are reshaping the future of messaging.

Digital transformation is moving at an unprecedented pace, reshaping how organisations operate, collaborate, and compete across borders. As technology accelerates change, the focus is shifting beyond systems and platforms toward people, culture, and the ways teams work together. Agile working models, strong internal alignment, and clear narratives are becoming essential to keep global organisations connected and adaptable.

In this episode of Perspectives in Mobile, our host Dario Betti interviews Wendhyharto Kusumaatmadja, the Group Head Digital Initiative at TELIN. They discuss the profound impact of technology on collaboration and the importance of a people-centric approach to digital transformation.

Wendhy emphasizes that successful transformation requires a shift in mindset and culture, rather than just technology. The conversation also covers TELIN's role in the global digital ecosystem, the essential skills needed for the future workforce, and the balance between technology and human collaboration. Wendhy shares insights on crafting a compelling narrative to engage teams and highlights the innovations and opportunities that lie ahead for TELIN in the rapidly evolving telecom industry.

Indefinite unlimited spectrum licenses will give telcos more certainty on duration, which benefits capital-intensive markets like fiber and 5G. This is the main change in the EU Commission’s Digital Networks Act (DNA) proposal. The act aims for a single European mobile market but offers no concrete tools to achieve it. Reducing obstacles alone won’t change this. The DNA does not reform roaming, leaving Europe’s mobile market fragmented.

These are the key observations of Innocenzo Genna, EU tech lawyer and telecom policy expert, who advises mobile ecosystem leaders in this episode of the MEF Podcast series, Perspectives. Convergence is moving forward. Some rules that used to affect only certain operators now apply across the ecosystem. "Be ready for more regulation than in the past," Genna warns. "Mobile leaders need to analyze the situation and intervene promptly with legislative or enforcement authorities when needed.”

Telecom operators must shift from traditional voice services to cloud-based PBX and unified communication solutions to remain competitive — according to Digital Tide.  It’s s urgent for operators to adapt. Legacy revenue streams are plateauing while cloud adoption offers recurring, scalable, and higher-quality revenue.

In this episode of MEF Perspectives podcast, Digital Tide executives Anna Gonzalez and Roman Zahidi highlight how early movers in emerging markets and verticals like hospitality, healthcare, and retail are capturing significant market share by bundling cloud solutions with connectivity services. They also stressed the strategic value of white-label partnerships, which allow operators to deploy sophisticated solutions quickly without heavy R&D investment, reducing risk while competing with global giants like Microsoft and Zoom. 

Digital Tide, a MEF member, is a pioneering communications software provider specializing in white-label voice services for telecom operators. 

The company frames the white-label opportunity as a “pivot from connectivity providers to solution partners,” focusing on ecosystem-based offerings, sales training, and local support to accelerate growth in high-value markets.

The MEFFYS awards are more than a celebration of excellence in the mobile ecosystem: they are a lens through which innovation, regulation, and consumer expectations come into focus. By recognizing the industry’s most impactful players, the MEFFYS help surface the trends and forces that are redefining mobile on a global scale.

This podcast features a conversation with Martica Correa Gonzalez, MEF's Global Event Manager.

Martica will explore the strategic role of the MEFFYS,  discussing with host Riccardo Amati how selecting, awarding, and celebrating the best players helps shape a shared narrative around emerging mobile trends, regulatory developments, and evolving consumer demands.

In turn, this process enables industry stakeholders to better anticipate change, adapt their business models, and even play an active role in influencing policy—turning recognition into a catalyst for progress across the mobile ecosystem.

The event will take place on March 1st in Barcelona. Submission will close January 27th

The global messaging market is under strain as enterprises move beyond A2P SMS while regulation lags behind fast-growing OTT messaging platforms. Unlike SMS, services such as WhatsApp and Telegram operate with limited oversight, creating vulnerabilities that fraudsters increasingly exploit and shifting risk across the mobile ecosystem.

In this episode of Perspectives in Mobile, MEF’s Riccardo Amati speaks with Igor Skutsenya, Senior Business Development Manager at LANCK Telecom, about what live traffic data reveals behind the industry’s transition. They examine the real pace of RCS adoption, rising SMS costs, evolving monetization models, and why uneven regulation could become the industry’s most underestimated threat.

Igor explains why A2P SMS still underpins revenues despite visible decline, why RCS adoption depends more on commercial models than technology, and how richer messaging can improve fraud defenses, if regulation keeps pace with innovation.

Conversational AI is reshaping mobile interactions, but real-world risks—like the recent ChatGPT wrongful death case—underscore the stakes for brands. Poorly designed AI experiences can erode trust, frustrate users, and drive churn. For mobile-first companies, telcos, and CPaaS providers, the challenge is not just technical—it’s financial: messaging missteps can hit retention, reduce engagement, and limit revenue opportunities.

This episode of Perspectives in Mobile features Riccardo Amati interviewing Conversive’s Pooja Kashyap, conversational AI strategist and storyteller. Together, they explore how mobile brands can design messaging flows that safeguard users, reduce friction, and ultimately drive measurable business results.

Amati and Kashyap focus on actionable strategies for mobile ecosystem leaders: designing high-stakes conversations (fraud alerts, service disruptions, healthcare onboarding), leveraging the Intent-Emotion-Action framework to guide user behavior, and optimizing emotional arcs—clarity, confidence, closure—to reduce churn and increase conversions. They also highlight RCS best practices, multi-channel orchestration, and how companies can transform messaging from a cost-center channel into a monetizable relationship layer that drives long-term loyalty.

AI is forcing the mobile ecosystem's operators to rethink how they work, while RCS is creating new pressure to move faster than their legacy systems allow. Leaders are confronting  internal resistance, confusion around priorities, and the cost of hanging onto outdated processes. A new model of “FutureFit” organizations is gaining traction, highlighting the need for agility, clear objectives, and the ability to unlearn what no longer serves the business.

Welcome to MEF Podcast Perspectives. Our guest is Friska Wirya, one of the world’s leading change-management thinkers, best-selling author of the FutureFit Organization series, and creator of the AI tool Ask Friska. She works with executives to turn resistance into resilience and help teams stay confident and capable through technological change.

We talk about what makes an organization FutureFit, how to recognise resistance as a useful signal, and why empathy is essential. We also look at the barriers slowing RCS adoption, the need to remove outdated practices when budgets are tight, and the distinction between mastering change and simply managing it.

Africa’s mobile industry is into the spotlight. User growth is accelerating, OTT services are rewriting the rules of communication, and rich messaging is fast becoming the backbone of financial services and business engagement. Yet this boom comes with pressure: operators are wrestling with volatile pricing, rising fraud, and shifting consumer expectations—all against a backdrop of tough competition and economic uncertainty. From Cape Town’s Africa Tech Festival to boardrooms across the continent, the message is clear: the era of “connect first, monetize later” is over. Africa has entered the age of digital engagement at scale.

In this episode, we’re joined by Matt Ekram, Program Chief at the Mobile Ecosystem Forum and one of the industry’s sharpest minds on business development, mobile communication services, regulation, and security. With years spent navigating global markets and helping shape operator strategy, Matt brings an insider’s perspective on the tectonic shifts happening across African telecoms—and what they really mean for growth, innovation, and trust.

Togheter, we will explore the biggest insights from MEF’s recent leadership forum in Cape Town: how operators can turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s revenue streams; why CPaaS, RCS, and mobile financial services are moving from “pilot” to “powerhouse”; what the sector must do to stay ahead of fraud and evolving regulatory demands; and how to reach the continent’s underserved communities with smarter, more inclusive digital tools. From API monetization to AI-driven engagement, this conversation unpacks the strategies building Africa’s mobile future.