I spend a lot of time talking to telcos about how public cloud technology can help them delight subscribers and boost ARPU. Ahmed Khattak, founder and CEO of US Mobile, knows exactly what I’m talking about. He built the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) natively on the public cloud from day one. In this episode, we talk about his vision for the company and how it benefits from its public-cloud-first design. Click play to hear our conversation about: 

• How Ahmed’s experience coming to the United States from Pakistan shaped his vision for US Mobile [01:50];
• What sets the company apart from other US-based MVNOs [02:28];
• The benefits of building in the public cloud  [04:12]; and
• The key public cloud attribute that Ahmed thinks is underrated by telcos [09:54].

Listen now by clicking play above or subscribe through your favorite podcast platform—see the links in the right column above. You can find the transcript for this episode here.

Links and Resources

• Visit the US Mobile website.
• Learn more about the upcoming MVNO Summit at Mobile World Congress 2023. Totogi is a gold sponsor—let’s meet while we’re there!
• Check out MongoDB, US Mobile’s database of choice. It’s a single-table database like DynamoDB, which is what Totogi uses.
• [google cloud/US mobile announcement / blog]
• Don’t build your own charger! Instead try out Totogi’s Charging a Service
• Read this March 2021 white paper about how US Mobile built pooled plans.
• Ahmed has been an entrepreneur to watch for most of his career, like when he was included in Under30CEO’s list of the 30 Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs in 2011 and featured in Entrepreneur Magazine in 2012.
• Check out my high-five photo with former U.S. President Barack Obama. Amazing!
• Remember the 1988 movie Coming to America with Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall?

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.

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Platinum MarComm Award, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.  If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!

This week’s guest

About Ahmed Khattak

Ahmed Khattak is the CEO and founder of US Mobile, a fast-growing Hybrid Network Operator that’s disrupting the wireless industry with more than 400 customizable plans, cutting-edge features, and world-class customer service. With a wealth of experience in the telecommunications industry, Ahmed is on a mission to democratize connectivity. He has been recognized as Bloomberg Businessweek’s “Top 25 Entrepreneurs under 25,” Under30CEO’s “Top 30 Most Influential Entrepreneurs under 30,” and a finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year.”

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mobile World Congress 2023 is right around the corner, running from February 27 through March 2. This is the biggest event of the year for the telco industry, a place where the movers and shakers come together to discuss policy, see innovative ideas from exhibitors, and get deals done.

In this episode, I talk with Lara Dewar, chief marketing officer for the GSMA, which puts together MWC each year. Click play to hear our conversation about: 

• What’s in store for this year’s event [01:58];
• The inside scoop on the GSMA’s ministerial program, which gathers policy makers from more than 160 countries to discuss and shape industry policies and regulations [07:45]; and
• The down low on this year’s inaugural MVNO Summit, where Totogi is the gold sponsor [10:01].

Listen now by clicking play above or subscribe through your favorite podcast platform—see the links in the right column above. You can find the transcript for this episode here.

Links and Resources

• Make your plan to attend MWC 23!
• Read the latest news release from the GSMA about speakers, event features, and more.
• Find out why Totogi, where I’m acting CEO, is perfect for MVNOs and digital brands, and then come find me at MWC23 to learn more. I’ll be giving a talk at the MVNO Summit and hanging out at the Totogi booth between Halls 3 and 5.
• Read what Mike Dano from Light Reading says you should expect from this year’s event. His prediction? 80,000 attendees.
• CLOUD CITY at MWC 2021 was unforgettable! Here’s a reminder of just how awesome it was.
• If you’re traveling with me, you better not plan on checking a bag. Our podcast producer learned quickly when we started traveling together; this was her previous approach to packing—OMG! Buy some life-changing packing cubes and never check a bag again.
• In honor of Lara’s love of dinner parties, I dug up this fabulous scene from the movie My Best Friend's Wedding. Lara wouldn’t approve of the rectangular dinner table, but who wouldn’t love a dinner guest with enough charisma to lead an entire restaurant in a sing-along?
• I agree with Lara that specialty cocktails make a party shine. Here’s a list of the cloudy cocktails we created for our afterparty at MVNO Nation Live in November 2022 (with a splash of dry ice, of course!).

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.

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Platinum MarComm Award, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.  If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!

This week’s guest
About Lara Dewar

Lara Dewar is responsible for driving the GSMA’s global marketing and communications strategy to support and enable business success for the organization and its members. She is a global leader with more than 20 years of knowledge in industries shaping our world. Since joining the GSMA in January 2020 as Global Head of Communications, Lara has successfully shaped its communication strategy during a tumultuous time. From financial services and energy to charity and telecoms, Lara has applied her strategic and collaborative approach to leadership to drive transformation in its truest sense. 

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Telcos have a ton of subscriber data at their fingertips, yet most never tap its value. MobileX is ready to show them the way. It’s using AI and subscriber usage insights to price personalized plans with transparency, and hoping to build trust between telco and customers in the process.

In this episode, I talk to MobileX CEO and serial entrepreneur, Peter Adderton. He’s going to tell us what MobileX is up to and how it’s filling an unmet need. Click play to hear our conversation about: 

• Why Peter started MobileX [03:10]; 
• Why customer trust is key to its brand [06:23]; 
• How the company benefits from being a digital first, app-driven business [08:38]; and
• The economics behind MVNO success [13:57]. 

Listen now by clicking play above or subscribe through your favorite podcast platform—see the links in the right column above. You can find the transcript for this episode here.

Links and Resources

• Visit the MobileX website to learn more about the company. 
• Follow @peter_adderton on Twitter—he’s constantly commenting on the industry!
• Learn more about the upcoming MVNO Summit at Mobile World Congress 2023. Totogi is a gold sponsor—let’s meet while we’re there!
• Learn about Stetson Doggett’s Best Phone Plans.
• Check out Totogi, my company that’s building software to generate the perfect plan for every subscriber.
• Peter is from the land down under and now lives in California. Check out the trailer from Crocodile Dundee, the 1986 movie about another Australian making his way in the States.

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.

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Platinum MarComm Award, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.  If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Telcos around the world are signing strategic deals with hyperscalers, setting big goals for public cloud transformation, and finding ways to cross the finish line. A great example is TELUS, which signed a 10-year strategic agreement with Google Cloud and is on a path to become a cloud-native organization. 

For this episode, I talk with Hesham Fahmy, chief information officer at TELUS, about how the telecom built momentum for its cloud journey, what happened along the way, and what it learned that other telcos should know. Hit play to hear our conversation about: 

• TELUS’ plan to move 80% of workloads to the cloud by 2025 [03:56];
• Where and how it decided to start its move [06:16];
• How TELUS brought its team along on its public cloud journey [08:42].
• Refactoring applications for the public cloud [12:18].

Listen to the episode by clicking play above or subscribe through your favorite podcast platform. You can find the transcript for this episode here. 

Links and Resources

• Read the announcement of TELUS’ 10-year strategic alliance with Google Cloud.
• Hear about another digital transformation in episode 52, featuring Nathan Bell, former chief digital officer of M1 Singapore, and now digital practice partner at Kearney.
• Listen to my Telco in 20 conversation with change-management guru Jim Abolt about driving workplace transformation.
• Read my blog about the importance of setting Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). Don’t forget to publicize and celebrate the wins to align your team and build momentum towards the cloud.
• Check out Hesham’s helmet-cam footage, captured while he was racing his motorcycle, and then find out what makes Turn 1 at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas so special.
• Once you get moving to the cloud, you’ll want to keep your trains running smoothly. Learn how Tokyo runs one of the world’s best subway systems to get ideas on how to keep your organization on track.

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Platinum MarComm Award, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback!

This week’s guest 
About Hesham Fahmy

As Chief Information Officer at TELUS, Hesham Fahmy leads the team responsible for spearheading TELUS’ transformation to a fully-digital, software-centric and cloud-enabled organization. The CIO team brings humanized, digital-first experiences to life for customers, and champions technology to improve capabilities, efficiency and scalability across all current and future lines of business. With a bachelor of computer engineering from McMaster University and a master of software engineering from the University of Toronto, Hesham has innovated software products and solutions for 25 years, including 19 in senior leadership roles. He has a track record of launching disruptive products and platforms in retail, IoT, fintech and development tooling.

Podcast Credits

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I had some amazing conversations this year, but none grabbed more ears than my in-person interview with DISH Wireless Executive Vice President and Chief Network Officer Marc Rouanne. He offered a behind-the-scenes look at DISH’s new 5G network, its work with AWS, and more. The original episode went live in June, and since then it’s been listened to thousands of times. Hit play to hear: 

• How hyperscaler investments made DISH’s project possible [02:34];
• What Marc would change about the AWS platform [04:20]; 
• His experience working with software vendors’ cloud-native solutions [05:46]; 
• How building on AWS changed the economics of network operations [07:26]; and
• Marc’s vision for using open APIs to grow the business [9:55].

A few weeks ago at AWS re:Invent 2022, DISH released its first batch of Network APIs, just as Marc envisioned. It’s so exciting to watch it unfold! Listen to our conversation by clicking play above or subscribe through your favorite podcast platform. You can find the transcript for this episode here. 

Links and Resources

• Watch the video of my conversation with Marc on the TelcoDR YouTube channel
• DISH’s network APIs were huge news at this year’s AWS re:Invent. Don’t miss these headlines from Light Reading, Fierce Wireless and TelecomTV. Even McKinsey & Company Partner Ferry Grijpink chimed in. (Oh, and ICYMI, check out Ferry’s Telco in 20 episode—the second most popular of the year!)
• Check out the DISH Wireless Developer Hub and read TelcoDR’s blog about it 
• Read about how Totogi joined DISH at AWS re:Invent to showcase its capabilities
• Watch the fun holiday interview I did with Ray LeMaistre from TelecomTV about why the DISH project is a gamechanger for telco
• Find out what happened to the mini computer vendors that didn’t see innovation coming until it was too late.

The best way to spread telco cheer is singing loud for all to hear. My favorite holiday song? Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” of course! Put it on full blast and sing it the top of your lungs! Telco execs, wanna talk public cloud? Set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Platinum MarComm Award, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback!

This week’s guest 

About Marc Rouanne 

As Executive Vice President and Chief Network Officer for DISH’s wireless business, Marc is responsible for network architecture, RF network and strategy, core network architecture and strategy, cloud and edge strategy, security, transport, 5G lab management and interoperability testing. He brings to DISH more than 20 years of international management experience in the telecommunications industry, having held executive positions in R&D, customer operations and product management in the U.S., France and Finland. 

Podcast Credits

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Last week I gave a keynote at the first-ever in-person MVNO Nation Live conference in beautiful Valencia, Spain. It was thrilling to talk to all of the entrepreneurial leaders at this event. They clearly see the huge upside of embracing public cloud technology and are poised to use it to become some of the world’s greatest brands. I’ve turned my keynote into this podcast episode. Listen now to hear: 

• Examples of how telcos and MVNOs are benefiting from public cloud technology [02:48];
• How cloud-native telco tools (like Totogi!) can help MVNOs streamline work, increase speed to market, and lower costs [05:21];
• Why giffgaff put data at the heart of its business [12:53]; and
• How MVNOs can boost their NPS and ARPU by delivering an amazing, personalized customer experience [13:55].

When you’re done listening, check out the links to Totogi and the AWS Marketplace below, and contact us for a demo. You can find the transcript for this episode here.

Links and Resources

• Read my blog about why MVNOs need to stop differentiating on price and start personalizing the customer experience
• Watch the video version of my MVNO Nation Live keynote
• Check out this great article about digital-attacker strategies from McKinsey & Company
• Read my op-ed in Vanilla Plus about why MVNOs should be all-in on the public cloud
• Read the original AWS press release on the giffgaff relationship
• Learn more about Totogi and sign up (for one penny!) on AWS Marketplace
• Find out how MVNOs can super-charge their BSS with Totogi’s BSS enhancement platform, starting with our Charging-as-a-Service
• You KNOW that we rocked an awesome party at MVNO Nation Live. Check out the cloudy drinks and our dance moves on the 360 spinner!

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.

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Platinum MarComm Award, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every telco leader, consultant, and analyst I talk to these days says the telecom industry’s move to the public cloud is in full swing. Today’s guest, Davide Bellini, agrees. As Accenture Applied Intelligence lead for the communications and media industry, he has his finger on the pulse of telcos around the world—what they’re thinking about, how they’re navigating challenges, and their vision for a future powered by the public cloud. Click play to hear Davide’s thoughts on: 

• Public cloud adoption trends around the globe [03:40];
• What’s changed to make telcos more open to cloud transformation [11:28];
• Their greatest hurdles to migration success [13:56]; and
• Why freeing data from siloed databases has become a business imperative [19:29].

You can find the transcript for this episode here.

Links and Resources

• Read the TelcoDR blog Think twice before building your own public cloud
• Listen to an early Telco in 20 podcast episode featuring Forrest Brazeal, Lift Off: Telcos moving to the public cloud – beware of lift and shift. (This is the one I rap in – seriously!)
• Want to know if there’s a hyperscaler region available in your neighborhood? Check out our handy spreadsheet of hyperscaler data centers (it changes by the week!)
• Which hyperscaler is winning? This Light Reading article quotes TelcoDR as saying that it’s probably AWS, followed by Azure, and then Google Cloud. For a more in depth look, read the Informa report (subscription required).
• Davide and his team recently released two reports on growth opportunities that small- and medium-size businesses are bringing to CSPs
  • The SMB Opportunity for CSPs: A New Path for Growth (Part 1)
  • The SMB Opportunity for CSPs: A New Path for Growth (Part 2)
• The Great Telco Public Cloud Migration is on! Watch this video of the world’s great animal migration - the Wildebeest migration - that happens each year in East Africa.
• Davide lives in Italy and shares his last name with the drink made famous by Harry’s bar in Venice, the Bellini. Learn the history behind the drink and how to make it in this video.

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.

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Platinum MarComm Award, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!

This week’s guest
About Davide Bellini

Davide is an Accenture Managing Director with more than 23 years of consulting experience with Tier 1 Communications and Media industry clients across the world. He is the Global Lead for Communications, Media and Entertainment Industry in Applied Intelligence, Accenture’s division focused on transforming clients' business with Data and AI at the core. Davide is also leading the Accenture SMB Growth offering for the Comms Industry globally, a transformational portfolio of end-to-end services to help CSPs generate value for the small- and medium-business segment with industry-specific, highly personalized, and sustainable communication and technology services. 

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The signs are everywhere—the MVNO segment of telco is picking up steam. On November 16-17, 2022, MVNO leaders from around the world will gather at the inaugural MVNO Nation Live conference in Valencia, Spain, while 800-pound gorilla GSMA has plans to host its first MVNO Summit as part of the big show at next year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This makes it a great time to explore the ins and outs of launching a successful MVNO or digital brand. In this episode, I’m talking with Scott Venuti, General Manager at Plum, a mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA). He helps MVNOs get their businesses launched and ready for success. Click play to hear our conversation about: 

• How long it takes to get an MVNO set up [07:47];
• Why being nimble is key [09:28];
• Why getting plans to market is so important for successful MVNOs [10:51];
• The importance of making the right decisions at the beginning of the journey [13:23];
• Thoughts on MVNO profitability and margins [15:16].

Links and Resources

• Read about Plum’s exclusive collaboration with T-Mobile
• MVNOs and digital brands are great ways to experiment with new software. Those smarty pants over at McKinsey & Company agree and even wrote an article about their cool ideas
• Find out how MVNOs can super-charge their BSS with Totogi’s BSS enhancement platform, starting with our Charging-as-a-Service!
• Learn more about MVNO Nation Live, happening November 16-17 in Valencia, Spain. Totogi is the event’s Principal Sponsor—let’s meet while we’re there! And check out all the great reasons Totogi is a perfect fit for MVNOs
• Next time you’re in the US state of Massachusetts, check out Scott’s family business, Bedford Farms Ice Cream
• How many scoops of ice cream can you balance on an ice cream cone? Watch the record being set, complete with a cameo from the guy who holds the Guinness Book of World Records for “Longest Tongue,” which might come in handy with 125 (!) scoops

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.

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Gold Hermes Award and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!

This week’s guest
About Scott Venuti

As the General Manager of Plum, the wholesale division of UVNV, Scott brings more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications space. He joined UVNV in 2019 as VP of Channel Development for UVNV's Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile brands before launching the Plum wholesale business in 2020. He is an industry veteran with expertise in carrier-side and MVNO-side wireless wholesale sales and operations, as well as consumer and business distribution and channel management. His wireless experience includes time at Sprint, Clearwire, and others while working with many of North America's top telecom providers, national retailers, and distributors.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A couple of years ago, I learned that M1, a Singapore-based MNO, was doing exactly what I had been evangelizing about—going ALL IN on the public cloud. Leading the charge was then-Chief Digital Officer Nathan Bell. I’ve been hoping to have him on the podcast ever since I heard about what he was doing. Today, my wish comes true. In this episode, he joins me to talk about: 

• How Nathan and M1 got the idea—in 2019!— to go all-in on the public cloud [03:47];
• The moment they knew they were going to be successful [14:41];
• How they brought the team along on the transformation journey [16:11]; and
• What Nathan would do differently if he had to do it all over again [19:01].

A quick side note: Nathan recently shared exciting news – a few weeks ago he accepted the role of Digital Practice Partner at Kearney. Congratulations, Nathan! 

Links and Resources

• Take a look at M1’s February 2021 news release about its digital transformation
• Watch the TM Forum panel where Nathan and I first met, CSPs should run toward public cloud
• Listen to The Cloud Strategy panel from Asia Pacific Telecom Summit 2022, where Nathan talked more about M1’s cloud move
• Learn more about Kearney’s digital practice, where Nathan recently became a partner.
• Get Nathan’s take on what bringing people along on a digital transformation has in common with the evolution of F1 racing
• Nathan’s right, “with great power comes great responsibility” – so here’s a mash-up from Spiderman: No Way Home to remind you to watch your team when you give them free rein in the public cloud
• Check out Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest Bruce Springsteen songs of all time - Born to Run is #1!

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.

Follow DR

• Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
• Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
• Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
• Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR

The Telco in 20 podcast won a 2022 Gold Hermes Award and was recognized as a Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!

This week’s guest

About Nathan Bell

Nathan Bell is Digital Practice Partner at Kearney. He is an advisor and mentor to both businesses at scale and startups, helping to guide their journeys as they seek to leverage the value of digital agendas and scale digital offerings. As the Chief Digital Officer for M1, Nathan helped shape the future of M1’s business from how customers choose and consume services, to the experiences of its staff, to engagement with its partners. With more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunication industry, Nathan has held a number of senior leadership and sales positions in Europe and Asia Pacific at companies including AT&T, KPNQwest, BT, TelkomTelstra and Telstra. 

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For the last year and a half, I’ve been obsessed with one of the biggest collaborations worldwide between a telco and a hyperscaler: AT&T and Microsoft Azure. In 2021, the CSP sold its network cloud to Azure. Since then, people in the industry have been wondering what’s been going on, who’s doing what, and how things are going. For this episode, Shawn Hakl, Microsoft VP of 5G Strategy, joins me to answer these questions and talk about: 

• Why the partnership made sense for both sides [02:37];
• The benefit of handing over infrastructure management to a hyperscaler [04:22];
• How Azure and AT&T collaborate and divide responsibilities [05:52]; and
• The challenges of bringing it all together and adopting a new playbook [12:03].

Links and Resources

• Read AT&T’s June 2021 announcement about Microsoft’s acquisition of its Network Cloud
• Check out this Protocol article from July 2021, Why AT&T moved its core tech — but not everything — to Microsoft Azure
• Here's Shawn’s update on the collaboration from early 2022
• Listen to other Telco in 20 episodes featuring Microsoft Azure:
  • Ep 5 Rick Lievano: The BFC’s: Putting Microsoft’s Azure to the test for telcos
  • Ep 9 Yousef Khalidi: Microsoft’s big move
• A big part of the strategy for Azure with its acquisition of AT&T’s Network Cloud is to refactor the code to run natively on Azure and then sell it to other operators. Read my blog on why refactoring for native public cloud is key to really leveraging the power of the public cloud.
• Shawn is way into making antique furniture by hand, and even made a piece with a SECRET DRAWER. You know what else has a secret drawer? The Resolute Desk, at least according to the movie National Treasure. Watch how Nicolas Cage cracks the code and finds the hidden drawer.

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 Shawn Hakl

Shawn Hakl is responsible for building and executing the product strategy and partnerships for Microsoft’s Azure for Operators portfolio. His team works across product, engineering, and sales to help operators execute on the digital transformation of the core and edge networks. Prior to Microsoft, Shawn served at Verizon as the Senior Vice President of Business Product, responsible for a $29B portfolio covering services such as enterprise networking, 4G/5G, cyber security, collaboration, and IoT. 

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

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