By Divyesh Joshi
The world of mobile connectivity is not just evolving, it's promising a future that ensures the industry will not stagnate but continue to drive enhanced experiences. From the first SMS in the early 1990s to the addition of multimedia messaging services in 2002, the advent of 4G in 2010, and the current era of 5G, the mobile internet has become faster and more accessible than ever.
The future holds even more promise with the potential of 5.5G, 6G, satellite tech, IoT, AI, nanotech, and smart device add-ons like holographic displays that will enable users to interact with 3D images without glasses. These advancements are not just about increased bandwidth and reduced latency; they are about enhancing the quality of experiences we can deliver and enabling a magnitude of use cases that were once purely imaginative.
According to the London Economic, artificial intelligence (AI) is and will continue to be a major driving force in the enhancement of mobile technology. By 2025, AI is expected to be even more deeply integrated into smartphones, making them smarter and more intuitive. AI will elevate mobile use across various aspects, including personalised user experiences, predictive features, advanced camera and image functionalities, and real-time language translation.
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies are also poised to become mainstream from 2025 onwards, marking a significant shift in how we interact with the world through our mobile devices.
AR will enhance navigation systems, gaming experiences, and shopping by overlaying digital information onto the real world. It will provide immersive experiences for entertainment, education, and professional training. Thanks to advancements in hardware and software, mobile devices will become the primary platform for AR and VR experiences, opening up a new world of possibilities for mobile device interactions.
Significant advancements in mobile security are expected by 2025. Biometric authentication methods, such as facial recognition and fingerprint scanning, will become more sophisticated and widespread. Furthermore, mobile devices will incorporate advanced encryption technologies and AI-driven security measures to protect against emerging threats. Privacy features will be further enhanced, empowering users with greater control over their data as regulations continue to evolve in this area. These innovations will ensure that mobile devices continue to be secure and trustworthy, even as they manage increasingly sensitive information.
The rapid changes in the telecommunications industry are compelling traditional telcos to shift their focus towards becoming digitally savvy 'techcos'.
The era of focusing on fixed infrastructure, selling commoditised minutes and megabytes, and managing subscriptions is transitioning to a new age of technological adaptation, where it will be essential to harness the best of both worlds: the mobile network and infrastructure, with digital solutions and innovation. Connectivity, of course, remains at the heart of the solutions.
According to Forbes, telecommunication companies are being turned into technology companies from “the inside out”, with a new “multidimensional paradigm of connectivity”, cloud-based solutions and system integration and hosting services is absorbing the traditional model of selling minutes and managing subscriptions.
Succeeding in this new landscape and ensuring the transition happens quickly means companies will need to harness cloud technology and AI and drive partnerships. Agility and scalability will be crucial, with McKinsey noting that telcos can unlock significant value by becoming truly customer-centric enterprises. However, this will take a new operating model enabled by a mindset shift and expanded capabilities. Companies will also need to become platform-oriented innovators.
What is often forgotten in the telcos' scramble to transform is the power of the network and the ability of techcos to harness strong, established businesses as they transition into a domain requiring capital-intensive growth.
A big advantage established players have is that connectivity will always be the ticket to the game. Even if someone else enables the platform, connectivity will ultimately be core to the solution.
MTN is, therefore, adopting a solution-led approach, leveraging its own telco assets, such as 5G, alongside its partner ecosystem to address real-world challenges faced by both consumers and businesses.
At a time when South Africa is crying out for jobs and economic growth, the benefits to the industry will be immense. MTN Business, through its newly established Converged Solutions division, is taking a step up the ICT value chain, working on private network solutions which enable intelligent automation, applications and enhanced AI-enabled security controls over and above connectivity, to look into implementing technologies in mining, manufacturing and a number of other industry verticals. As mentioned, talent and leadership will be critical components in the shift. In this regard, most traditional telcos have work to do.
McKinsey and Russell Reynolds Associates recently conducted a comprehensive assessment of more than 90 major telcos across the globe and 30 consumer tech companies that have distinguished themselves by pioneering the ecosystem approach, setting new standards for customer management, or excelling in the domain of talent. It found that despite telcos’ best efforts and intentions, they continue to lag behind tech companies from a talent perspective—and that, in some cases, the gap is widening.
While important, the survey found that talent management alone will not drive the necessary changes and that a more comprehensive approach will be needed. Cultivating the talent needed to power the telco-to-techno shift would, according to the report, require telcos to act across four dimensions: talent management, culture, operating model, and leadership.
Ultimately, it will not just be about playing in space but fundamentally changing an organisation's mindset. MTN has recognised this early and is committed to solidifying its position as a leader in the digital world by 2025, driven by a focus on talent, innovation, and adapting its organisational mindset and ways of working.
The changes we have made ensure we are ahead of the curve and set to reap the rewards of driving customer loyalty, building SA’s best network, and protecting our core business while driving digital solutions that matter.
By Divyesh Josh is the chief strategy and transformation officer at MTN SA.
BUSINESS REPORT