Digital Telco Transformation accelerates digitalization

• Digital Telco Transformation combines consulting and systems integration services with the industry's broadest OSS/BSS portfolio, thereby enabling digital interaction
  
• Allows operators to gain an intimate understanding of their customers, become more responsive, improve satisfaction and address diverse needs on a personalized basis
  
• Ericsson's ICT services leadership means the company is uniquely positioned to partner with operators as they embark on the Digital Telco Transformation journey

In order to introduce and monetize the digital information, entertainment, finance and health services that customers want, telecom operators need to adopt a new operating model. To ease the transition, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) is introducing Digital Telco Transformation - an offering that combines consulting and systems integration services with the industry's most comprehensive OSS/BSS portfolio.

To be considered a digital telco, an operator must provide a consistent experience across all customer interaction channels - ranging from mall-based service centers to the internet. Digital telcos should also be capable of seamless sales, upselling and customer retention - and provide subscribers with the highest possible levels of self-care. Other prerequisites include near real-time service delivery and activation processes, effective and integrated management of data assets from both within the company and external channels, and the ability to deliver the highest levels of customer experience.

Telecom Italia Digital Solutions, a member of the Telecom Italia group, has chosen to take this journey. Claudio Contini, CEO of Telecom Italia Digital Solutions, says: "Customer experience and user numbers are the new sources of revenue. More than ever, today, the customer is king. Only by understanding and embracing the need to fundamentally change the way we do business can we remain relevant to our customers."

Ericsson doesn't advocate a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach to becoming a digital telco, because each operator is unique. The company takes a holistic approach, beginning with helping the operator to define a strategy and goals based on its particular digital ambitions.

Paolo Colella, Vice President and Head of Consulting and Systems Integration at Ericsson, says: "Many operators are aware of the pressing need to transform themselves into digital telcos, but few are aware of the steps required to get there. Only a holistic approach that reinvents the telco operating model can ensure operators avoid major business model disruptions, and realize their digital telco vision."

Claudio Contini agrees: "The first steps are essential. Planning requires a review of the company's strategic goals, assessment of the current environment and a roadmap based on impacted areas such as people, process and tools - which, combined correctly, will help steer the transformation journey in the right direction."
 
Ericsson at Mobile World Congress 2015
During Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona, Spain, Ericsson is showing world-leading technology, service capabilities, and innovations. The Networked Society is transforming entire industries. ICT tools have become fundamental everyday resources for businesses, people and society. We lead the way with hardware, services and software solutions that drive development in mobility, broadband and cloud, creating the foundation for new eco-systems, and transformation across industries. The change that transformation brings is in the hands of everyone. That is why we at Mobile World Congress this year will talk about how we enable change-makers in the Networked Society to advance digital experiences.

You can find us at MWC in Hall 2, Stand 2N60. Follow us during the event using @Ericsson and join the discussion using #MWC15. Insights from our experts and Networked Society evangelists are also published on our blog during the event.
 
NOTES TO EDITORS
As the prime integrator, Ericsson evaluates partners and alliances and helps the operator to determine which activities should be performed in-house, and what activities could be outsourced. Our offering includes consulting and systems integration services to integrate and manage the operator's IT and network data assets. Leveraging Ericsson's broad OSS/BSS portfolio, cloud, network functions virtualization and software-defined networking technologies, our experts drive network and IT convergence to foster digital service innovation, marketing and delivery.

Ericsson rethinks IT to build a new stack of solutions that is more efficient than the one it replaces. Processes are put in place to facilitate self-care and provide a consistent customer experience across all channels. By learning from customer actions, we institute a next-best-action paradigm that determines the optimal approach to each individual. Finally, we ensure operator employees have the skills required to meet the needs of digitally savvy customers, and make sense of the massive amounts of data available to the digital telco.

Our long history and telecom leadership means we are uniquely positioned to help operators make the transformation required to become a digital telco. Ericsson is the largest telecom services company in the world, employing 65,000 services professionals based in 180 countries and speaking more than 193 languages. 16,000 of these services professionals are consultants and systems integrators. Together, they deliver more than 1,500 projects every year. Our end-to-end portfolio spans software, hardware and services, with expertise in business case development, enterprise architecture, target operating models, customer experience management, plan to provision, order to cash, and network and IT design.

Digital Telco Transformation Toolbox
Digital Telco Transformation video featuring Claudio Contini, Telecom Italia Digital Solutions CEO
Blog post: Have You Started Your Transformation to a Digital Telco?
Consulting and Systems Integration press backgrounder
 
Download high-resolution photos and broadcast-quality video at www.ericsson.com/press

Ericsson is the driving force behind the Networked Society - a world leader in communications technology and services. Our long-term relationships with every major telecom operator in the world allow people, business and society to fulfill their potential and create a more sustainable future.

Our services, software and infrastructure - especially in mobility, broadband and the cloud - are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to do better business, increase efficiency, improve the user experience and capture new opportunities.

With more than 115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries, we combine global scale with technology and services leadership. We support networks that connect more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. And our investments in research and development ensure that our solutions - and our customers - stay in front.

Founded in 1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in 2014 were SEK 228.0 billion (USD 33.1 billion). Ericsson is listed on Nasdaq OMX stock exchange in Stockholm and the NASDAQ in New York.

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