TELUS have been working in Al for over a decade, first in AI/ML and now in GenAI, and partners directly with the tech giants in the AI space. They use GenAI to provide generative AI-powered experiences for its employees as well as its customers. TELUS claims to be already running GenAI safely at scale which has been tested and is constantly being improved. Their core platform enabled TELUS to develop and deploy GenAI apps around dozens of use cases. TELUS copilots and assistants are being used, at scale, by more than 30,000 TELUS employees.
TELUS is committed to ethical and responsible use of AI, and won an international Outstanding Organization 2023 prize from the Responsible AI Institute in recognition of its commitment to fostering trust and benefitting society. It’s also the first telecom company in Canada to sign the Government of Canada’s voluntary code of conduct for generative AI, which aims to ensure the transparent, equitable and responsible development and deployment of GenAI technology.
The TELUS.com GenAI support tool, powered by Fuel iX, an enterprise-grade AI engine provided by TELUS International, is one of the first customer-accessible GenAI solutions developed by a Canadian organization. It recently made history by becoming the first in the world to be internationally certified in Privacy by Design (ISO 31700-1). The support tool gives TELUS customers the ability to access fast and intuitive responses to their queries, providing them with a more convenient and seamless digital experience. Privacy by Design is a framework that proactively embeds privacy into the design and operation of systems, ensuring that privacy is the default setting.
At the FutureNet MENA conference, Tim MacGregor, VP at TELUS gave a presentation titled, "GenAI in TELUS: A gamechanger?". In the talk he looked at:
GenAI & network optimisation: hype vs reality
Gen AI driving operational efficiency: success to date and defining the opportunity
Orange Africa and Middle East (OMEA) covers 17 countries containing 18,000 employees and 149 million customers. Every 3 out of 10 Africans are Orange customers. In 2023, OMEA generated €7 billion in revenue. Today, more than 90 million customers in 17 countries have opened an Orange Money account. While 2G & 3G is still extremely popular in Orange markets, 4G has been launched in 17 countries and is available to more than 60 millions customers.
Recently OMEA published "Seeds of change": Orange Africa and Middle East 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. It's available here.
At Orange, the transition to renewable energies is a major priority. That’s why we’re launching numerous initiatives in Africa and the Middle East to help reduce our CO2eq emissions to reach our target of net zero by 2040. These include moving to solar to power our infrastructure, mini-grid solutions, and solar kits for companies and communities.
Orange Africa and Middle East publishes "Seeds of change", its 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, which illustrates our actions in the region. Reducing our energy consumption, developing our use of renewable energies and strengthening our transition to a circular economy are the pillars of our initiatives. We are constantly innovating with all stakeholders for a positive impact and for the benefit of individuals, society and the planet.
In Africa and the Middle East, where electricity is an essential issue, we resell surplus energy generated by our own solar farms to surrounding communities at an affordable price. This essentially converts our telecom equipment into mini grids (small solar farms), where consumption and payments can be controlled remotely.
We’re also developing various renewable energy projects that enable us along with Energy Service Company (ESCO) partners to equip our telecom towers with solar systems. Today, 10 Orange countries in the Africa and Middle East region are benefiting: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, C么te d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Madagascar, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
In Morocco and Tunisia, we’ve launched major solarization programs along with partners. We now produce 3.4 MWp of solar energy to supply data centers in seven of our countries in the region. More than 8,000 sites, or nearly 20% of our sites in Africa and the Middle East, are solarized.
We have also designed a range of services so that everyone can adapt their electricity to their needs and budget, such as our popular solar kit offer.
These programs, which are extending to other countries this year, reduce fuel consumption by up to 80%, depending on the site, powering our mobile phone infrastructure while avoiding more than 330,000 metric tons of CO2eq each year.
In Jordan, we’ve completely changed our electricity supply model and now use our own solar resources to the tune of 60 GWh. Commissioning three solar farms in 2019 generated enough power to cover 52% of Orange Jordan’s electricity needs in 2023 on a full-year basis. In terms of Jordan’s CO2eq emissions, this corresponds to 22,863 metric tons of CO2eq avoided in 2023 (scopes 1 & 2).
Our circular economy approach prioritizes mobile device collection and recycling, both of which require special treatment in countries where there’s a lack of national waste treatment, such as in Africa and the Middle East. Not only are we trying to extend the lifespan of electrical and electronic equipment, but we’re also aiming to collect 100% of the volume of electrical and electronic equipment waste from mobile phones sold in Africa and the Middle East by 2030.
We’ve partnered with the UN to introduce a circular economy for mobile and network equipment waste in Egypt, helping to develop local infrastructure and skills. E-waste in Egypt accounts for 20% of the total e-waste in Africa so the Egyptian government is looking at boosting its recycling rate by 25% by 2030 while ensuring the safe disposal of hazardous waste. The first mobile refurbishment center will launch in 2024 to help strengthen the skills of locally recruited technicians.
In the absence of efficient local recycling channels, the waste is collected and sent back to France to be recycled according to European environmental standards. Since 2010, Orange has partnered with the social cooperative organization Les Ateliers du bocage to open mobile waste collection workshops in three African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon and C么te d'Ivoire). These workshops have now dealt with more than 2 million mobile phones while creating job opportunities in the area.
You can learn more about OMEA in the video embedded below:
According to DataReportal’s key insights on digital adoption and usage in Estonia as of early 2024: Estonia had 1.24 million internet users at the beginning of 2024, with an internet penetration rate of 93.7 percent. In January 2024, Estonia had 1.04 million social media users, representing 78.7 percent of the total population. There were 1.92 million active cellular mobile connections in Estonia in early 2024, equating to 145.7 percent of the total population.
Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that many people use more than one mobile connection—such as one for personal use and another for work—making it common for mobile connection figures to exceed the total population count. GSMA Intelligence also reports that the number of mobile connections in Estonia increased by 17 thousand (0.9 percent) from the start of 2023 to the start of 2024.
Investment in Estonia’s telecom market has concentrated on upgrading fixed-line infrastructure and deploying 5G services. Fixed broadband subscribers are gradually transitioning from DSL to fiber, with legacy copper networks being replaced.
The mobile network operators (MNOs) Telia, Elisa, and Tele2 have established comprehensive LTE infrastructure and have recently directed investments towards 5G. Several 5G trials have been conducted, but commercial service launches have been hindered by a lack of available spectrum. The regulatory body began addressing this issue in May 2022 by awarding a 3.5GHz concession to Elisa. A second license will provide sufficient spectrum for national coverage by 2022. Delays in spectrum allocation were partly due to challenges in offering services in areas bordering Russia.
Progressive government policies on broadband infrastructure and an active regulatory regime have also contributed to Estonia achieving one of the highest broadband penetration rates in Europe. Broadband is available through various fixed-line and wireless technologies, including ADSL2+, FttP, cable, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX. Elisa’s consolidation with the main cable company Starman in April 2017 has enabled it to offer a more comprehensive suite of bundled services, enhancing its competitiveness with Telia.
2G is on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G is on 900 and 2100 MHz with good coverage, 4G/LTE has started with all providers on 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz (Bands 3, 7, 20) plus 2100 and 2300 MHz (Bands 1 and 30) on Tele2 all over the country and is generally available for prepaid. 5G has started to be available on some high-data postpaid plans from Telia since November 2020 and on Elisa since June 2022.
Telia Eesti is part of Swedish telecom giant Telia Company, Telia has the best overall coverage in Estonia and focuses heavily on 4G/LTE services.
The major mobile operator in Estonia is Telia and it has a market share of over forty percent. They provide the largest network coverage consisting of 4G and 5G services available in most major cities across the country. Although Telia’s plans are mainly costlier than rivals, they provide more data and speed.
Ericsson and Telia have launched the Baltic region's first enterprise 5G private network, Ericsson Private 5G. This private cellular network became operational in early May at Ericsson’s supply site in Tallinn, Estonia.
Ericsson highlights that the 5G private network’s advanced capabilities, including reliability, predictable latency, security, and speed, enable various use cases such as asset condition monitoring and management, computer vision, digital twins, collaborative robotics, and precise indoor positioning.
The Tallinn supply site is strategically significant to Ericsson’s global supply chain, accounting for nearly half of the company’s new product introductions (NPIs). These NPIs require extensive research and development to ensure the products are relevant, competitive, and scalable, which is crucial for their successful market introduction.
Telia Eesti switched off of its 3G network in September 2023 this has enabled Telia to focus on the build-out of its 4G and 5G networks instead. The company currently has 150 5G base stations in Tallinn.
Elisa is the number two mobile operator in Estonia, owning about 30% of the market. These firms often give the same kind of network coverage that we find in Telia at reasonable prices. Elisa is a little bit slower compared to Telia, but both speeds are sufficient for most users. Elisa Group’s Estonian arm offers competitive rates, especially for family plans and long-term contracts. The company is rapidly deploying 5G in major cities.
With regards to spectrum, in May 2022 Elisa won 130 MHz of spectrum for which it paid EUR 7.2 million. Then in November 2022, it won 2x10 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum which laid the foundation for it's 5G coverage. Finally, in May 2023 Elisa won 800 MHz of 26 GHz spectrum for EUR 1.63 million. It hasn't commercially used the spectrum yet.
Tele2 Eesti is a subsidiary of Tele2 Group, Tele2 boasts the fastest mobile broadband speeds in the country. It has invested significantly in 4G and emerging 5G networks.Tele2 has the smallest share of approximately 20% in the Estonian mobile market. They are the cheapest, but their network coverage is only half of what Telia’s and Elisa’s are. Tele2 is are also among the three operators, their speeds being the slowest but satisfactory for basic internet access.
Back in 2022, Tele2 won the 700 MHz spectrum auction. It already had 3.5 GHz licenses and was also using 2300 MHz band for 5G. According to their press release, the added 700 MHz frequency band would allow them, in addition to better coverage, to offer services that do not require large data volumes, such as Internet of Things (IoT) services.
Alongside rivals Telia and Elisa, Tele2 obtained 800MHz of spectrum in the 26GHz band back in 2023. It spent EUR1.6 million (US$1.7 million) on 24.7-25.5 GHz despite the fact that there are currently no devices commercially available in Estonia capable of operating via the 26GHz band.
Tele2 previously revealed that Nokia is its primary partner for 5G core networks in the standalone era, with deployment expected to have started during 2021. Nokia said it will deploy standalone 5G core and voice-over-5G technology for Tele2 operations in Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Tefficient's latest report identified that the data usage in Estonia has been growing along with other Baltic countries as can be seen in the chart above.
At Mobile Europe's Telco to Techco 2024, Jukka-Pekka Salmenkaita, VP of AI & Special Projects at Elisa presented a talk looking at their Distributed Energy Storage (DES) solution. His talk is embedded below:
You can learn more about DES and download a whitepaper from their website here.
Following years of continued isolationism and economic under-achievement, North Korea languishes near the bottom of the world’s telecom maturity index alongside Afghanistan and Turkmenistan (who also happen to be struggling under repressive political regimes). To make matters worse, in 2022 North Korea achieved the lowest score in the world for economic freedom. It barely needs saying that developing a healthy and prosperous telecommunications sector isn’t exactly high on the dictatorship’s agenda.
Mobile penetration is estimated to have eased up slightly to have reached 19% in 2021, yet the high cost of ownership coupled with strict censorship makes mobile communications the exclusive domain of senior government officials and diplomats.
Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that there were 7.51 million cellular mobile connections in North Korea at the start of 2024. However, note that many people around the world make use of more than one mobile connection – for example, they might have one connection for personal use, and another one for work – so it’s not unusual for mobile connection figures to significantly exceed figures for total population.
GSMA Intelligence’s numbers indicate that mobile connections in North Korea were equivalent to 28.7 percent of the total population in January 2024. The number of mobile connections in North Korea increased by 206 thousand (+2.8 percent) between the start of 2023 and the start of 2024.
For those citizens living close to China, it has been possible to obtain Chinese handsets and SIM cards, and to connect to towers (illegally) located just across the border. While this offers access to the outside world and at much lower prices than the state-controlled offerings, the risks are high including steep fines and the possibility of jail time.
North Korea has been slightly more effective in building an IT sector and a nascent digital economy on the back of a concerted effort to grow a sizeable, well-trained IT workforce. But even here, its capabilities have been directed more towards nefarious activities such as cybercrime and hacking into Western countries’ computer systems. North Korea’s determination to put itself offside with the rest of the world in pursuit of its ideology can only lead to tighter controls on communications inside and outside of the country.
North Korea has a population of 26.2 million and currently has three 3G network operators. Koryolink's network is 3G-only on 2100 MHz and they claim to cover more 90% of the population by their 3G network that can't be independently verfied. Koryolink is officially a joint venture between Egyptian Orascom Investment Holding and the North Korean state. However the Government of North Korea refused permission to transfer profits from North Korea to Orascom and even started Kang Song Net and Byol to compete with Koryolink. As result Orascom reported, that it effectively has lost control over Koryolink's activities some years ago.
North Korea launched the third mobile service provider called Byol in 2015. In the early days, the government-owned company provided wired Internet connections to foreigners residing in Pyongyang. But its 3G mobile service is now used by officials in the party, the government and the military as well as general citizens. The authorities set up the third telecom company, after Kang Song Net, to keep Koryolink in check. While Koryolink offers services both to foreigners and local citizens, Kang Song Net and Byol can only be used by North Korean residents.
GSMA Intelligence data showed Byol closed 2023 with 7.1 million 3G connections and Koryolink 400,000. The research unit estimated only 28.3 per cent of the population has a mobile connection, all prepaid and only a quarter with smartphones. In 2023, the annual growth rate of mobile connections was less than 3 per cent. Smartphone connections grew nearly 12 per cent to 1.9 million.
North Korea’s two-tier telephone network is well documented and classifies two types of subscribers: Domestic users can call other domestic subscribers but not place international calls or access the internet, while international users can make calls to anywhere in the world except domestic numbers and access just about any website except those on the state intranet. This firewall between domestic and international users is one of several methods used to control the flow of information. What is less known is that on Koryolink there is a third level of subscriber: the “special user.”
The special users obviously the top rank of the leadership. These users are able to make and receive calls on specially equipped handsets that includes a domestic encryption system that prevents eavesdropping by outsiders. Huawei, one of the world’s biggest telecom infrastructure suppliers, provided much of the network equipment and was tasked with verifying that the encryption system did not introduce instability into the network.
However more cell phones does not necessarily mean more freedom of information and communication. In the years following the launch, even greater security measures were developed to expand control systems beyond the network level to the handset level as well. For instance, smartphones were built to block the installation of unapproved apps, and software was installed to take random screenshots to record what people are doing on their phones. This security system one of the most surveilled cellular environments in the world.
North Korean authorities have started signing up 4G subscribers after the country upgraded its network with second-hand telecommunications equipment bought mainly from China's Huawei.
According to local news site Daily NK, authorities have completed the construction of 4G cell towers in some areas of the country – with the goal of constructing over 80% of planned cell towers by 2025. Currently, 4G services are available mostly in the central districts of the capital, Pyongyang.
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was renamed as the Republic of North Macedonia in February 2019. The country has been a European Union (EU) candidate since 2005 with accession discussions facing delays over the years. As part of the EU pre-accession process, North Macedonia has built closer economic ties with the Union which accounts for 77.5% of Macedonia’s exports and just over half of its imports. Closer regulatory and administrative ties with European Commission (EC) institutions have done much to develop the telecom sector and prepare the market for the competitive environment encouraged in the EU.
Macedonia’s mobile market is served by three mobile operators, MakTel (Makedonski Telekom), A1 Macedonia (known as One.Vip before a rebranding exercise in September 2019) and more recently Mtel. A1 Macedonia was formed from the merger of the local business units of Telekom Slovenije and Telekom Austria. In May 2016 they also merged with sister company Blizoo, and so has been able to provide a full suite of converged services. Mtel, a subsidiary of Telekom Srbija, launched mobile services at the end of 2022, a move that broke the former duopoly. The operators are increasingly focused on expanding their 5G networks, seeking stronger coverage across North Macedonia’s high value urban areas. Mobile data services are also becoming increasingly important following investments in LTE network rollouts and in upgrades to LTE-A technology.
MakTel or Makedonski Telekom is the dominant fixed and mobile line operator in the market of North Macedonia; it also operates as an Internet service provider, and as integrated telecommunications and entertainment services provider. Offering communication services and entertainment contents ensuring its future revenues, the company is also improving the competitiveness in North Macedonia, as well as growth in mobile and broadband services on national level.
The company has been active in the mobile telephone business since September 1996, when it was introduced as MobiMak when it was the first GSM mobile operator in the Republic of Macedonia. It was bought by Deutsche Telekom and in 2006 changed its name to 孝-Mobile. In 2015 it changed its name to Makedonski Telekom, synchronising itself with other Deutsche Telekom group members. The network covers 99.9% of the population and over 98.5% of the territory of North Macedonia.
Makedonski was the first telecommunications company in the country to introduce 4G LTE, GPRS, EDGE and various converged internet and mobile services.
With 82% 5G coverage across the country and gigabit 5G speeds in most towns and an award by @Ookla, @telekomMK leads the tech race in North Macedonia 馃嚥馃嚢.
Read the interview to its Chief Technical and IT Officer Maja Milosavlevska Naumovska 馃憞
Makedonski Telekom has expanded its 5G footprint to 26 cities, since first launching its 5G network in February of last year. Its 5G service is available in several cities, including its capital Skopje and the wider area. Other areas include Stip, Veles, Kavadarci, Negotino, Sveti Nikole, Bitola, Prilep, Krushevo, Ohrid, Struga, Resen, Strumica, Radovish, Gevgelija, and Dojran. Makedonski also revealed that it has installed 900 new NB-IoT (narrowband IoT) enabled base stations for M2M communication in the country, with capacity of the new modernized network up by 70 percent.
A1 describe themselves as the leading mobile network operator and number two in the fixed-line market in North Macedonia. They say that have the fastest mobile network in the country. On top of this, the mobile network is becoming even faster by launching 5G. Close to 1,000 employees working under the ”A1 Makedonija” brand are constantly dedicated to providing the best user experience to more than 1.2 million customers.
Through its own network, A1 Macedonia provides its customers complete coverage with 4G/LTE mobile data all over the country and 4G+ in urban areas and coverage ratio of 99.8 % of the total population. A1 customers, as well as roaming visitors, enjoy the mobile network that provides fastest mobile internet which is confirmed by the independent regulatory the Agency of Electronic Communications. By the end of 2022, A1 started building its 5G network and accomplishing coverage of 56,6 % of the total population. Tourist centres, such as Ohrid Lake, are covered by LTE network and A1 Macedonia will continue investing in its modernisation.
MTEL has great ambitions in the North Macedonian market and also plans to offer to its customers other telecommunications services and digital services in the period to come. Telekom Srbija is already offering a wide range of telecommunications services in the field of mobile and fixed telephony, televisions and the Internet for more than 11 million customers in three regional markets – Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.
In its report on 'Sunsetting 3G to Aid 5G Progress in Central and Eastern Europe', Ookla said:
Our data shows that in Q2 2023, North Macedonia achieved the highest median 5G download speed in Central and Eastern Europe at 317.91 Mbps. Bulgaria was the only other country in the region that topped 200 Mbps (233.63 Mbps). It’s worth noting that North Macedonia not only excels in terms of median 5G speed but also when looking at 90th and 10th percentile results. For example, 5G download speeds in the 90th percentile reached 788.30 Mbps, while speeds in the 10th percentile clocked in at 90.90 Mbps. Makedonski Telekom and A1 Macedonia launched their 5G services with a combination of 4G frequencies using DSS before the 5G spectrum auction, with the regulator, AEK, awarding the licenses for frequencies in the 700 MHz and 3.6 GHz bands for 5G in July 2022. Makedonski Telekom invested over EUR 70 million in 2022 for network development.
Given that North Macedonia had the fastest 5G among its peers, it isn’t surprising that its capital ranked first among regional capitals, with Skopje boasting a 475.92 Mbps median 5G download speed and a 59.94 5G upload speed in Q2 2023.
The conditions of 5G licenses for Macedonian operators state that by the end of 2023, at least one Macedonian city should be covered with a 5G signal. But it is not only 5G that is achieving good performance. Skopje also ranked 25th on our Global Index City Speeds in July 2023, with a median mobile download speed of 96.79 Mbps, placing the city just behind Sofia in our rankings but ahead of some Western European capitals like Paris, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Berlin, Rome, and London.
Deutsche Telekom has been actively promoting the role of Artificial Intelligence, both Predictive as well as Generative (GenAI), within their network. At FutureNet World 2024, Ahmed Hafez, VP Technology Strategy at Deutsche Telekom explained the role AI plays in their network. This Analysys Mason research note nicely summarises it as follows:
Deutsche Telekom’s (DT’s) Vice President of Technology Strategy, Ahmed Hafez, was forthcoming during a presentation at the event about the operator’s use of GenAI to improve employee productivity. Hafez said that DT had numerous GenAI-based use cases in production, including a coding assistant for developing test cases and an “FTTH roll-out chatbot” that helps contractors to adhere to regulation during fibre broadband installation. This chatbot uses retrieval augmented generation (RAG) based on information gathered from around 400 documents, each of which has about 900 pages, to respond to contractors’ questions and provide links to the relevant sections within these documents.
I’ve also used the 6-dimensional nature of networks as a reason why each use-case “cell” is a tiny part of the overall
At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, CEO Tim H枚ttges provided an insight into the ambition, the framework and governance of AI in Deutsche Telekom. His presentation is embedded below:
You can also read this article from Deutsche Telekom AGM 2024 where Tim H枚ttges talks a lot more about the use of AI in some 400 projects all across Deutsche Telekom. It is in turn helping optimize quality, bringing them closer to their customers, and enhancing productivity by up to 50% for routine tasks.
The adoption of AI within the networks is going to accelerate in the next few years and as 6G is billed as AI-native network, the ambition would be to have as little people interaction as possible and have most major tasks work autonomously.
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