Technology is reshaping lives at a faster rate than ever before. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, the internet of things (IoT), and other emerging technologies are rapidly altering traditional business practises.
Smart cities, e-governance, healthtech & telemedicine, and a sustainable future are no longer far-fetched ideals, but rather tangible realities. Never before have we been so close to technology.
The younger generation is constantly dealing with technology and has never known life without it.
We’re using ordinary technology to make video chats, work remotely, see a doctor from the comfort of our own homes, send and receive money instantly without having to visit a bank office, take examinations online, and do a lot more that was only a fantasy a few years ago.
And there’s one key driver of this widespread digital adoption: mobile phones.
Technology adoption would not be as high as it is today if it weren’t for fast evolving telecom services and cellphones. Cellular businesses, in particular, have played a critical role in making technology more accessible to the general public.
These cellular providers have driven a digital transition in many developed and emerging economies throughout the world by connecting the disconnected and making mobile broadband widespread.
Telenor Pakistan, Pakistan’s second-largest cellular operator, is one of these players. For many years, the firm has sparked and promoted digital adoption in Pakistan. Telenor has a number of industry-first projects to its credit, ranging from network transformation efforts to digital divide initiatives.
Digital initiatives by the corporation in agriculture, social inclusion, insurance, and other critical areas have been particularly remarkable.
The ProPakistani team met with Khurrum Ashfaque, Telenor Pakistan’s Chief Operating Officer, to discuss these and other topics. We talked about everything from issues in a more digital world to new trends in emerging technologies, as well as the necessity to be energy-efficient and stay ahead of the innovation curve.
Here’s how our talk with Khurrum Ashfaque went:
- The digital world is challenging the giants of the telco world. What are the key technical capabilities required by a telco to succeed in the changing face of digital?
The disruption brought on by digitization has been enormous for traditional carriers. It provides an opportunity to reinvent corporate systems, re-establish market positions, and develop new customer offerings and experiences.
To begin, we can automate across the value chain and deliver a comprehensive omnichannel experience that can serve customers at any time and on any device by redefining the fundamental business: the more digital the journey, the higher the satisfaction.
Second, by enabling relevant APIs, expose capabilities to partners as a service. This entails moving from being merely carriers to being enablers in the communication supply chain—from offering specialised services to facilitating an ICT ecosystem that connects a variety of businesses (both digital and traditional) to customers.
Telcos are uniquely qualified to become central negotiators in this exchange economy as owners of the vast amount of data and network infrastructure at their disposal. Similarly, network operators can use analytics to acquire relevant customers, engage them for relevant services, make better marketing-spend decisions, and optimize network design.
All of this is safeguarded by a comprehensive information security system that protects customer data across portfolios while also harnessing the cloud’s capacity to fulfil modern company ICT needs. For operators, the cloud-enabled world opens up new revenue streams. Collaboration with cloud software development companies, for example, to provide industry-specific solutions for regulated industries like financial services.
For Telenor Pakistan, we have experimented across multiple domains and business models, to select areas. Our value propositions offer value for money or ‘more se ziyada’ convenience of paying for apps via mobile balance.
- How do you see trends in data science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning working for a telecom service provider?
In an era of advanced digitization and high-speed technological development, such trends are radically reshaping the telecommunication landscape and Telenor Pakistan is no different.
We believe we are in the greatest position to take advantage of the symbiosis between AI and telco to prosper in a competitive industry where crucial process automation is critical. AI has a lot to offer, and it’s already being utilised for anything from network automation to targeted client offers.
Telenor Pakistan has benefited from AI/unrivaled ML’s capacity to handle and analyse huge data and generate significant insights. Insights on how to optimise network maintenance and customer service expenses have helped us to build better-tailored offers for our B2B and B2C clients.
For instance, it has provided us with unsupervised learning on dynamic pricing, digital channel engagement, and customer control based on network load and consumption to balance capacity and customer experience.
- In view of ongoing energy challenges, how does Telenor Pakistan manage to stay efficient?
We all desire consistent service and coverage as customers. When there is a shortfall in grid supply, networks experience an average of 8 hours of grid unavailability each day, which must be addressed by using alternative energy sources.
Diesel fuel and generators have traditionally been used to deal with energy shortages. However, the harm is twofold: first, it raises operational costs by substituting an inefficient type of energy generation with diesel, and second, it results in excessive CO2 emissions, severely depleting our climate.
We all desire consistent service and coverage as customers. When there is a shortfall in grid supply, networks experience an average of 8 hours of grid unavailability each day, which must be addressed by using alternative energy sources.
Diesel fuel and generators have traditionally been used to deal with energy shortages. However, the harm is twofold: first, it raises operational costs by substituting an inefficient type of energy generation with diesel, and second, it results in excessive CO2 emissions, severely depleting our climate.
Pakistan receives roughly 1KW of solar energy per square metre of its landmass for 6-7 hours on average every day, with sunshine hours averaging 3,000-3,300 per year due to its high insulation. We launched a comprehensive energy efficiency initiative to produce and conserve sustainable energy in 2011-2012, when the crisis was at its apex, with rural areas facing up to 18 hours of daily grid interruptions.
As a result, we’ve switched 17% of our own constructed sites to renewable energy. This effort has paid off handsomely, allowing us to reduce our diesel consumption by a whopping 65 percent since 2012.
- Renewable energy is termed the world’s biggest climate victory. What does clean and green energy look like for Telenor?
Telenor’s plan includes a strong focus on renewable energy. We’ve set a goal of cutting carbon emissions by half by 2030. Pakistan’s government wants to produce 60% of its energy from clean and renewable sources by 2030. While we are dedicated to investing in renewable energy initiatives, we believe that favourable legislative and regulatory environments are essential for this scaled-up transformation.
Through NEPRA laws, the country has a favourable Renewable Wheeling policy, and Telenor is eager to pursue a renewable wheeling programme. We expect that the government and authorities would encourage such efforts by expediting clearances and permits.
- Telenor has known to be experimental in its approach, often ahead of the innovation curve e.g. in fintech. How are you applying the same approach to modernizing and upgrading your network?
Telenor’s strategy involves a significant emphasis on renewable energy. By 2030, we want to have lowered carbon emissions in half. By 2030, Pakistan’s government hopes to generate 60% of its energy from clean and renewable sources. While we are committed to investing in renewable energy initiatives, we believe that for this scaled-up change to succeed, favourable legislative and regulatory conditions are required.
The country has a favourable Renewable Wheeling policy thanks to NEPRA laws, and Telenor is eager to pursue a renewable wheeling programme. We anticipate that the government and authorities will support our efforts by speeding up clearances and permits.
Extremely critical for 5G is a robust cybersecurity infrastructure, and Telenor Pakistan is proud to have deployed state-of-the-art technology in this area.
We also have an aggressive energy efficiency initiative, which includes the deployment of extremely efficient lithium-ion batteries, given the critical need of addressing climate change. The equipment on our 1000+ towers is already powered by solar panels.
We’re also looking into additional hybrid energy sources, such as tower-mounted wind turbines and biofuel generators. All of these measures have resulted in a 10% reduction in our carbon footprint in the last year. We will continue to prioritise modernising our infrastructure, improving how we work, and institutionalising our use of data to create new, relevant services and improved client journeys.
- What role has automation played in the journey of a telecom service provider?
Without a doubt, new technology is rapidly changing the world, with disruptive forces such as the Internet of Things, cloud, and 5G presenting new opportunities. We at Telenor are unyielding in our pursuit of modernity and ethical business practises.
As a result, we put a lot of effort into being efficient and digital for our customers. Our goal is to provide better service to customers, whether it’s through the introduction of bot technology that allows for 24/7 execution and improved client experiences, or by enhancing processes and efficiency.
However, software-related operations like network administration, sales, and billing are only one aspect of it. The other side of the coin is telecom infrastructure automation, such as field operations and tower maintenance.
The advantages of automating the infrastructure for Telenor have varied from increased operational efficiency to improved customer experience. With today’s capabilities, it appears like embracing a fully digitalized operations ecosystem is closer than ever before.
- The majority of the software service providers in the internet world are moving towards the public cloud. Do you see any future telecom services being provided through the public cloud?
The move to the public cloud is a foregone conclusion. While the progress will be modest, it will occur. Its implementation is contingent on technological advancements, operational improvements, and the evolution of services. The expansion of public cloud technology, for example, is a critical enabler for a more digital telco sector. Internal collaboration will be enabled by operational changes in cloud efficiencies.
Finally, service evolution indicates how prepared we, the telco operators, are to improve existing business models, which is still to be determined. Telcos want minimal latency, and more local use cases or a more intimate configuration will aid in determining the precise role that public clouds will play.
- Universal Service Fund (USF) is tasked to partner with telecom companies to provide high-speed internet to communities across Pakistan. How does it work with telcos to achieve this?
The Universal Service Fund (USF) is tasked with ensuring that people in underserved areas benefit from digital connectivity, and it exists primarily to connect the unconnected.
There have recently been programmes to deliver Next Generation Broadband for Sustainable Development, the most recent of which was to provide high-speed internet to residents in Chitral, the Swat Valleys, and new roadways in Balochistan.
With Covid-19 emphasising the importance of digital connectivity, it is possible to speed up the provision of services in underserved areas. Simultaneously, until local manufacture can keep up with demand, the USF fund can temporarily subsidise the provision of smartphones.
- Over a year now, COVID-19 has fast-tracked digitization, across businesses in the world and Pakistan. How has this shaped Telenor’s digital focus for 2021 and beyond?
Telenor Since the advent of mobile broadband services in 2014, Pakistan has been at the forefront of bringing digital connectivity to Pakistanis. Furthermore, through multiple platforms, we have played a critical role in offering digital, financial, and value-added services to our 48 million clients.
Easypaisa has been the cornerstone of Pakistan’s fintech sector for the past decade, with a colossal yearly throughput of PKR 1.5 trillion and over 8 million active wallet users. Since 2020, the epidemic has accelerated digitization, allowing us to take use of the potential offered by COVID-19 to provide more to our consumers across our digital emphasis areas of gaming, entertainment, and ad tech.
For example, Telenor Pakistan’s Khushaal Zamindar platform, which caters to Pakistan’s largest sector of agriculture, reaches over 6 million farmers across the country, providing them with insurance and advise on how to increase output.
Similarly, Telenor Velocity, a programme that helps tech startups break new ground in digital products and services, has partnered with Easypaisa Open API Gateway, which was just launched. Easypaisa’s new Open API Developer Portal provides for simple third-party integration, allowing partners to add 30+ digital payment use cases and test them in a sandbox environment.
We aim to continue leveraging partnerships and the latest technologies to contribute to the Digital Pakistan vision. We are strengthening our presence in gaming and entertainment via partnerships with tech giants like Netflix, Spotify, and Gameloft.
Using the MyTelenor App, which is currently used by 8 million Pakistanis, we also introduced the concept of self-service and digital recharge. Telenor Pakistan has aided in the development of a digital ecosystem by offering safe and advanced API access to a number of digital firms, including Google, Facebook, and Daraz, who have recently joined the Pakistani market.
We digitised our core business with a market-first cooperation project with Facebook, which allows Telenor Pakistan’s 3.9 million Facebook fans to buy data packs or loans straight from the official Telenor Pakistan Facebook page via a “Buy Data” feature.
Telenor Pakistan is also active in the B2B sector, offering hotel management systems such as S-Tel in collaboration with Serena Hotels and harnessing IoT to provide new services.
Auxo Fleet, powered by Telenor Pakistan, is a comprehensive end-to-end fleet and asset management solution that employs advanced telematics to offer organisations with actionable data. Auxo Fleet now has a fleet of over 5,000 vehicles in operation.
- What is driving your belief in Pakistan’s digital future?
As countries responded to the epidemic and the need for expanded connectivity in varied ways, the year 2020 has cemented the importance of digital connectivity. Data penetration and IT services exports are off to a great start, according to macro indicators.
Ed-Kasa, Patari, and Bykea, among others, have a bright future since they are gaining traction. As the government implements its Digital Pakistan vision, policy talks on e-commerce, privacy, and data protection, as well as taxation, are taking place, and the ease of doing business is improving.
Fintech investments, meantime, have moved us toward a completely digital economy, benefiting the most marginalised unbanked members of our society and bridging the digital gender divide. With such a young population and increasingly tech-savvy generations, mobile payment systems play a unique role in our culture.
The operators and the government can only go so far in providing the people of Pakistan with a digital society that is easy to use, has access to high-quality services, and provides opportunity to succeed if they work together.
source: ProPakistani
