The intelligence of our mobile phones is increasing, but what about the telecom networks they use
- Known as Apple Intelligence, it attempts to make phones faster and simpler to use. It is also included in the Siri chatbot on the phones. and enhance Siri’s role as a personal assistant.
- It comes after Google’s Gemini AI for its Pixel smartphones and Samsung’s Galaxy AI.
- Because AI is being used more often, phones will be doing a lot more computation, which will result in a lot more data being produced and used by them. The UK’s O2, EE, Vodafone, and Three mobile phone networks will be under increased pressure as a result.
- Telecom companies like these are also progressively using AI to help them adapt, according to Ian Fogg, head of network innovation at research company CCS Insight.
- “To provide the best possible quality of service, network operators are using AI to dynamically control the radio frequencies. Additionally, to control cell towers so that, during periods of less demand, they use less energy.”
- The use of AI to manage mobile phone networks has grown significantly and is now widely used worldwide. AI-enabled network monitoring has made it possible for Korea Telecom to locate and solve problems in South Korea in under a minute, according to Alex Sinclair, chief technology officer of the GSMA, an organization that represents international mobile carriers.
- In the meanwhile, AT&T in the US uses AI algorithms that are predictive and have been trained on billions of prior network warnings to tell it when anything is likely to go wrong.
- AI digital twins, which are virtualized digital copies of real-world hardware like masts and antennas, are being used by other operators, including Vodafone, to continuously monitor network performance.
- AI is also being used to optimize storage capacity and control the energy consumption of ever-larger data centers in order to keep their computers cool.
- Telecom companies throughout the globe are also investing on so-called 5G Standalone mobile networks because to the explosion of data that results from the growing usage of AI. Instead of partially depending on improving the outdated, less effective 4G system, they make use of brand-new, specialized 5G infrastructure.
- Significantly faster and more capacity is provided by 5G Standalone. But other experts fear that even this higher-spec equipment won’t be adequate to deal with the demands of the AI future.
- For instance, several experts said that AI won’t be able to realize its full potential until the deployment of 6G starting in 2028 during this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
- Even while mobile users often only become aware of the network when something goes wrong, they are much more conscious of bad customer service and the harm it can do to a brand’s image.
- Thus, the sector is likewise hopeful that AI would significantly enhance how they communicate with and assist clients.
- For instance, the goal of the Global Telco AI Alliance, a joint venture with 1.3 billion customers in 50 countries comprised of Deutsche Telekom, e&, Singtel, Softbank, and SK Telecom, is to create an AI chatbot that is especially suited to the telecom industry and the kinds of questions that consumers usually ask.
- The creators of the Alliance anticipate that this carefully trained chatbot will be able to handle the majority of simple consumer inquiries, freeing up contact center employees to focus on more complicated instances.
- Tobi, Vodafone’s digital assistant, engages with over 40 million users monthly in 13 countries and 15 languages. To enhance customer service, Vodafone has partnered with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service.
- Tobi’s profitability and reputation are expected to benefit from fewer complaints, which arises from its increased ability to handle consumer inquiries without the need for human assistance.
- “Our primary view of AI is as a “virtual assistant” for people,” says Vodafone’s chief technology officer, Scott Petty. “With AI, Vodafone employees can now focus on more creative tasks that benefit our customers and the environment instead of wasting their time on repetitive, tedious manual labor.”
- He contends that AI also frees up customer reps to take on more complicated problems. Additionally, Vodafone claims that Azure OpenAI is making it easier for users to locate what they’re searching for on its websites. According to preliminary data, the number of successful online customer journeys completed has doubled, and follow-up calls have decreased by 10%.
- As menial tasks are increasingly automated by software, many observers fear that AI could result in massive job losses in the telco sector. However, Mr. Sinclair of GSMA thinks AI could be empowering, especially for lower-income countries.
- He contends that “AI will give emerging markets a specialized tool to help them catch up.” “We support efforts to democratize AI so that its use isn’t limited to the wealthy.”
- His tone is more upbeat because he feels that some of the fear-mongering surrounding AI has been exaggerated.
- Ian Fogg from CCS Insight has the following opinion: AI has been around for a while and has been applied to certain [telecoms] scenarios. However, it’s now being used in a lot more domains, such as networks, devices, and software, so every tool we use has the potential to improve significantly and has the power to improve network sustainability and increase global productivity.
Source:
bbc
