Telecom Innovation: Lessons from Leading Companies

One company’s R&D arm generated 9 Nobel Prizes and pioneered inventions that changed the world: the transistor, the laser, the solar cell, the communications satellite, and even UNIX. That company was Bell Labs and I’ve been reading The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner which chronicles its extraordinary run as the R&D engine of AT&T. What makes the story so compelling isn’t just the tech it birthed, but *how* they came to be. Here are some lessons that feel particularly relevant today: 1) Innovation thrives at the intersection of disciplines. Bell Labs was designed for collaboration. The architects of the Murray Hill building, for example, built a super long hallway that increased the probability scientists would meet each other on the way to and from the dining hall. 2) Culture beats genius. Yes, Bell Labs had immense talent, but what set it apart was how that talent was cultivated through mentorship, mission clarity, and a bias for action. Junior researchers were paired with seasoned scientists and they were also expected to participate in regular seminars where they presented their findings to senior colleagues. 3) Great ideas often come from unexpected places. Innovations like the laser and the solar cell came from side experiences and “non-core” inquiries, proving the value of exploratory work. The laser, for example, grew out of microwave spectroscopy — a field that had nothing to do with Bell Labs’ immediate commercial needs at the time. Management let scientists pursue it anyway and the result was a technology that transformed industries. Of course, Bell Labs didn’t last forever. It thrived under a very specific set of conditions (namely, AT&T’s monopoly) and struggled once that ecosystem changed. But its influence is everywhere in modern tech, from the phones in our hands to the networks that connect them. As we navigate the next wave of technological breakthroughs, these lessons from Bell Labs feel more relevant than ever. (Image of the Telstar 1, the first TV communications satellite that was launched in 1962)

Legacy on-premise IT systems have a stranglehold on telco innovation. The AI-first future demands speed and agility that traditional software systems simply can't deliver. In the latest Telco in 20 podcast episode, Vodafone's Dr. Lester Thomas and I dive into how a radical new approach to IT is breaking down the barriers that have stalled telecom progress. While most operators debate whether cloud-native transformation is realistic, Vodafone is demonstrating not only is it doable — it's absolutely critical. We cover: • How Vodafone moved 17 petabytes of data from 600 Hadoop servers into Google Cloud to create their foundation for AI adoption • The company’s strict "cloud native" definitions have resulted in 80-90% of digital workloads being truly cloud native • The three principles Vodafone's Open Digital Architecture is based on: machine-readable standards, open-source collaboration, and proof-of-concept testing • Why AI is forcing complete software redesign at Vodafone, and how their AI Booster platform democratizes access while maintaining governance The operators who thrive won't be the ones doing IT the way it’s been done over the last 20 years. They'll be the ones bold enough to do the heavy lifting of truly becoming cloud-native and work to create a data platform that’s usable by AI so they are able to push the boundaries of what's possible in telecom. This is THE conversation to watch before you head to TM Forum’s DTW Ignite event in Copenhagen! If you missed the LinkedIn Live event you can watch the conversation on demand or listen to the audio only version on your favorite podcast player! Links in the comments. #Vodafone #telecommunications #cloudnative #AI #digitaltransformation

🚨𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲. Legacy systems on one side. Innovation pressure on the other. You're expected to cut costs and reinvent the business. The good news? Even industry giants have walked this line, stumbled, and found their footing. One such example: AT&T. Here’s what their journey reveals about modern leadership, strategy, and transformation. 📶 𝐀𝐓&𝐓’𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝟓 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 AT&T was once synonymous with communication. Then deregulation disrupted the landscape. Long-distance faded. Revenue declined. Relevance waned. 📌 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Industry leadership today doesn’t guarantee tomorrow. Reinvention is not optional. 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 In the 2000s, AT&T pursued aggressive expansion. Acquiring DirecTV, BellSouth, Time Warner. But the cultures didn’t merge. The strategy lacked cohesion with AT&T’s operational strengths. 📌 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Growth must align with core competencies. Diversification without clarity creates complexity, not value. 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 Media and telecom seemed like a natural convergence. In practice, the integration proved to be challenging. Disparate cultures and unclear execution delayed impact. And led to divestitures. 📌 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Innovation succeeds when it fits both the business model and the organization's DNA. 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟒: 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 In 2020, AT&T re-centered. It exited non-core ventures. Recommitted to connectivity~5G, fiber, and customer trust. 📌 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Sometimes, the most strategic move is to stop chasing new frontiers and start strengthening the foundation. 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟓: 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐬 𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞 AT&T shifted priorities from acquisition to retention. Enhancing existing customer experience, simplifying offerings, and aligning incentives. The result? By 2024, financial stability returned, and customer satisfaction improved. 📌 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Sustainable performance stems from long-term alignment with customer needs. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬: 🔹 Don’t confuse activity with progress 🔹 Growth without purpose weakens resilience 🔹 Focus is not conservative, it’s courageous 🔹 Customer-centricity is strategy, not sentiment 👇👇👇 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲? ⬇️