Mayur Jauhari

Making a private weekend chat public. What is the most important thing to change in how we are approaching 6G? eg. if we can only change one fundamental thing, what will have the biggest impact? - Operator led not vendor/academia led? - Maximum usefulness versus sci-fi use cases? - Commercial business case rather than technical playground? - What else? This is on the back of many discussions at the rather wonderful TelecomTV #GreatTelcoDebate last week, where many thoughtful people discussed such things with an open mind. If we look at our current industry financial benchmarks there is a need for an industry reset which means there is a need for a #6greset. The challenge is how to even start... https://lnkd.in/eSh2XnPz

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Proud about our latest Fit for the Future report about trust in technology! If you haven’t seen it yet, here is the latest research and insights in Vodafone Business and LSE Consulting's latest #FitForTheFuture report here: https://lnkd.in/e96_jHwu

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Is the telco industry in terminal decline? Should I be looking for a new sector to work in? After several months struggling to find a new role in the telecoms sector which seems to be flush with highly experienced talent the latest update from BT did nothing to improve my mood. BT's new Group CEO Allison Kirkby out-lined her "Back to Basics" plan focused on cost-cutting and retrenchment. BT plan to cut costs by a further £3bn over 5 years and this follows on from the former CEO Philip Jansen predicting that AI-driven transformation would lead to 40,000 to 55,000 job reductions. Added to this the latest report from Dell'Oro group calls the RAN infrastructure market a "disaster" predicting a 15-30% decline in the first quarter of 2024. All in all the industry feels a long way from the Halcyon days of the early 2000s. So looking at my career options. Do I a) Dig deep and hold out for a new role in the industry I know and love or do I b) Abandon ship and try and find a new role in the adjacent technology sectors of cloud, cybersecurity, SaaS and AI? My gut feel is that at some point companies need to invest in their organizations to grow their way out of the problem but I worry I'm seeing the start of a much smaller, more streamlined and less dynamic industry. WDYT? https://lnkd.in/eJTzYtuJ

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Yet another successful #OpenWiFi deployment, showcasing the continued growth of our community, the versatility of our stack to be deployed in virtually any #Enterprise use case and the ability of our #opensource platform to not only penetrate existing market-share, but to create new market-share where it did not previously exist! This community has lowered the bar for companies looking to enter the Managed Wireless space and allowed existing #manged providers to move beyond the unnecessary development of common enterprise #wifi features which are now table stakes. Our community of companies can instead focus their efforts on offerings that reduce #TCO, increase #ROI and bring real value to end users! #Thanks Indio Networks Pvt. Ltd. for your leadership in providing high-quality connectivity and improving the experience for people all over the globe!

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A new business model needs to emerge in telecom wholesale — one that re-balances away from network-first to customer experience-first. An approach that enables wholesalers to better differentiate their offerings and drive sustained MVNO growth. A modern, digital monetization solution founded on real-time transparency, accuracy and trust, delivering significant value end-to-end along the wholesale to retail-to-consumer continuum. Why? Because great customer experiences never commoditize. Welcome to Monetization-as-a-Service. #telco #wholesale #mvno #mvne #monetization #digital #b2b2x MATRIXX Software

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In case you missed this, it's worth taking a minute and a half out, and watch this clip which explains how #intelligentautomation can help in the 5G environment too.

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The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has conditionally approved the £16.5 billion merger between Vodafone and Three UK paving the way for the nation’s largest mobile network with 27 million customers. This consolidation reduces the number of major operators from four to three, raising critical questions about its impact on market competition and the future of the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) wholesale market. Key Considerations: ▪️Market Competition: With fewer primary operators, will consumers face higher prices and fewer choices, or will the promised £11 billion investment in 5G infrastructure enhance service quality and foster innovation? ▪️MVNO Wholesale Market: How will MVNOs like Sky Mobile and Lebara navigate a landscape with one less wholesale provider? The CMA has mandated that the merged entity offer preset prices and contract terms to MVNOs for three years, but is this sufficient to maintain a competitive wholesale market? It’s crucial to monitor how the merger will affect both competition and consumer choice. Policing the remedies in the future will be a critical component for the CMA to manage and ensure negative outcomes are mitigated. #telecoms #cma #three #vodafone #merger #competition

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📢 Vodafone & Three Merger: A Game-Changer for UK Telecom The CMA’s approval of Vodafone and Three UK merger is pivotal moment in the evolution of UK telecom. With a commitment to invest £11 billion in network infrastructure, this deal promises to reshape the landscape. Having been part of the team during the Orange and T-Mobile merger to form EE in 2011, and observing the Virgin Media O2 merger in 2021, I’ve seen firsthand how such consolidations transform the telecom landscape, driving innovation and reshaping customer experiences. ❓1️⃣ What Does this Mean for the Market? ✅ Accelerated 5G rollout: The £11 billion investment will deliver one of Europe’s most advanced 5G networks, covering 99% of the UK population and supporting over 50 million customers. ✅ Market consolidation: Reducing the UK’s major operators from four to three creates a strong competitor to Virgin Media O2 and BT/EE, fostering healthy competition. ✅ Spectrum efficiency: A carefully managed spectrum allocation, including divestment to Virgin Media O2, ensures fairness and balance in the telecom ecosystem. ❓2️⃣ What’s in It for Customers? ✅ Better connectivity: Enhanced network quality and reliability with faster speeds and broader 5G access to bridge the UK’s digital divide. ✅ Improved infrastructure: A future-ready network to support the evolving needs of consumers and businesses. ✅ Affordability commitments: Pledges to maintain price stability for key tariffs ensure that consolidation does not lead to immediate cost increases for consumers. ❓3️⃣ What’s in It for Employees? ✅ Job creation: The £11 billion investment will drive opportunities in network expansion, maintenance, and technological innovation. ✅ Skill development: Employees will gain exposure to cutting-edge 5G technologies, enhancing expertise and fostering professional growth. ✅ Transition management: Mergers often bring uncertainty, but Vodafone and Three’s strategic approach focuses on minimising redundancies through workforce planning, redeployment, and reskilling programmes. Transparent communication will be key to ensuring employees feel supported and empowered throughout this transition. 🎯 Key Takeaways Having contributed to major industry shifts, here’s what stands out to me: ✅ Transformative potential: This £11 billion investment is set to redefine the UK’s telecom landscape, placing it at the forefront of European connectivity. ✅ Challenges and opportunities: While the consolidation unlocks potential for innovation and efficiency, it also demands adaptability from competitors and stakeholders. ✅ People-first approach: The success of this merger lies in its focus on delivering benefits to customers and employees through transparency and innovation. To ensure this milestone delivers lasting value, it’s essential to focus on collaboration, execution excellence, and a commitment to building a more connected UK. #VodafoneUK #ThreeUK #Telecom #Leadership #Innovation #Techner

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The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally concluded that the proposed merger between Vodafone UK and Three UK could proceed, provided specific competition concerns are addressed. Key findings include: ✅ Network Investment: A legally binding commitment from the merged entity to invest £11 billion in upgrading the UK's mobile network infrastructure, including the rollout of 5G services. ✅ Consumer Protections: Short-term safeguards to ensure that retail consumers continue to receive competitive deals during the initial years of network integration and investment rollout. ✅ Support for MVNOs: Pre-agreed prices and contract terms to ensure that MVNOs can obtain competitive wholesale deals, enabling them to offer attractive services to their customers. The CMA is seeking feedback on these proposed remedies before making a final decision by December 7, 2024. The proposed merger has raised concerns about its impact on MVNOs, which rely on major network operators to provide their services. To address these concerns, the CMA has suggested remedies that include pre-agreed prices and contract terms to ensure MVNOs can secure competitive wholesale deals. Potential Benefits of This Remedy: ▪️ Enhanced Competition: By securing favourable wholesale terms, MVNOs can continue to offer competitive pricing and diverse service options, fostering a dynamic market environment. ▪️ Consumer Choice: Ensuring MVNOs have access to competitive deals allows them to provide varied and affordable services, giving consumers more options to choose from. ▪️ Market Stability: Protecting MVNOs from potential negative impacts of the merger helps maintain a balanced market structure, preventing dominance by a few large operators. ▪️ Innovation Encouragement: With assured access to competitive wholesale terms, MVNOs are better positioned to innovate and introduce new services, enhancing overall market offerings. The devil will be in the details here, i.e., which MVNOs should benefit from the wholesale terms and what those terms look like. I mentioned previously that Three and Voda might favour MVNOs on their networks, which ultimately serves to increase their own wholesale revenues. If there is an open and agreed evaluation process for how these wholesale terms can be attained, then it is likely to result in a better outcome for the market and be more aligned with the remedy the CMA is targeting. I would like to see this remedy applied to all areas of the MVNO market and not just to those MVNOs that already have good economies of scale, such as Tesco Mobile, iD Mobile, Sky, etc. Challenger brands with innovative or social goods propositions, such as Honest Mobile, could have a far greater market impact in the long term. From all indications, we might be moving from four to three MNOs in the UK. A major moment in the UK telecoms sector. EE and Virgin Media O2 could do with the competition of another MNO of scale, IMHO! #MVNO #CMA #telecoms #5G

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It's been a fantastic 20+ years at Vodafone and I think it's really important to share learnings, experience and anything is really possible! Sabr (patience), Will and self development/focus. 💪🌱 Being South Asian heritage month, I now reflect and think I could have spoken more about my mother who came to this country for a better life, and helped plant those seeds for us! She should be in the blog really not me! I am great believer of opportunities are grown from seeds that are planted! Then it's about picking the right opportunity for the right reasons, which help natural progression! 🎯🌱 #growthmindset #nevergiveup

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AI is making increasing in roads in the finance sector. Check out the attached report from the Bank of England.

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Andrew Collinson leading great panel with 4 telcos explaining how they are approaching their own transformation into techcos including APIs and CPaaS. Very different strategies discussed, including Ahmed Abdi Omer’s “don’t transform but build a new organization that focuses on customers and CX”. Good to see more and more focus on customers and CX, plus the ambition to adapt. Mindset change and upskilling are key!! Divya Ghai Wakankar Colm Sunderland Sebastian Schumann CPaaS Acceleration Alliance #casa24 BICS e& enterprise BT Group Deutsche Telekom

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Partnership / Investment – A Strategic Opportunity for a Telco M&A Deal. Many of you will have already seen our Blue Book OSS/BSS Vendor Directory, which provides a view into the 500+ solutions that are available on the market. It’s been a real labour-of-love project, draining lots and lots of time and resources to allow us to keep shining a light on the many outstanding suppliers / products in the OSS/BSS space. From a financial perspective, this project has been a total wipe-out, delivering none of the possible benefits I had in mind when embarking on this exercise. None of the benefits I had in mind, but the exercise has had a few quite unintended and unexpected benefits, albeit non-tangible. One of those benefits has been the opportunity to learn a lot more about what’s happening in the vendor landscape and establishing connections with a majority of those 500+ vendors. The secondary benefit that has arisen from this is gaining a dual-sided perspective on the OSS/BSS/telco M&A market. It’s given a deeper understanding of the constant changes that are happening through partnerships, Mergers and Acquisitions. The market awareness has been influential in buyers and investment firms reaching out to PAOSS to show interest in investing in companies in our sector (the buy-side). On the sell-side, the expanded connections with vendors has given a privileged view of some of the companies that are either up for sale or are open to offers (although I’m sure almost every company would be open to the “right” offers!!). For example, at the moment, I’m aware of between 8 to 10 companies that are either up for sale or very open to offers. All are telco-related. Some are directly OSS/BSS companies, others in direct adjacencies. Today’s article is about one of those companies that is actively seeking investment, so I’d like to help them out by bringing it to your attention. The company is financially strong, with annual revenues of around $20 million and importantly is reliably profitable. They operate debt-free and are powered by a team of 150 skilled professionals worldwide. This diverse team provides comprehensive solutions tailored to client needs. To read more, click on the link in the first comment below.

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So, hold on a sec…Is there any chance Telcos in the UK start offering (finally) modern payment methods for their contracts, beyond the comfort zone of the boring and outdated Direct Debit (launched in 1968)? Yes there is! How about paying for your broadband contract the same way you pay for the Tube or your pumpkin spice latté without entering manually your bank details? What if you could pay now hassle-free for your contract on virginmedia.com with Apple Pay, Google Pay and debit/credit card! Finally exiting pilot mode alongside the completion of our Google Cloud migration, we are more than excited to make available to all new customers #ApplePay, #GooglePay, debit/credit card for recurring/contract payments with a tap of button! A UK-industry first which makes Virgin Media O2 one of the few Telcos globally, offering these payment methods for contracts. We always remain commited to be on the forefront of Telco innovation and offer unmatched capabilities on our digital domains! More exciting features coming soon! Daragh Burke Rakesh Radhakrishnan Doychin Sakutov Laura Overgage Suki Sembhi kapil Gupta Kumar Gaurav Jain Ula Mierzwa

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Today we announce Virgin Media O2's Q3 2024 financial results. During Q3 we have continued to make progress against our core strategy as we invest in the foundations for future growth. We delivered on both volume and value in consumer fixed, with a return to customer growth coupled with an increase in fixed-line ARPU. In mobile, we saw a quarterly trend improvement in key metrics, supported by a reduction in O2 churn during a summer of key campaigns for our loyalty programme Priority and inclusive EU roaming. Our 5G and fibre rollout continues at pace, and we have invested more than £1.5 billion so far this year as we focus on delivering a great customer experience with fast, reliable connectivity in more areas, increased loyalty benefits and improvements in our customer service performance. In the first nine months we are tracking well against EBITDA guidance, enabling us to reiterate all guidance metrics with confidence, as we keep our foot on the gas with targeted investments in the salient final quarter. More details on our Earnings release here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/emgmSa4k #VirginMediaO2Results #Q2 #Results #Earnings #FinancialResults #TeamVirginMediaO2

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🚀 Exciting News for Vodafone and Three! 🚀 The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has approved the merger between Vodafone and Three UK, creating the largest mobile network in the country with 27 million customers! 📱 This £16.5 billion deal is set to revolutionize the UK's digital infrastructure by significantly boosting 5G connectivity and enhancing competition. Both companies have committed to investing billions to ensure superior network quality and to protect customers from short-term price hikes. 🌐 Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group’s CEO, stated, "This merger is great for customers, great for competition, and great for the country." With this approval, we can look forward to a future of faster speeds, wider coverage, and better-quality connections across the UK. Read more about this transformative merger here: Vodafone News Centre https://lnkd.in/eekU-jf8 #TheNationsNetowork #Vodafone #ThreeUK #5G #Innovation #DigitalTransformation

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I’m looking forward to moderating the panel on Connectivity & EV infrastructure at Connected Britain. There are a number of similarities between EV charging infrastructure (EVCI) deployment and broadband rollout. I think we will have an interesting discussion about how the national rollout of EVCI can learn from experiences with broadband policy and government intervention in broadband rollout. 

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The Three UK and Vodafone UK merger. Impact on Ireland? Short answer: Different business entities, so no impact here. Long answer: Different business entities, so no impact here...yet. https://lnkd.in/ej4r4t5U

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