What’s up with… GSMA, Vodafone & Microsoft, TalkTalk

• GSMA launches Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap
• Vodafone turns to Microsoft for GenAI support
• TalkTalk secures refinancing support from bondholders

In today’s industry news roundup: The GSMA has launched a responsible AI initiative that has attracted the initial support of 19 major telcos; Vodafone Group is rolling out Microsoft’s 365 Copilot AI software to up to 68,000 staff across multiple countries; beleaguered UK broadband network operator TalkTalk has secured the support it needs for its £400m refinancing deal; and more!

The GSMA, with the support of 19 major telcos, has launched a Responsible AI (RAI) Maturity Roadmap to provide operators with “the tools and guidance to test and assess their responsible use of the technology,” the industry organisation announced on Tuesday morning. The GSMA is aiming to unite the telco sector in using AI “ethically and responsibly – the first time a whole sector has committed to a common approach to AI,” it claimed. In doing so, the industry body has attracted the support of many of the network operator community’s biggest names, which have “committed to using the roadmap as a way of tracking, maintaining and improving their responsible use of AI”: The 19 telcos on board are Axiata, BT Group, Deutsche Telekom, du UEA, e&, Globe, KPN, MTN, Orange, Singtel, STC (Saudi Telecom), Telefónica, Telenor, Telia, Telstra, Turkcell, TIM (Telecom Italia), True and Vodafone. The roadmap, which has been developed using “insights” from management consultancy McKinsey and “a group of operators”, will enable telcos to assess where they currently stand in terms of their existing maturity in using AI responsibly against where they want to go, i.e. their ambitions and needs. It then provides clear guidance and measurement tools to help fulfil those ambitions, while ensuring industry-wide best practice in the responsible use of the technology.” José María Álvarez-Pallete López, board chair at the GSMA and chairman and CEO of Telefónica, stated: “The speed with which AI has now become a central part of tech and telecoms operations demonstrates its power and undoubted value but also the risks we must consider as an industry and the need to include ethics at the heart of AI to prevent its uncontrolled development. It is crucial for us all to ensure responsible guidelines for the use of AI are implemented now, and it is great to see the telecoms industry leading the way on this with the GSMA’s new roadmap.” According to McKinsey’s calculations, the total impact of AI for mobile network operators (MNOs) could range from $450bn to $680bn over the next 15 to 20 years, with the estimated value derived from an analysis of the “top-100 use cases that an MNO could implement.” For more on the way network operators are thinking about, and deploying, AI, check out TelecomTV’s dedicated channel, Telcos & AI. 

Vodafone Group has extended its strategic agreement with Microsoft to roll out Microsoft 365 Copilot AI software to up to 68,000 of its staff across multiple countries. “The generative AI (GenAI) tool will be implemented across the organisation to improve productivity, innovation, and digital efficiency further,” noted Microsoft. “It will free up time spent on monotonous tasks to allow employees to focus on more varied and interesting work, enhancing services and supporting Vodafone’s 350 million customers worldwide,” it added. Vodafone and Microsoft announced a 10-year strategic partnership in January this year and the telco is already using the tech giant’s GenAI technology to enhance its TOBi online chatbot, which is used in customer engagement processes in 13 countries and is programmed to interact in 15 languages. Vodafone Group CTO Scott Petty noted: “Our AI journey is focusing on three areas: Operational efficiency inside the organisation; rewiring the business to provide an enhanced customer experience; and unlocking growth opportunities through new products and services that we can create around generative AI. Copilot will help drive all three.”

UK broadband network operator TalkTalk Group is making good progress with its refinancing efforts. The operator announced on 2 September that it had struck a “binding agreement” with its “major shareholders” for a refinancing package worth £400m that will “leave the company well funded” to deliver on the respective strategic plans of PlatformX Communications (PXC), its wholesale division, and TalkTalk, the retail broadband services business. TalkTalk Group then noted on 16 September that more than 97% of its bondholders have now signed up to the refinancing agreement, allowing the company to move forward with its plans consensually in the “quickest and most cost-effective” way. 

News of the progress comes only days after PlatformX announced it is set to strike a landmark wholesale agreement with UK fibre altnet Netomnia (and its Brsk subsidiary), which has a network footprint of 1.75 million UK premises, making it the fourth-largest broadband network operator in the UK. PXC CEO James Smith noted: “We’re really excited to partner with Netomnia and Brsk. Their ambitions to double their fibre availability across the next year will be crucial for businesses needing more reliable connectivity at better rates. With their network footprint complementing our existing altnet community, this move enables PXC to effectively serve more areas with competitive and dependable fibre, an important step in establishing us as the UK’s leading alternative networks aggregator platform.” Jeremy Chelot, Netomnia CEO, added: “This partnership with PXC represents a transformative milestone for Netomnia and Brsk. As the UK’s fastest-growing full fibre network operator, we’re excited to leverage PXC’s platform to enter the wholesale market, marking a significant phase of growth. This collaboration will accelerate our customer acquisition and help us achieve our goal of serving 1 million customers by 2028, building on the 175,000 already connected. With PXC, we’re set to enhance our market share, reshape the alternative networks landscape, and bring the benefits of ultra-fast fibre connectivity to more homes and businesses across the UK.”

BT Group, Vodafone UK and other leading British businesses have joined The Climate Group in calling on the new UK government, and energy secretary Ed Miliband in particular, to “accelerate reform to the current Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme” in order to “unlock more investment in renewable generation capacity, increase energy security and to bring down costs to support the decarbonisation of the UK grid.” The REGO scheme provides transparency to consumers about the proportion of electricity that suppliers source from renewable electricity, and provides a method for businesses to evidence their greener power procurement in emissions reporting. “The recent volatility in the REGO market underscores the urgent need for reform to ensure greater transparency and certainty for businesses who want to accelerate the transition to net zero,” stated BT’s sustainability director, Rich Marsh. “We recognise the role that businesses must play in this process, and we urge the government to work with industry to create a more predictable and effective system that supports long-term investments in renewable energy and decarbonises the UK grid,” he added. 

– The staff, TelecomTV