How Mobile Phone Networks Are Embracing Artificial Intelligence

We can agree that our smartphones are getting smarter by the day, hence the need for Mobile Phone Networks to tend more towards Artificial Intelligence

Apple was the most recent mobile phone company to proclaim that it would integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its operating system.

Apple Intelligence, also scheduled to be integrated into the Siri chatbot on the phones, is designed to simplify and expedite their operation. And further develop Siri into a personal assistant.

It succeeds Samsung’s Galaxy AI and Google’s Gemini AI for its Pixel handsets.

The increased use of AI will result in a significant increase in the amount of computation that phones will be performing, resulting in a substantial increase in the production and consumption of data.

This will increase the burden on mobile phone networks, including O2, EE, Vodafone, and Three in the United Kingdom.

According to Ian Fogg, director of network innovation at research consultancy CCS Insight, telecommunications companies are beginning to implement AI to assist them in managing their operations.

“AI is being employed by network operators to dynamically manage radio frequencies to ensure the highest possible level of service.” For instance, to optimize the energy consumption of cell towers during periods of diminished demand.

The utilization of AI to manage mobile phone networks has become increasingly widespread.

According to Alex Sinclair, the chief technology officer of the GSMA, the organization that represents global mobile operators, Korea Telecom has been able to identify and resolve issues within a minute in South Korea due to AI-enabled network monitoring.

At the same time, AT&T in the United States employs predictive AI algorithms trained on trillions of previous network alerts to notify the company when an issue is imminent.

Vodafone and other operators continuously monitor their networks’ performance by employing AI digital twins and virtual digital replicas of real-world equipment, such as antennas and masts.

AI is also being employed to regulate the energy consumption of data centers, which are becoming increasingly sizable, optimize storage capacity, and maintain server cooling.

Another reason telecommunications companies worldwide continue to invest in “5G Standalone” mobile networks is the surge in data generated by the growing use of AI.

Rather than partially upgrading the older, less efficient 4G system, these utilize new, dedicated 5G infrastructure.
5G Standalone provides significantly increased speeds and capacity.

However, some experts think that the demands of the AI era will be impossible, even with this more advanced technology.

For instance, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year, specific experts contended that AI will not realize its complete potential until the implementation of 6G in 2028.

Although mobile customers are inclined to recognize the network only when it malfunctions, they are significantly more aware of the reputational harm that can result from subpar customer service.

Therefore, the industry is optimistic that AI will significantly enhance its consumer service and interaction model.

For instance, the Global Telco AI Alliance, a joint venture company comprised of Deutsche Telekom, e&, Singtel, Softbank, and SK Telecom, with 1.3 billion customers in 50 countries, is committed to the creation of an AI chatbot that is specifically designed for the telecommunications industry and the types of inquiries that customers ask.

The Alliance’s founders anticipate that this chatbot, which has been specifically trained, will be capable of addressing the majority of customers’ fundamental inquiries, thereby freeing up contact center personnel to focus on more intricate cases.

In the interim, Vodafone has collaborated with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service to enhance its customer service. This initiative is led by Tobi, Vodafone’s digital assistant, which engages with over 40 million monthly customers in 13 countries and 15 languages.

The more Tobi can address customer inquiries without human intervention, the lower the likelihood of complaints, which benefits corporate reputation and profits.

“We primarily perceive AI as a “virtual assistant” for humans,” explains Scott Petty, Vodafone’s chief technology officer.

“We have already observed that AI is freeing Vodafone employees from tedious, repetitive manual work, allowing them to concentrate on more creative activities that benefit our customers and the environment.”

He also contends that AI frees customer agents to address more intricate cases. Vodafone also claims that Azure OpenAI is facilitating the more effortless discovery of the information customers require on its websites.

The company has observed a twofold increase in the number of effective completed online customer journeys and a 10% decrease in follow-up calls.

Mr. Sinclair of the GSMA is confident that AI could be empowering, particularly for lower-income countries, despite the concern of many commentators that it could result in significant job losses in the telco sector as menial tasks are increasingly automated by software.

“AI will provide emerging markets with a specialized tool to assist them in catching up,” he contends. “We favor attempting to democratize AI to be accessible to all, rather than just the affluent.”

He thinks that the alarmism surrounding AI has been exaggerated, so he adopts a more optimistic outlook.
Ian Fogg of CCS Insight concurs with this perspective: “AI has been utilized for specific [telecoms] applications for several years.”

However, it is currently implemented in many domains, including software, devices, and networks. Consequently, each instrument we employ has the potential to be significantly enhanced.

AI can improve the world’s efficiency and render networks more environmentally friendly.