CX in a Mobile World
I wanted to share some of the exciting developments in mobile that I had the pleasure of exploring at the largest and most influential connectivity event in the world, hosted by GSMA.
There are 5.4 billion people with mobile phones which is close to 70% of the world population. The digital transformation which is happening globally today is primarily via mobile in emerging markets like Africa, and it is therefore the catalyst for innovation.
Since the lockdown, the global tourism industry has seen an uptake in "revenge travel" and it was magic to see that the MWC event is almost back to normal in terms of attendance. It is the world's largest and most influential connectivity event. There were more than 88,500 attendees from 202 different countries of whom 56% came from sectors adjacent to the mobile ecosystem which is evidence of "how mobile is changing our lives and transforming industries" according to the GSMA.
Mobile as Mission-Critical for Business
The pandemic has accelerated investments in customer-facing capabilities, including digital self-serve and e-commerce capabilities, and handling the much higher customer demands via their mobile devices.
Mobile apps are a key communication channel. According to BusinessWire, "Mobile devices were provided to 42% of remote workers during the pandemic, many of whom are customer-facing." Companies are training and supporting employees, so they learn how to use these apps to perform their jobs better. They are also preventing the usage of apps that are not company-approved, which allows them to attain a solid ROI as well as reduce security risks. Mobile is mission-critical for businesses and should be prioritised from a customer-centricity perspective.
5G and 6G: The Next Frontier
Some of the highlights for me were intelligent connectivity, especially the fact that there are more than a billion 5G connections already and growing fast (5G speed is up to 1GBPS) and some of the early 6G developments that were demonstrated by Nokia and are due to launch in 2030. Incredibly, 6G will be approximately 30% faster than 5G but it is so much more intelligent.
It was fascinating to see some of the 6G early network designs which showcase the ability of the network to sense, which I guess could be coined as the new "6th sense." In the 6G era, sensing will be a key enabling technology towards the vision of bringing together the digital and physical worlds. The sensing service will be fully integrated into the wireless network for simultaneous operation with communication services.
6G will not only build on existing technologies and systems like artificial intelligence and have a native air interface for AI but also expand and transform what a network can do. In this network of the future, we could avoid traffic accidents by sensing unseen cars. We could interact with machines and robots remotely, seeing what they see, and hearing what they hear, while directing their actions through simple hand gestures captured by the network.
Phygital Integration and Web 3.0
It was incredible to experience this "Phygital" integration and directing things with hand movements as well as seeing a self-driving forklift stop automatically when I was walking nearby giving me the right of way in a simulated factory environment.
Web 3.0 and augmented reality applications were phenomenal, demonstrating the power of merging the physical and digital for education, training and many other applications.
4YFN: The Startup Ecosystem
On the last day, I managed to spend a bit of time at the 4YFN which had almost 800 exhibitors, more than 375 speakers and over 250 pitching sessions. Known as the startup event of the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry, the 4YFN helps to support startups, investors, and companies to connect and launch new business ventures together.
It was great to speak to a few founders and see what new companies and innovations are coming up. We even found an entrepreneur we are looking to back and launch a new business venture together. Bernat is an engineering student from Barcelona that invented "Kombo" - the food service solution for the new workplace, connecting the best local food vendors with consumers in their workplace.
The business solves a problem that many people in the workplace face, which can have a significantly negative impact on health; namely, access to nutritious meals and snacks that are easy, quick to access and cost-effective in the workplace environment.
#DoingSomethingGreat is understanding where technology is going and finding the right business model for innovation. Knowing when, with whom and in what to invest your IP, capital, and passion is what sets successful start-ups apart from others.