In almost every conversation, I’m astounded by the amount of folks who mention the recent disruption that’s occurred in this industry. As the old adage goes: “…the only constant has been change.” Digital disruption has fueled digital transformation, and with the proliferation of companies offering broader arrays of services, enterprises are scrambling to keep up and offer newer and better things. There’s been major consolidation across Telco and Media, and the fight for audience and revenue is more fierce than ever. As we have seen in these last few weeks, there have been industry changing merger talks between Warner Media and Discovery, Bouygues and M6 Groupe from Bertelsmann, and even Amazon and MGM. While we’re proud and confident in our most recent acquisitions, it’s safe to say that the competition is heating up.

1. NEWSLETTER Microsoft in Telecom Customers Partners Events
Bob De Haven
General Manager, Worldwide
Media & Communications
In almost every conversation, I’m astounded by the amount of folks who mention the recent disruption that’s
occurred in this industry. As the old adage goes: “…the only constant has been change.” Digital disruption has
fueled digital transformation, and with the proliferation of companies offering broader arrays of services,
enterprises are scrambling to keep up and offer newer and better things.
There’s been major consolidation across Telco and Media, and the fight for audience and revenue is more fierce
than ever. As we have seen in these last few weeks, there have been industry changing merger talks between
Warner Media and Discovery, Bouygues and M6 Groupe from Bertelsmann, and even Amazon and MGM. While
we’re proud and confident in our most recent acquisitions, it’s safe to say that the competition is heating up.
I can’t wait to see where the end of FY21 takes us, and where we’ll go in FY22!

2. MICROSOFT IN TELECOM
Microsoft accelerates telco transformation
In this video, learn how #Microsoft empowers telecommunications
organizations to achieve more with our trusted and secure platforms.
Supported by a comprehensive partner ecosystem, with industry-leading
solutions for workplace modernization, OSS/BSS, network management,
customer experiences, and new product and service innovation.
For more, visit: microsoft.com/telco
Harness the power of AI, Automation, and Analytics (A3)
The benefits of A3 (AI, Automation, and Analytics) can impact every part of
an organization, from network automation and incident management to
customer care and lead generation.
Harness the power of A3 to enhance your operations (infographic)
The financial value of analytics, artificial intelligence and automation (A3)
Harness the power of analytics, artificial intelligence and automation (A3)
Get to the core of 5G private wireless networks with this new report
Private wireless networks will play a central role in delivering new enterprise
applications across nearly all industry sectors. Interest in private 5G and LTE
networks is growing among large enterprises, government agencies,
municipalities, and utilities. But this nascent market is complex and can be
difficult to gauge because it spans various technologies and technology
vendors. To help you navigate this exciting market, the research firm
Futuriom has issued a new report on Private Wireless and Local
Cloud Trends.

3. 5G Whitepaper: Creating Enterprise-Friendly Policies | Why Private 5G
Networks are Important
Full report & recommendations on Enterprise & Private 5G, especially
aimed at policymakers and regulators.
It explains the complex dynamics linking Enterprises, MNOs and
Governments – explaining the motivations of each around connectivity, 5G
deployment choices, IoT and the broader impacts and trade-offs around the
economy and productivity.
STIR/SHAKEN and robocall mitigation – countdown to the deadline
This, the latest in our series of blog posts on the topic of STIR/SHAKEN and
robocalling, switches gears and looks at the regulations rather than the
technology. This is because the regulatory deadlines are coming thick and
fast. Read on to find out more..

4. Are your business customers ready for hybrid working?
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted much of the world’s workforce.
Office employees have had to find spaces to work whenever and wherever
they can in their homes, and sometimes even in their cars. For the most
part, businesses adapted quickly, and operators’ broadband networks
proved robust in supporting millions of remote workers. Operators also
helped their business customers of all sizes to collaborate, remain
productive, and engage with clients by providing services built upon
communications tools and software from companies like Metaswitch and
Microsoft.
Creating business solutions starts with listening to your customers
I’ve noticed a surge of research and statistics flooding the market after this
unprecedented year. Beginning in the fall of 2020, reams of studies and
forecasts are being released to quell our thirst for qualitative evidence of
what will be the long-term impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, ranging
from “the workplace of the future” to commercial real estate pricing in
metropolitan areas and housing shortages in rural America. If you look for
it, you’ll likely find data to back up any hypothesis about the pandemic’s
effect on culture and the economy.
Equinix Recognizes 2020 Partner Award Winners – Interconnections
With Azure ExpressRoute deployed in 26 Equinix metros on five continents,
Microsoft is one of our strongest cloud partners driving growth for Equinix
Fabric. In 2020, as remote work created a surge in traffic for virtual desktop
infrastructures (VDI), Microsoft worked with Equinix to help our joint
customers scale their remote worker access to Azure cloud services and
Microsoft 365 applications via Equinix Internet Exchange ISP aggregation.
4 ways COVID altered media and communications—and how those
industries are responding
COVID-19 so drastically disrupted every facet of life that it can be hard to
keep track of it all. Changes in how we communicate and consume
information—and in how content is created—accompanied pandemic-
related shutdowns on sets and studios worldwide.
Like many other things we took for granted, those forums shifted into
cyberspace. Media companies also became even more reliant on the
telecommunications side of the industry. At the same time, telco was

5. working on its own capacity to maintain continuity of business amid a
significant spike in demand for bandwidth and connectivity.
Dynamics 365
Telecommunications Accelerator
Five Metrics to a Successful 5G Digital Transformation
Most of us are familiar with the concept of total cost of ownership, or TCO.
But I would submit that the total value of ownership (TVO) is a far more
relevant metric when weighing the investment of 5G digital transformation.
A more relevant metric is needed because 5G transformation is so different
from the network transformations of the past, both in terms of what it
requires and what it can achieve.
Digital transformation 1.0 centered mostly on CapEx reduction through
virtualization. The goal was to decouple the hardware from the software to
give telco operators more flexibility and efficiency in how they deployed
their networks as well as who they partnered with to deploy them. While
this first wave of digital transformation did reduce costs, it didn’t present
many opportunities for new revenue creation.
Fuel automation and innovation with Power Apps for the Telco Industry
The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Telecommunications Accelerator expands the
Common Data Model to include 16 new attributes based on a subset of the
specifications of the TM Forum Open Digital Framework and in response to
input provided by Microsoft’s broad ecosystem of Telecommunications ISV
and System Integrator partners. Like the seven other industry accelerators
already published, this new Telecommunications Accelerator extends and
customizes the capabilities of the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365
products to enable telco-specific application design and development and fuel
new innovation and automation for network operators, internet service
providers, and mobile carriers.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
• Futuriom Report – Private Wireless and Local Cloud Trends
• Business Services for the New Worker Paradigm
• Microsoft outlines open RAN vision | Mobile World Live
• Metaswitch Talks Microsoft and Hybrid Working | UC Today
• Digital transformation is no longer just a competitive edge, but critical
for business resilience
• How telcos can make the edge their own | TM Forum Inform
• Microsoft collaborates with the Nigerian government to accelerate digital
transformation in the country
• Hybrid Networks: Integrated Provisioning for Virtual and Physical
Networks - Affirmed Networks
• Microsoft Azure: This new developer kit helps to bust the myth that AI is
hard | TechRepublic
• Oracle HA in Azure- Options – Microsoft Tech Community
• Answering Europe’s Call: Storing and Processing EU Data in the EU

6. • Hyperscale Cloud and Mobile Core: Why They’re Better Together
• Biometrics Can Do More Than Fight Fraud
• 4 NFVI Design Choices & The Economic Impact – Affirmed Networks
• Azure Percept Channel – All about Edge AI
• US operators' edge strategies are still evolving | Light Reading
• Microsoft rides high as cloud streak rolls on | FierceTelecom
• Microsoft announces plans to establish its first datacenter region in
Malaysia as part of “Bersama Malaysia” initiative to support inclusive
economic growth
• Microsoft rides high as cloud streak rolls on | FierceTelecom
• Secure Remote Work Practice Development playbook
• Oracle launches second cloud region in Brazil | BNamericas
• Microsoft is a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Low-Code Development
Platforms for Professional Developers, Q2 2021
• Rural Broadband – Examining Internet Connectivity Needs and
Opportunities in Rural America | House Agriculture Committee
• Microsoft introduces Telecommunications Accelerator for Dynamics 365
and Power Platform
CUSTOMERS
Telefónica Tech partners with Microsoft to provide the industrial sector with private 5G
connectivity and on-premises edge computing
Telefónica Tech, Telefónica’s digital business holding company, today announced the
signing of a Collaboration Agreement with Microsoft on Azure Private Edge Zone. The
integration combines Telefónica' Private 5G connectivity with Microsoft's Edge Computing
capabilities on customer premise, to drive the digital transformation of our clients and to
enable the automation and control of their industrial processes.
Within the Industry 4.0 and digital transformation strategy, the joint vision of both
companies is to facilitate the deployment of industrial 5G communications and computing
solutions on premise under an integrated architecture.
This model accelerates the adoption of new business processes, included within the
concept of “Smart Factory”, where the digitization of equipment, intensive use of
computing and artificial intelligence to facilitate business decision-making and the security
of data, which never leaves enterprise premises, are key points.

7. Telia simplifies processes, streamlines POS, and improves customer
experience with Dynamics 365
As the largest telecommunications company in Sweden, Telia wanted to
streamline its inventory and sales processes and create a trusted experience
for customers. It considered how to connect Microsoft Dynamics 365 with
its existing SAP systems while reducing the number of total systems and
simplifying day-to-day tasks for staff. Telia adopted several Dynamics 365
business applications—Commerce, Supply Chain Management, and
Finance—along with Microsoft Power BI. As a result, the company cut its
number of disparate systems in half, gained the ability to tightly track
inventory, improved its sales, and created a faster, more personalized
shopping experience for its customers.
LG Uplus builds modern collaborative work environment
South Korea’s LG Uplus, the company behind the world’s first nationwide
LTE network, seeks to continue leading the telecommunications industry in
the 5G era. Part of retaining that lead meant improving internal systems and
shifting its working style to more agile methods. LG Uplus saw virtual
working environments and collaboration tools as necessary elements to
ensure continuous productivity. To bring this digital transformation
roadmap to life, LG Uplus used solutions such as Microsoft Teams and
Microsoft 365 E3.
Axiata gets it all: elevated worker ease and tighter cybersecurity with
Microsoft passwordless solutions
When Malaysian telecom giant Axiata Group Berhad embarked on a
campaign to fine-tune its security practices, it first looked at passwords.
Workers balked at the traditional password upgrade: adding characters.
Group Information Security leadership was sympathetic but was initially
stymied in its search for the ultimate solution with ease of use and
improved security. It found what it was seeking in Microsoft passwordless
solutions, especially the biometric Windows Hello for Business sign-in
system. Now with passwordless technology deployed to all employees at its
Deutsche Telekom’s move to cloud supports next-generation IMS with
Metaswitch
Deutsche Telekom’s (DT’s) next-generation IMS (NIMS) project in Germany
is a radical implementation of an IMS for fixed-line voice services based on
DevOps automation principles and a cloud-native telco cloud. Few
operators have achieved such a far-reaching deployment of a critical
network function in the cloud at scale and with industry-leading levels of
operational automation. The NIMS project has overcome challenges
associated with the telco cloud in the areas of technology immaturity,
robustness, performance and availability thanks to the exceptional

8. headquarters and rolling out to its subsidiaries, Axiata benefits from the
seamless connections between this and an array of other Microsoft security
solutions.
collaboration that DT has fostered with its technology partners and the
pioneering developments that they have achieved in the area of telco cloud
automation. These achievements have resulted from the ambitious vision
that DT set out for its NIMS project, which builds on earlier transformational
targets for the fixed voice network.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
• Automating Voice Services from the Cloud – The Strategy behind DT’s
NIMS
• Lumen drives the customer experience, keeps employees connected
with Microsoft Teams
• Singtel readies 5G standalone network access with SIM cards | ZDNet
• SK Telecom to support ESG startups with Microsoft, SAP
• SES to colocate four satellite ground stations at Microsoft data center
sites | DCD
• SES Exec Details Ground Station of the Future for O3b mPOWER
• Telefonica targets private 5G boost with Microsoft deal | Mobile World
Live
• Telefonica, Microsoft Partner for Private 5G and Edge Computing | The
Fast Mode
• Telefónica teams with Microsoft Azure on private 5G networks |
TelecomTV
• Telefonica taps Microsoft as private 5G teammate | FierceWireless
• Vonage Makes Microsoft Teams Smarter and a Central Hub for
Communications
PARTNERS
MYCOM OSI’s Assurance Cloud Service™ Launches on Microsoft Azure
MYCOM OSI, the Assurance Cloud Company™ and leading independent
provider of Assurance, Automation and Analytics solutions to the world’s
largest Communications Service Providers (CSPs), today announced the
launch of its Assurance Cloud Service™ (ACS) on Microsoft Azure.
Carma Now Available on Microsoft AppSource
Carma Inc, announced the availability of Carma on Microsoft AppSource, an
online cloud marketplace providing tailored line-of-business solutions.
Carma is a telecommunications and data center specific platform that
consolidates Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Operational

9. A significant milestone in MYCOM OSI’s ongoing rapid global expansion;
the launch follows the success of its Assurance Cloud Service™, which today
is used to assure carrier-grade, differentiated network and service quality
for global Tier-1 CSPs including Globe Telecom, Magenta Telekom, Three
UK and others.
Support System (OSS), and Business Support System (BSS) functions across
all industry verticals and organization roles. Every Carma user, including
end-customers using Carma’s Customer Facing Portals, leverages a single
Microsoft Dataverse environment across departments and perspectives to
unify situational awareness of the business. Carma consolidates over 20
different classes of siloed systems, often duplicated for each legacy
company, into an integrated platform that spans the complete customer
experience from lead to invoice generation. The result is a more capable,
more robust, more secure, and dramatically less expensive platform than
traditional ecosystems.
Amdocs to Accelerate M1’s Digital Transformation on Microsoft Azure
Amdocs (NASDAQ: DOX), a leading provider of software and services to
communications and media companies, today announced that M1 Limited
(M1), a leading digital network operator in Singapore, has selected its
Openet charging and data management products to accelerate the digital
transformation programs on Microsoft Azure. The Amdocs Openet cloud-
native solution will support M1’s hyper-personalized offerings by enabling
M1 to offer, manage and monetize a wide range of digital and 5G services.
Additionally, Amdocs will also provide the real-time usage data for M1’s
customers to further tailor their digital experience.
ETI Leads with Microsoft’s new Telecommunications Accelerator
Microsoft partnered with ETI Software Solutions to expand its Common
Data Model to include new industry-specific attributes based on the TM
Forum Open Digital Framework. The collaboration extends the capabilities
of Microsoft solutions for the telecommunications industry – enabling
solutions that deliver new insights and more personalized customer
engagements spanning the full subscriber lifecycle.
As described by Rick Lievano, Microsoft CTO for the Telecommunications
Industry, “The new Dynamics 365 Telecommunications Accelerator extends
and customizes the capabilities of the Power Platform and Dynamics 365
products to enable telco-specific use cases and fuel new innovation and
automation for network operators, internet service providers, and mobile
carriers. The goal is to enable the rapid development and deployment of
telco customer service capabilities that leverage automation to address
current business challenges such as address management, enhanced field
service and truck management, improved subscriber management,

10. personalization in packaging and bundling, network management,
customer self-care, network optimization and planning, or any other
business optimization.”
ADDITIONAL NEWS
• Netcracker – Building a Vertical Business with Edge Cloud and an Open
Ecosystem
• CSG: A Cloud-First Leader in Digital Transformation
• Busting the Biggest Myths Surrounding the Public Cloud | CSG
• Back to work safely with IoT | Axonize
• Determine Your Best Approach to Voice Enable Microsoft Teams | Yeastar
• Thrio Offers Microsoft Teams Integration | Thrio
• Extending Teams into your contact centre: 4 keys to a successful
migration | Enghouse
EVENTS
Microsoft Build
Explore what’s next in tech and the future of hybrid work. Join us May 25–27, 2021 at Microsoft Build.
Discover solutions, sharpen skills, and find out what you can add to your toolbox at this year’s event.

11. TM Forum Digital Transformation World Series 2021
Join us from 22 September – 14 October for a hybrid event, covering the
top questions the industry is asking – showcasing the visionaries,
trailblazers, practical learnings, case studies and expert insights shaping the
industry. Across four weeks, all content will be live streamed from our award
winning in-house studio.
As the pandemic continues to make international travel a risk, we want to
bring essential face-to-face interaction to you. New this year will be a series
of one-day in-person roadshow events in major cities, hosted by members
in locations where it is safe to do so.
Deutsche Telekom & partner Metaswitch discuss the NIMS project: An
open, multi-vendor telco cloud architecture
What: Deutsche Telekom has transformed their IMS service through
automation and cloudification.
Why: Deutsche Telekom and its partners share their experience and give
you an exclusive insight into key aspects of the project through individual
interviews, panel discussions and a live Q&A.
Supporting the Hybrid Workplace with Metaswitch and Microsoft
In the hybrid workplace that many of us find ourselves in today, it can be
difficult to feel connected with colleagues and customers. To restore these
connections, organizations are turning to Operators to establish
engagement with Metaswitch MaX UC and connecting voice calling to
Microsoft Teams.
• Join us to hear how Metaswitch is supporting operators like you to
reap the benefits that come by addressing the complex needs of the
hybrid workplace.
FutureNet World – Modernize and Monetize for Disruptive Telcos |
Affirmed
Watch On-Demand. Broadcast live at FutureNet World on the 20th April
2021.
Ashwin Moranganti, Chief Product Officer at Affirmed Networks (a
Microsoft Company) presents Modernize and Monetize for Disruptive
Telcos

12. Accelerating Azure Edge AI | Edge Vision
This video shows our vision for democratizing AI at the edge in the context
of Azure Edge Devices Platform and services.
BCG expert sits down with Microsoft to discuss edge computing
BCG expert Jonas Flø Aarsnes sits down with Microsoft's Daniel Reime to
discuss edge computing and how to develop their edge strategy.
https://on.bcg.com/3srxrwy
Dev Show: AI at the edge and lap around Azure Percept Dev Toolkit
The edge is heating up when it comes to cloud solutions and its where a lot
of innovation is happening between hyperscalers, telcos and SIs/ISVs/.
Deploying virtualised 5G networks in practice
Managing expectations. Rolling out 5G in real life, on-the-ground
situations, is of course a multi-step challenge (no more fixed hardware,

13. This session will not only be a practical introduction to Edge solutions but
also a dive into some use cases with real world applicability on real
hardware.
Come join this session if you want to know more about Azure Percept and
its applications to Edge AI.
density, creating standalone networks), but is the ‘dream’ too far-fetched?
This is the final event of four in this month's Virtual Network SIG series.
ADDITIONAL EVENTS
• Nuance and Microsoft Roundtable on “You Can’t Fight Fraud in Silos”
• Story Labs 360: Azure Orbital connects the cloud to space
• Live Video Analytics AI at the Edge
• Simplify & Scale Industrial IoT with Octave™ and Microsoft Azure IoT
• Technical Fireside Chat | Troubleshooting MS Teams Voice Migrations
• Employee engagement in the new world of work
• Automating TELCO Customer Service through AI | ebo.ai
• Story Labs 360: A datacenter in the deep – YouTube
RESOURCES
Learn more about Microsoft and the Telco industry
For more information, please contact us
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