AI-first and localized digital infrastructure delivery boost international innovation

Digital transformation involves many aspects and a rapidly changing world means that transformation must accelerate. Steven Cho (SC), Whale Cloud International’s Chief Marketing Officer, shares the many innovations his company is bringing to market now and in the future in this Q&A.

TM Forum: At this year's DTW Ignite, what new achievements and highlights will Whale Cloud showcase to the industry?

SC: Whale Cloud will be showcasing a range of strategic innovations that reflect our deep commitment to accelerating digital transformation across the telecom sector. Two core themes will be our focus. We call them AI-inside and Local X.

TM Forum: What does AI-inside mean?

SC: By AI-inside, we mean embedding intelligence across the stack. This is part of Whale Cloud’s AI-first strategy which ensures all our offerings, whether BSS/OSS or industry applications, are infused with AI. This approach is to enable automation, prediction and real-time optimization across various telecom operations.

We are also emphasizing the importance of transforming data into actionable intelligence. Our end-to-end data intelligence solutions include data integration, governance, advanced analytics and AI-driven decision engines. By breaking down data silos and enabling real-time analysis, we help clients shift from reactive to proactive decision-making.

For example, our Digital Experience Platform (DXP) enables telecom operators to deliver a consistent and seamless customer journey across all channels. DXP enables real-time responsiveness and tailored engagement, enhancing user satisfaction.

To help our customers gain strategic business advantage, we have shifted from a traditional, product-focused narrative to one that focuses on strategic outcomes and real-world impact. At DTW Ignite, Whale Cloud aims to demonstrate how intelligent platforms can help operators achieve their business goals, such as agility, automation, new revenue streams and improved user experience.

For example, our Fiber roll-out as a Service solution brings AI capabilities to the planning and deployment of fiber networks to accelerate rollout but also optimize investment and performance. This is a smarter, more cost-effective way to expand broadband.

Our intention is to enable a sustainable and measurable, successful evolution with AI so we’ve introduced the SMART framework, which stands for Speed, Master, Amplify, Review, and Tune. This methodology provides structured, strategic guidance to integrate AI into the telecom ecosystem by aligning it with enterprise-specific data, processes, and business objectives.

The SMART framework facilitates the creation of localized, domain-specific AI models that are finely tuned to the unique challenges and demands of the telecom industry.

TM Forum: What about Local X?

SC: Local X is all about empowering sovereignty and developing the ecosystem in a local public cloud. As sovereignty, data compliance and control over infrastructure are becoming increasingly vital, we are helping operators build localized digital infrastructure. Our Local Public Cloud solution enables clients to establish 100% on-premise, sovereign cloud infrastructure that meets local regulatory and data residency requirements.

We are expanding the localized ecosystem by deploying local mobile payment systems and a Super App. These initiatives have already been successfully launched in various regions, delivering real-world value to our customers and supporting the development of self-sustaining digital economies.

TM Forum: Looking at industry collaboration and ecosystem standards, how do you expect standardization efforts to evolve, particularly TM Forum’s initiatives?

SC: Standardization is becoming an indispensable driver of digital transformation across the telecom industry. We are witnessing a clear trend in which communication service providers (CSPs) are increasingly adopting TM Forum’s Open APIs and the Open Digital Architecture (ODA) framework as standard requirements in their procurement and transformation projects.

Whale Cloud has been at the forefront of this movement. As a founding member of the ODA Component Accelerator (ODA-CA) project, we developed an architecture that complies with TM Forum’s ODA standards, enabling seamless integration and interoperability, and avoiding vendor lock-in for CSPs. Our commitment to these principles is not just theoretical: We have leveraged standard TM Forum Open APIs in several live projects, yielding concrete benefits for operators seeking agility, scalability and vendor neutrality.

We contribute to the evolution of global standards by participating in initiatives, such as ODA and the Catalyst program. These collaborative initiatives allow us to work closely with other industry leaders to co-develop best practices, share insights, and incubate new ideas that can drive the next wave of telecom innovation. Our involvement in these initiatives reflects our belief that an open, standardized ecosystem is critical to achieving true digital transformation.

TM Forum: How is Whale Cloud positioning itself in the face of rapid international market changes?

SC: In response to the fast-evolving global telecom landscape, Whale Cloud is pursuing a multifaceted international strategy designed to deepen partnerships, localize delivery capabilities and export innovation.

We are strengthening international cooperation through strategic alliances with key partners such as ZTE, Alibaba Cloud, and Ant Group. These partnerships allow us to combine strengths and scale our impact across markets, bringing advanced solutions to a broader set of customers.

To ensure successful project delivery and long-term customer engagement, we are investing in the expansion of our overseas teams and enhancing our local implementation and support capabilities. This enables us to execute more end-to-end digital transformation projects with agility and cultural alignment, ensuring that we meet the specific needs of each market we serve.

Additionally, Whale Cloud is focused on exporting China’s most innovative solutions to the international stage. For instance, we are adapting cutting-edge developments from the domestic market – such as low-altitude economy solutions and computing power network. This involves rethinking and tailoring these solutions to align with local regulatory frameworks, economic conditions and technological maturity.

Through these efforts, Whale Cloud aims not only to grow globally but also to contribute meaningfully to the digital evolution of telecom operators worldwide.