Moving to predictive business assurance in the age of AI

You would think there wasn’t much to enjoy about long-haul flights in pre-pandemic days, but I did like the opportunity for some focused thinking time somewhere between naps, snacks, books or movies. Here are three business assurance related critical topics that would definitely have been on my next “flight-thinking list” – fortunately, industry experts are going to be investigating all three in masterclasses and innovative catalysts at TM Forum’s DTW 2020 online event - please join us, (and if you’re a telco, registration is completely free!)

How has the use of machine learning been evolving in business assurance?

Up until recently, only low levels of AI or machine learning were being used for some fraud-detection tasks. (Remember the old “expert systems” technology?) And then, four to five years ago, a few early-adopter communication service providers (CSPs) started to apply modern machine learning tools to revenue assurance and fraud management, and their subsequent, very positive results are encouraging more and more CSPs to adopt machine learning as part of business-assurance best practices. But what’s next for machine learning? Will it become an out-of-the-box solution? Can machine-learning self-tuning outwit changes in fraudsters’ behavior? What are the myths about applying machine learning to business assurance, and what’s the reality?

Join myself alongside colleagues from BT, Rogers Communications, A1, and Deutsche Telekom for a masterclass discussion about these and other critical issues in the interactive masterclass: Moving to predictive Business Assurance in the age of AI, on 15:30 - 16:50 CET | Wednesday 28 October 2020

What’s the impact of 5G on business assurance?

5G is going to be much, much more than just “a faster 4G” – it’s not only going to transform the network but the whole ecosystem, and the technical capabilities of 5G such as dynamic slicing, and low latency, combined with edge computing are opening the door for innovative monetization options. But can business assurance support 5G and all the new risks that come with it? Can business assurance offer more than being a second layer of defense in the 5G world?

[Spoiler alert – YES!] A new global proof of concept Catalyst – AI-driven Business Assurance for 5G – led by Amdocs which includes BT, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and T-Mobile Netherlands introduces AI-driven business-assurance innovations for the 5G ecosystem and demonstrates how AI-driven business assurance becomes a powerful tool for 5G dynamic slicing, real-time customer experience measurement, and improving 5G monetization. The Catalyst also creates industry best-practices for using these innovations in multiple 5G-scenario use cases, including Covid-19-related eHealth services.

How business assurance must support complex multi-partner ecosystems

Marketplaces are, or should be, every CSP’s dream objective: they enable CSPs to create more value and additional revenues from existing resources via a fully automated environment that permits partners to be seamlessly onboarded, offers to be created on the fly, an API-based economy. But achieving simplicity and transparency can be quite complex, and CSPs need to keep both partners and consumers happy. This includes preventing fraud, ensuring fair and correct settlements, etc. Marketplaces are created with all these goals in mind, but they do need an appropriate business-assurance layer. And while it is possible to apply traditional business assurance techniques, it means a huge amount of work, cost and time is required when onboarding each partner to create the appropriate controls.

Find out about an innovative alternative business assurance approach that is being successfully tested by CSPs in the Mega Catalyst – ecosystem assurance (time TBD) and discussed in the Catalyst showcase panel: Is business assurance critical in ecosystems on Thursday 22 October 2020 at DTW.

By the way, the second thing I like (or even ‘liked’) – the most about long-haul flights is the (safe) landing!