International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) announced on Monday that it intends to provide telecom operators Telefonica and Verizon a new 5G service over a cloud platform for the utilization of synthetic intelligence.
Industry leading players like Microsoft and Amazon are contending for a share of 5G revenue by offering telecom operators advanced technological solutions. IBM, in the recent past, acquired a software enterprise RedHat, whose platform the company will use to provide cloud based services to the telecom operators, which would assist them to offer personalized customer support.
No monetary terms had been disclosed concerning the collaboration, which broadened IBM’s present partnerships with the two telecom companies. A cloud platform uses software instead of physical equipment to carry out network functions, aiding telecom operators to build 5G networks faster and sell customized services in a cost effective manner.
Darell Jordan, Vice President of RedHat, told Reuters, “It’s a disruptive time in this particular market segment, telecom companies are trying to position themselves as the destination for services like augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.”
IBM and Telefonica have developed a digital assistant using artificial intelligence that would eliminate friction points, such as long wait times, by automating the handling of frequently asked questions and operations like billing.
Steve Canepa, General Manager for communications and business at IBM, said that they firmly believe that this is an existential moment for the telecom industry as the companies are planning to gain more control over their platforms and redesign their infrastructure in a digital world rather than structured physical models.
