LIVE FROM DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WORLD, NICE: Senior representatives from Italian operator Wind Tre and Canadian provider Telus highlighted the importance wider organisational issues and aims play as they pursue increased adoption of digital technology.

Speaking in a session on 2025 Digital Operator, Wind Tre CIO Rob Visser (pictured, second from left) said operators must not forget the human element, with reskilling employees seen as central to the Italian company’s strategy.

“There is only one budget that is unlimited and that’s our training budget. We really incentivise people to become experts in AI and machine learning, whereas to be honest those things don’t exist [on their own]. There is no machine that learns, there is no artificial intelligence, it’s human intelligence.”

Commenting on vendor marketing and pressure towards digitalisation, he added: “I don’t believe digital is a strategy in itself. Digital is not a goal, it’s a means. We don’t have a digital strategy, we have a strategy to make our customers happy.”

Visser added technologies associated with digital transformation were also creating jobs in his company, such as in data science.

Telus digital solutions VP Harry McIntosh (pictured, second from right) said its digital efforts were not so it could be “a better telco, but a better business”, adding the strategy was “not about digital KPIs but company KPIs.”

McIntosh added the agility brought by new technologies would help the company move into new sectors more easily.