VIDEO INTERVIEW: As Jon Fredrik Baksaas enters into his final weeks as Telenor CEO, he advised successor Sigve Brekke to focus on teamwork, stating the role “is not a one man job”, while heralding expansion into Asia as one of his biggest achievements during 13 years at the helm.

Baksaas will still maintain a keen eye on the industry as he continues with his role as GSMA chairman until at least next year.

Speaking to Mobile World Live in one of his final interviews as Telenor CEO before his departure on 17 August, Baksaas said he is especially proud of the company’s presence in six Asian countries, with its “last entry into Myanmar as a strong element to that story”.

On some of the bigger challenges facing operators, Baksaas said the GSMA, over the last three or four years, had placed a better focus on important industry issues, when “we were previously a little bit too blinded by the big figures we managed to produce in terms of connections”, and he hoped to continue addressing those big questions going forward.

Also on the agenda in the interview was his vision for the evolving role of operators across the entire telecoms ecosystem, both on the service and handset side. He also provided a very realistic take on challenges the industry could face in implementing “Same services, Same rules”; the idea that OTT players could be subject to the same regulation as operators.

To hear his views on the issue, and watch the full interview, click here.