Mobile World Live brings you our top three picks of the week, with speakers at Digital Transformation World detailing AI and turnaround strategies, Elon Musk proposing a monthly fee for X and contract manufacture Foxconn revealing plans to double the size of its business in India.
Telia boss urges telcos to clarify why they exist
What happened: Telco executives in Copenhagen pushed for operators to reinvent for the digital age and debated best practices for implementing ethical principles for AI.
Why it matters: Telia CEO Allison Kirkby urged operators to remember to focus on the core, “because that’s how we believed we could first get back to growth”. Meanwhile, digital bosses from Vodafone UK and BT Group debated which groups should be responsible for defining ethical principles for AI, showcasing a divide over how much responsibility those building the systems should have.
Musk raises prospect of charging for X in bot battle
What happened: In an effort to combat the presence of bots on the platform, owner Elon Musk suggested the social media platform formerly known as Twitter could introduce a monthly subscription fee.
Why it matters: X previously introduced a premium service called X Premium, but access to the wider platform is currently free to all, with a shift to a paid model a bold step and likely to turn away most users. Various media described Musk’s proposal to move to a paywall as “dropping a bombshell”, and a number of posts on X suggested users aren’t sure if they can afford another service.
How fast can Foxconn gear up in India?
What happened: iPhone maker Foxconn outlined plans to ramp up its presence in India by doubling investment and employment, with chair Liu Young tipping the south Asian nation to become a new manufacturing centre for the world.
Why it matters: Apple is diversifying production geographically by capitalising on a growing labour market in India. Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia expects the country to account for as much as 25 per cent of total iPhone output in 2025, up from the current 7 per cent. Opensignal VP of analysis Ian Fogg, however, noted shifting significant amounts of iPhone production outside of China is a long process because of the ongoing dependence on component suppliers in China.
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