LIVE FROM TIP FYUZ24, DUBLIN: Chris Penrose, global head of business development, telco, at Nvidia (pictured), branded AI the killer 5G app the industry had long sought as he explained operators are among the biggest users of the technology and, in turn, are reaping the greatest benefits so far.

Penrose explained operators are going beyond initial uses of AI in their networks by employing generative iterations to bolster customer experience and internal operations. He explained there is no part of a telecom business which cannot be touched by the technology, noting many are now moving beyond proof-of-concepts to commercial rollouts.

These rollouts involve connecting a growing number of devices: Penrose listed XR and AR wearables, cameras, drones, cars and robotics as examples of the list of endpoints, noting the next step is to enable people to “interact with the data” the products generate in real-time.

“You’re going to see more and more traffic being generated” from devices beyond smartphones, with generative AI then used to “create amazing outcomes”.

Numbers game
Penrose had plenty of statistics to support his predictions. He said a system created by Amdocs to handle incoming billing support queries had delivered a 60 per cent reduction in the average call time and a 49 per cent bump in customer satisfaction.

“This is perfect: we’re not only seeing happier customers but also major efficiency gains”.

A project with SoftBank Corp which Nvidia provided a more general update on earlier today (13 November) put a more practical slant on the benefits of generative AI in RAN, with Penrose stating the Japanese operator reported a $5 return on every $1 pumped into capex, a 219 per cent return-on-investment and a 40 per cent improvement in energy efficiency.

Penrose predicts operators will increasingly employ generative AI for RAN and other key business functions, but argued partnerships will be key to matching their requirements, pointing to a recent collaboration Nvidia announced with T-Mobile US, Ericsson and Nokia targeting efficiency gains across metrics including energy and spectrum.