Category: Telecom

Security Scares – 5 Stories in the News About Fraud and Risks in the Telecom World

The telecom industry is growing rapidly and becoming a pivotal enabler of the world’s progress. Various factors, like the advent of 5G, remote and hybrid work, rising demand for high-speed data services, etc., are now seen as integral to this growth. Of course, the use of IoT, AI, and edge computing has also catapulted the telecom industry to the forefront in the business innovation stakes.

According to Statista’s research, $1.5 trillion will be spent worldwide on telecom this year alone. While this shows the size and scale of the industry, some concerns remain persistent. Key among those are concerns about rising fraud in the telecom industry worldwide. In 2021, the telecom industry worldwide lost about $40 billion due to fraud.

Let’s find out how fraud in telecom industry has shocked companies, customers, and lawmakers and why a robust fraud management system in telecomis necessary to curb them.

Five Stories of Fraud in Telecom World

To better elucidate the impact of telecom fraud, here’s a rundown of the five security scares that plagued the telecom industry:

1. Why Vodafone Is Issuing Warning About Wangari Fraud

Wangari is a Japanese term that means one and cut. In this scam, the scammers call a targeted list of subscribers and hang up the phone before they answer. They usually call at a time when the subscriber is less likely active. When the subscriber calls back on that number, the call is re-routed to an international premium number, and they are charged for the call.

Owing to the growing number of Wangiri frauds, Vodafone recently released an official security memo, warning users to exercise caution and avoid returning calls to unknown numbers. They added that users who are not careful about such fraud in telecom would be left with a hefty bill without realizing it.

2. How SIM Box Fraud Cost Telecom Companies $3 Billion

A SIM box is a hardware device. It allows operators to manage SIM cards from different service providers and access GSM gateways located in different places. Operators usually use it to route Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls through local GSM networks. This is done to avoid paying international calling tariffs.

Recently, telecom providers have witnessed an increase in SIM Box fraud. In this fraud, international numbers pretend to be local numbers and cost telecom companies the international call fees. According to the Communications Fraud Control Association (CFCA), SIM Box fraud cost the telecom industry $3.11 billion in 2021.

SIM Box fraud has emerged as the topmost telecom fraud in recent years. Besides losing revenue, telecom companies also lose their reputation as end users suffer from poor service quality. As such, they need to improve telecom security to reduce such fraud.

3. Scammers Steal Bank Information in the Name of 5G SIM Upgrade

As customers mull over upgrading to 5G, telecom companies and state police departments in India are issuing warnings about 5G fraud. In this fraud, customers receive text messages with a link to upgrade their SIM card from 4G to 5G. When the customer clicks on the link, there is a risk of hackers hacking the phone and stealing personal and bank information.

According to police departments, there have been instances of accounts getting emptied due to the 5G SIM upgrade scam. Telecom companies and police departments have clarified that upgrading SIM cards to 5G is not necessary. The 5G connection will work on compatible smartphones with the old 4G SIM.

4. How Mobile Users Lost $58 Billion in 2023 Due to Robocalls

Popularized during COVID-19, robocalls are automated calls where a recorded voice speaks instead of a live person. Robocalls are typically used for selling products, sending reminders, or providing information. However, scammers are also using them to steal money or personal information from customers.

According to Juniper’s research, mobile users lose $58 billion worldwide due to scam calls like robocalls. The report predicts that by 2027, the losses will reach $70 billion globally. North America continues to be one of the most affected regions.

5. IRSF Losses Have Increased Six-Fold Over the Past Decade

International Revenue Share Fraud (IRSF) is a type of fraud where scammers use illegal ways to access an operator’s network. This allows them to perform illicit activities, such as:

  • Increasing the volume of international traffic to high-cost destinations with revenue-sharing agreements
  • Generating revenue by using complex pricing structures for international calls and SMS traffic

Recent studies show that IRSF losses have increased more than six-fold over the past decade. Such fraud can also lead to revenue leakage for telecom companies and leave customers unhappy due to unnecessary financial loss.

It’s critical that companies use telecom security solutions powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). They can help detect IRSF patterns early and curb them on time. Otherwise, companies will likely lose more revenue and customer trust in the future.

How Can Telecom Companies Combat These Frauds?

Fraud in telecom industry is not new. However, it has become more sophisticated and widespread in recent times, wiping out unsuspecting customers’ entire savings.

These frauds are not only impacting the revenue of telecom companies, but they are also at risk of losing customers. Trust between customers and telecom companies is eroding due to issues like:

  • Poor call quality
  • Identity theft
  • Overcharging
  • Charging for unused services

The only way to prevent such fraud is by using an anti-fraud solution. A traditional fraud detection system for telecom may no longer be able to detect and solve such sophisticated fraud. These systems are more reactive than proactive.

What companies need is a modern solution that:

  • Uses AI and ML to detect fraud and anomalies in real-time
  • Makes proactive decisions to curb the identified anomalies

At Globe Teleservices, we have built a robust fraud detection solution called Armour Firewall Solution to safeguard customers from fraud like:

  • Wangari attacks
  • SIM farming
  • Robocalling
  • IRSF
  • International outbound call fraud

The solution uses AI/ML algorithms to detect such emerging threats and empower telecom companies to stop them before they escalate further. To know more about Armour Firewall Solution and other fraud detection systems in the telecom industry, contact us. We will help you prevent fraud, save your reputation, and improve the trust between you and your customers.

The Data Domain – Why Modern Telecom Companies Need Data Products

With advancements in 5G technology and the increasing use of smartphones, telecom companies are looking to the future with renewed hope. The global shift to remote working has further contributed to the growth of the industry, with reports suggesting the global telecom market to reach $3.4 trillion by 2025. While this growth is encouraging – and seems sustainable – it also brings about its own challenges, like causing a massive amount of data to flow through telecom networks.

The Data Imperative in the Telecom Industry

Like businesses across other sectors, telecom companies are also increasingly relying on data to run their business and enhance profitability. They need to harness the power hidden in their data to provide elevated customer experiences, an emerging and ever-present challenge for telecom companies. Telecom companies are also waking up to the need to expand their service offerings beyond merely providing communication services. They recognize that they must make the most of the customer data at their disposal to enable a new generation of revenue opportunities by becoming digital service providers.

So, why do telcos need to capitalize on growing volumes of data?

Let’s look at all the things data helps telecom companies achieve:

  • Optimize networks: Live data analysis can enable telecom companies to get insight into performance issues and take steps to proactively resolve them. Active network data monitoring helps optimize network potential, reduce congestion, and achieve strategic goals amid increasing scale and complexity.
  • Enhance customer experience: Active data monitoring enables telecom companies to identify when and where to expand capacity for enhanced customer experience.
  • Improve security: Constant data analysis enables telecom companies to identify security gaps and loopholes, enabling prompt action to prevent fraud and theft.
  • Enable and ensure compliance: With the telecom sector exposed to regular scrutiny, the right approach to data can also aid companies in highlighting compliance gaps and bottlenecks. This can help them make the right decisions and adhere to growing regulations in a rapidly-changing environment.

But if companies want to act on this data, they need to find a way to rapidly store, process, and extract useful insights from the available data and use them to make critical business decisions like how to personalize offerings to drive customer engagement, retention, and loyalty. And the best way to do this is by investing in the right data products.

What This Means for Telecom Companies

Leveraging data to make intelligent business decisions and driving the business to the pinnacle of success is on every telco’s mind. But wanting to make the most of data is not just about adopting generic big data analytics solutions. Telecom companies have to relook at their existing tech stack and invest in data products that have been curated keeping the precise nuances of the sector in mind.

Designing and implementing forward-thinking telecommunication solutions can enable companies to exploit data-driven technology products that keep business needs at the centre of development. By uncovering detailed insights into every aspect of the business, telcos can deliver with speed, respond with agility, and drive competitive advantage. For instance, the right data products can enable telecom companies to gain insights into network capacity, effectively planning for trunk and route management.

They can also identify fraudulent activities in the network like revenue share fraud, roaming fraud, robocalling, VoIP & SIP fraud, and more.

Telecom-specific data products ensure seamless integration with the existing business ecosystem helping companies achieve the best results.

How To Build the Right Data Products

Despite various market tools, standard solutions can’t address the telecom industry’s unique challenges effectively due to its specific requirements.

To overcome issues around cybersecurity, network congestion, and complex operational processes, companies need highly tailored data products that can cater to telecom-specific needs. These solutions leverage human intelligence with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable enterprises to streamline tasks across fraud detection, network congestion, and revenue assurance.

If you want to build such products, you need to:

  • Make the most of AI-based analytical frameworks to boost confidence in the application of data-driven actions and avoid human errors.
  • Invest in the right skillsets across different profiles to develop and deploy robust data analytics programs using a low-code AI orchestration workbench.
  • Look at ways to complement existing technology systems and implement scalable solutions to optimize ROI.
  • Utilize human intelligence in tandem with AI to improve real-time monitoring, making it adaptable to future changes in business variables.

The experts at our group company GTS Tech Labs have been curating highly-tailored data products for the telecom industry. An example is the advanced product – Grentor, enabling network providers to access real-time data and gain insights on revenue reconciliation, fraud, telecom traffic, and more. It delivers interactive dashboards allowing companies to identify frauds in the network. It can also be used to track and analyze consumers, monitor network usage, and uncover ways to drive better customer experiences.

Final Thoughts

As telecommunication companies experience unprecedented growth, there is a lot they can achieve by building the right data products. By combining AI with human intelligence and low-code technologies, telcos can get all the insights they need to make the right business decisions.

It’s time to invest in the right data products today to predict your peak network usage periods, uncover ways to reduce congestion, improve demand forecasting, plan for extra capacity, and constantly act on live data to drive profitability and prevent customer churn.

Talk to us to understand the next steps in how to go about doing so.

Fueling Telecom’s Success with Private Wireless Networks (Trends, Opportunities, & Challenges in 2023)

Private networks continue to grow in adoption and popularity around the globe. In fact, the research firm Analysys Mason has predicted that the number of private wireless networks, including 5G and LTE, will grow to over 20,000 by 2026. They also expect that enterprises will spend around $5 billion on these networks.

While stressing the reasons for this growth, Ashutosh Agrawal, CMD at Globe Teleservices, explains that much of the “impetus seems to be coming from expectations of the imminent arrival of 5G.” He further adds that “there are also many application scenarios opening up across smart manufacturing, smart cities, automated supply chains, and so on.” Since private wireless networks can provide the requisite low latency, high speed, and high availability to accommodate such applications, they’re gaining utter prominence.

So, the question transpires – What opportunity do private wireless networks offer to telecom companies, and what challenges must they overcome? Let’s discuss.

Private Wireless Networks – Latest trends in 2023

In 2022, telecom operators added around 455 million 5G connections. Globally, wireless 5G connections grew by 76% in 2022 to reach 1.05 billion.

There’s no doubt that the spread of 5G technology has been the driving force for private wireless networks. Additionally, enterprises are now relying more on advanced data analytics, which requires a robust wireless network to handle the massive volumes of data.

Considering all these facets, here are some trends to look forward to:

The telecom industry isn’t a lot different when it comes to the need to deliver excellent CX. A study revealed that 70% of customers consider customer experience as a pivotal factor in choosing a telecoms provider. This emphasizes the telecom sector’s urgent need to prioritize investments in customer experience and put it at the center of the business strategy.

To embrace the future, telcos must undertake comprehensive transformations that place customers at the core of their operations.

  • The migration of private networks from 4G to 5G bandwidth
  • The adoption of full production deployment for both 4G/LTE and 5G applications and infrastructure
  • The growth of private networks for public venues, including hotels, airports, and stadiums
  • The integration or convergence of private 4G/5G networks with Wi-Fi-driven enterprises
Private Wireless Networks – How Telecom Operators Can Leverage the Opportunity

Ashutosh states that telecom companies have the “opportunity to monetize their infrastructure while building deeper engagements with super-user enterprises.” For instance, private wireless networks can bring the next-level connectivity for challenging industrial sites. Industrial firms can harness the power of technological interventions like digital twins, robotics, artificial intelligence, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

In particular, the fast-growing IIoT ecosystem on private wireless networks is creating new opportunities for communication service providers (CSPs) and utility companies. For example, connected smart grids on 4G- and 5G-enabled networks can deliver consistent service to millions of customers.

That said, here are some of the possible use cases or opportunities for telecom companies:

  1. Manufacturing: Private wireless networks can help create smart factories where real-time data insights can drive reliability and efficiency.
  2. Education: These networks can enable students and teachers to interact remotely from a “virtual” classroom.
  3. Supply Chain: 5G-based private wireless network, along with IoT technology, can automate the factory, warehouse, and transportation environment.
  4. Smart City: A private wireless network in smart cities offers multiple benefits over public networks, including better security, flexibility, and infrastructure control.

A future-ready private wireless network requires enterprises to connect every device, sensor, and user. With complete data consolidation, private networks can augment the business value of data through analytics.

Challenges in Private Wireless Networks

Despite the benefits and opportunities, private wireless networks have their share of implementation challenges. Ashutosh outlines that telecom operators need to develop capabilities for “more flexible infrastructure and management.” Additionally, they need technical skills in:

  • Managing Agile deployments
  • Network integration
  • Delivering effective customer support
  • Managing and monitoring private networks

As wireless connectivity continues to grow, enterprise users expect it to be always up and running. The reality is much different. Wireless networks need to function optimally in facilities with high disturbance – for example, factories and mining sites. Unreliable connections can severely disrupt business operations, causing productivity-related issues.

Other challenges associated with a private wireless network include extreme weather conditions and bandwidth overload. Companies also face the challenge of providing fast and consistent network coverage over large areas, requiring a greater number of Wi-Fi access points.

High costs are also a significant challenge for enterprises implementing a private 5G network. These networks incur a substantial upfront cost for the infrastructure, maintenance, and operations. Enterprises need to invest in radio equipment, network accessories, and the backend infrastructure. Due to the high costs, private networks are out of the reach of smaller enterprises.

Another significant obstacle is to integrate the private network with the existing infrastructure and legacy systems. This means integrating the network with the existing applications, databases, and systems. Private 5G networks must also integrate with public networks, IoT devices, and Wi-Fi connections.

The Significant Role of Data Analytics in Private Wireless Networks

Data analytics is integral to the private wireless network space. This is understandable since telecom providers constantly need to improve their service delivery and infrastructure management capabilities.

Private wireless networks depend on data analytics to collect data from various network connections.

The analytics capabilities provide valuable insights into network operations and are useful across use cases, including the following:

  • Computing and predicting network load levels
  • Predicting the service experience for an application or user group
  • Predicting network load analytics for a specific network function
  • Measuring congestion information for a specific location

The data analytics function works in favor of telecom companies, as they leverage massive market opportunities associated with private wireless networks.

Cash in on these business opportunities with Globe Teleservices. We enable telecom service providers to manage their deployments and integrations. Want to know more? Get in touch with us today!

 

The Future of Customer Experience in the Telecom Industry

Customer experience has emerged as a defining factor in business success, shaped by the trailblazing efforts of digital giants like Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Uber. These industry disruptors have set new standards with their seamless and personalized interactions, raising customer expectations to new heights.

A recent survey revealed that 72% of customers  switch brands because of poor customer experience (CX). Likewise, a 2022 survey found that 86% of customers will turn to competitors against the brand they trust after just two instances of poor CX.

The telecom industry isn’t a lot different when it comes to the need to deliver excellent CX. A study revealed that 70% of customersconsider customer experience as a pivotal factor in choosing a telecoms provider. This emphasizes the telecom sector’s urgent need to prioritize investments in customer experience and put it at the center of the business strategy.

To embrace the future, telcos must undertake comprehensive transformations that place customers at the core of their operations.

Latest Trends in Customer Experience in the Telecom Sector

“Mobile networks will be up to 100 times faster and have 1,000 times the capacity than we experience today,” outlines PwC while emphasizing the prominence of the 5G networks. For sure, the growth in the telecom sector is being underpinned by rapid technological evolution. But what impact can these changes and trends have on the consumer experience that telecoms facilitate? Let’s discuss.

Increased Focus on End-to-End Customer Experience Improvement

For successful end-to-end customer experience transformation in telecom, evaluating both short-term and long-term benefits is vital. It’s also important to refine commercial models. When we talk about “commercial models,” we’re looking at the metrics that telcos usually use for defining the success of their initiatives. These might include metrics such as weighted average cost of capital (WACC).

However, the trend now is to focus more on the customer experience aspect of things. The telecom sector is poised to make advancements in predictive capabilities for ensuring proactive issue resolution, personalized customer interactions, and overall higher ROI.

But for this to happen, there needs to be a shift in how telcos view their success. If they quantify it against the traditional metrics, they might miss out on the long-term value that customer focused initiatives can accrue.

AI for Customer Service

Telecom companies are adopting AI-powered chatbots to automatically address customer queries and issues, freeing human agents for complex tasks. For instance, an AI-driven virtual assistant can handle billing, service plans, and technical support questions. No surprise that the global AI in telecommunications market is projected to reach $19.17 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 40.6% between 2023 and 2029.

Telcos must also pioneer the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and voice-based customer care solutions to nurture more contextual interactions. This is certainly possible today, especially with generative AI solutions coming to the fore. The AI mix can help telcos deliver unparalleled customer service — all while catering to regions in their local languages and accommodating a very high frequency of requests.

This also paves the way for opportunities to adhere to the omnichannel shift. Today, customers demand consistent service across channels. With the help of data analytics and AI, telcos can ensure smooth transitions between channels while maintaining customer context. The result? Better personalization, increased loyalty, improved CX.

AI for Network Optimization

According to Nokia, networks will become exceptionally complex with the advent of 5G, growing by a whopping 73% in the next five years.

Favorably, implementing AI-powered self-optimizing networks (SONs) enables automatic network quality optimization based on traffic data, region, and time zone. This optimization based on AI technology can refine network resources and reduce operational costs.

Utilizing AI/ML in IoT for improving network performance, maintaining service levels, and protecting data privacy is also gaining momentum. AI algorithms can also analyze vast network data to:

  • Provide real-time insights into performance and issue resolution
  • Enhance network reliability and customer satisfaction
The 5G-Led Experiences

By 2025, 5G networks are projected to serve one-third of the world’s population. 5G promises to deliver much faster speeds, lower latency, and increased bandwidth than previous generations of cellular networks. This paves the way for reliable connections and spells the advent of more connected and personalized experiences.

To succeed in the 5G era, telecom providers need to be cognizant of the value of the entire distribution channel, Business Support System (BSS) platforms, etc. Collaborating with startups, technology companies, Communications Service Providers (CSPs), etc., can help curate innovative 5G product offerings for better CX.

How Can Telecom Providers Prepare for This Future?

The telecom sector is undergoing a major transformation, and customer expectations are rising. To stay competitive, telecom providers need to prepare for this future by:

Powering Data Analytics Initiatives

Data analytics is essential for telecom providers to understand their consumer needs. By collecting and analyzing data, telecom providers can identify trends, patterns, and insights that can be used to improve the CX. For example, data analytics can be used to:

  • Identify customer pain points: By understanding customers’ challenges, telecom providers can develop solutions to improve their experience. For example, customers may have complaints about network coverage. The data analytics team can use historical call records to identify areas with poor network strength.
  • Optimize network performance: By analyzing data about network usage, telecoms can identify areas where the network can be optimized to improve performance.
  • Personalize the customer experience: McKinsey’s research outlines that organizations that excel at personalizing CX generate 40% higher revenue. However, the consulting giant also mentions how only 5% of telcos capably unlock the potential of data-driven personalization. It’s imperative that telecom providers monetize their data assets to ensure this percentage goes up. After all, their personalization initiatives can help retain customers, build loyalty, and improve CX.
Partnering with a Telecom Solutions Provider

The future of customer experience in the telecom industry is bright, but it requires telecom providers to embrace the latest trends and partner with a telecom solutions provider that can help them implement the requisite technologies.

For example, at GlobeTeleservices, we help telecom companies implement anti-fraud solutions and drive seamless connectivity with uninterrupted voice solutions. We further help telcos realize higher ROIs via the use of the cloud. The idea is to help telecom companies deliver a superior CX and alleviate challenges related to service disruptions. Contact us to learn more about how we can help.

 

The Must-Haves of an “Excellent” A2P SMS Solution

The soaring digital adoption is driving more companies to communicate with their customers through digital channels. It’s here that the focus on A2P messaging intensifies. Short for Application-to-Person SMS, A2P SMS is now used for a range of use cases including two-factor authentication, customer notifications, and marketing purposes. The solution’s prominence is significantly reflected in the 2023 Rocco Research report that highlights the business impact of effective A2P SMS solutions and provides a detailed analysis of the leading A2P SMS solutions in the market.

The report rates the various solution providers across over 30 KPIs. Over the past decade, Rocco has adopted a market research approach based on:

  • Vendor benchmarking – where MNOs rate their solution vendors for services like A2P SMS
  • Market intelligence – where the Rocco team discusses product offerings with each vendor along with their views on a specific service

Global Teleservices has secured a Tier 1 rating for two KPIs: “Value for Money” and “Transparency.” As part of the portfolio of international messaging services, Globe Teleservices has been offering high-quality A2P SMS services to a global clientele and ensuring unmatched reliability.

But why is an A2P SMS solution important in today’s business environment, and what are its “must-have” functionalities? Let’s answer these questions in this blog.

Importance of A2P SMS Solutions

A2P messaging accounted for 70% of global messages in 2020. In fact, the number of yearly A2P messages is projected to cross 1.9 trillion by 2025.

According to Gartner, the open and response rates for A2P SMS are high at 98% and 45%, respectively. Contrarily, emails witness quite low open and response rates at 20% and 6%. This means customers are more responsive to A2P SMS than to business emails.

Besides, with A2P SMS, enterprises have a more cost-efficient mode of directly marketing their products to their customer base. A2P SMS solutions also enable enterprises to reach a wider audience, thus further reducing operational costs.

Additionally, an A2P SMS solution has a variety of use cases, including:

  • Sending One-Time passwords (OTPs) securely for authenticating any online transaction.
  • Sending timely updates for confirmation about hotel booking, airline tickets, or the status of shipped products.
  • Gathering the customer’s feedback after a delivered service in the form of easy scores.
  • Notifying the customer about emergencies in the form of canceled flights, unplanned service downtime, or a canceled order.
  • Delivering a personalized or special offer to selected customers.

Thanks to the emergence of A2P SMS, businesses can reach their customers directly and instantly. Furthermore, they can receive immediate responses from their customers. However, not all A2P SMS solutions have the same functionalities. Here are some features that deliver business value to customers.

Key Features to Look for in an A2P SMS Solution

The global A2P SMS market is projected to reach $78.2 billion by 2028. With a host of providers to choose from, companies often struggle to pick the right solution provider that can satisfy their business requirements.

Here are four must-have features to look for in A2P SMS solutions:

1. Two-Way Messaging

A majority of A2P messaging solutions allow one-way SMS sent by the enterprise to the mobile user. In this mode, the recipient is not allowed, nor expected, to respond to the received message. With the emergence of rich communication services (RCS), A2P solutions can now feature two-way communication. RCS enables recipients to respond to their messages with a single touch.

Two-way messaging also benefits a host of advertisers and marketers with a personalized and interactive mode of communication. With two-way messaging, companies can instantly measure customer satisfaction.

2. Real-Time Analytics

Data-driven real-time analytics is now essential for organizations to measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and related activities. Using analytics and reporting, A2P solutions can provide user engagement data with respect to metrics including:

  • Message open rates
  • Delivery statistics
  • Click-through rates

With these data insights, enterprises can personalize their A2P messages and optimize their messaging strategy for the best results.

3. Regulatory Compliance

Consumer fatigue is a real challenge to A2P SMS providers. This can occur from a large volume of spam messages or even “phishing” messages sent from unknown entities. While evaluating A2P SMS solutions, ensure that they comply with data security and privacy regulations. Additionally, check if the solution provider has taken measures to protect sensitive data and message content.

By adhering to industry regulations, enterprises can reduce customer fatigue and avoid compliance-related violations resulting in financial losses.

4. Global Coverage

Enterprises with an international clientele need an A2P SMS solution that features global coverage and intelligent routing capabilities. With such extensive coverage, organizations have a direct connection with telecom operators across the world – thus ensuring an optimized delivery mode of messaging across countries. Similarly, intelligent routing enables the most efficient and dependable route or channel for transmitting messages.

Apart from these essential features, an excellent A2P SMS solution possesses capabilities like:

  • Failovers to ensure high delivery rates for transmitted messages
  • Scalability features that can adapt to rising volumes of messages over time
  • Customized messages to tailor each message to the user’s preferences, thus improving engagement
  • Support for multiple types of A2P SMS, including transactional messages, marketing campaigns, and interactive messages

Find all these and more in Globe Teleservices’ reliable and cost-effective A2P SMS solution. Using low-latency direct routes, we ensure faster delivery of messages and customer responses. Our A2P SMS solution enables enterprises to grow their subscriber base and build brand loyalty. Get in touch with us today to learn more!

 

The Menace of Flash Calls (and How to Stop Them)

Authenticating users to ensure genuineness is a top priority for modern businesses, especially app-based B2C brands. The better they can cater to actual customers, the greater will be their ROI for marketing and service quality initiatives. Traditionally, such businesses relied on SMS-based OTP services to enable this authentication. Today, however, there is a new entrant in the market that is quickly becoming a darling of app-based businesses but a real threat to the revenue streams of telecom companies.

We are talking about flash calls – the missed call-based user authentication service that leverages an MNO’s network to place a call to the device where the business app is installed. Upon receipt of the call, the app terminates the call without answering while authenticating the user in the background. It is estimated that businesses worldwide will be making over 128 billion flash calls yearly by 2026.

When SMSs were used for multi-factor authentication of apps, users had to open the message and enter the OTP, or the app would auto-fetch the OTP from the device. Either way, it resulted in a billable use of the telecom’s network. With flash calls, however, there is not even a need to answer the call, resulting in zero billable transactions on the telecom network.

This has been a huge boon to businesses, especially growing B2C brands that have to constantly authenticate users for safety and other credible reasons. But telcos haven’t been happy about flash calls.

Why Are Flash Calls a Menace for Network Operators?

Despite becoming a darling of businesses, telcos are having a hard time adjusting to the growth of flash calls. Let us explore 3 reasons why telcos consider flash calls a menace:

Loss of Revenue

The ultimate buzz-kill for flash calls is that they do not bring in any revenue for a traditional telecom operator. End users do not answer the authentication calls, and in most cases, they rarely feel the incoming call as the app handles the call quickly in the background. Without actual call connections being realised, there is no way for telecom operators to monetise such calls. While the earlier practice of text message-based OTP systems allowed them to charge businesses for each SMS. This shift to flash calls leads to a significant loss of revenue.

Scams and Spams

As with any new initiative, there are imposters who hop onto the flash call bandwagon to try and dupe people into scams and illegitimate business transactions, thereby making them suffer monetary losses. In most cases, telecom operators have no control over these calls, and there are several flash call service providers who offer cheap and inexpensive facilities that can be used for committing fraud on end-users.
Due to the practice of call-based authentications happening across all popular consumer apps, users will be less suspicious about handling incoming calls from unknown numbers in anticipation of an authentication process. This becomes a key vulnerability for fraudsters to exploit in different ways.

Congestion on Networks

Unlike an SMS-based authentication system, flash calls result in the usage of a significant bandwidth of the carrier’s network spectrum depending on the volume of calls placed. While one or two app businesses using them may not be a big deal, imagine the situation in the future, as explained above, when billions of calls happen over traditional phone networks.

This will result in severe network bandwidth congestion, forcing end-users to experience delayed services, poor network quality, and other significant network hurdles. This can lead to really unpleasant customer experiences. It can further hurt the business prospects of telecom providers if they aren’t able to scale their infrastructure to accommodate the extra space needed for large volumes of flash calls. And they must do all this without even an opportunity to monetise these calls.

How Can Telecom Operators Transform Flash Calls from a Menace into an Opportunity?

Yes, you heard it right! Despite its popularity for being a dampener on revenue, flash calls can become a potential new revenue stream for telecom operators if they can implement the right technology to manage them.

Today, there are AI-enabled flash call management systems that enable telecom providers to seamlessly identify flash call traffic within their network and put controls in place. The AI and machine learning capabilities of such solutions can help in understanding the patterns of potential flash calls and intercept them in the network before they manage to land on an end-user device.

By gating flash calls, telecom operators can demand a fee from businesses to enable the further transfer of the flash call to an end-user device for authentication. This allows them to build a completely new revenue stream that was previously thought to be impossible. Besides, such solutions can also help block spammy and suspicious flash calls and protect users against newer and emerging threats.

As you can see, leveraging the right technology can help transform flash calls from an enemy into a telecom operator’s best friend. But it requires the use of the right solutions from trusted vendors. This is where Globe Tele Services comes into the picture.

Get in touch with us to know more about how our AI-powered flash call management platform is the ideal solution for your telecom business to embrace flash calls without risk.

 

Balancing Cost and QoS in International Calls

The advent of high-speed 5G internet presents both challenges and opportunities for global telecom players. In an increasingly competitive market, telecom players are emphasising customer retention more than acquiring new customers. This has put the focus on the importance of Quality of Service (QoS) in international voice communication for enterprises.

High-speed communication in the form of voice, video, and multimedia requires telecom providers to guarantee a consistent level of QoS for their customers. After all, call quality has a direct impact on customer experience (CX). Majority of the consumers view CX as a major factor when selecting their telecom service provider. They are even willing to spend more for an exceptional CX. On the flip side, however, they can be proactive in switching brands after a poor experience.

That brings us to the question – what are the current challenges facing telecom providers in improving their QoS?

Let’s discuss them in the following section.

5 QoS Challenges in International Communication

Despite the advancement in business communication, voice-based communication is still relevant for customer-centric enterprises.

Here are 5 QoS-related challenges associated with international communication:

1. Real-Time Call Monitoring

As a business practice, real-time call monitoring enables organizations to improve call quality as well as measure the efficiency of customer response. For instance, call monitoring in customer support teams is used to ensure quality assurance and train new customer support executives.

Additionally, with real-time call monitoring, organisations can leverage speech analytics to improve the customer experience. However, the challenge lies in implementing a cost-efficient call monitoring solution for overall business success.

2. Fraud Detection

Fraud calls or phone spam is another major challenge in the voice communication domain. In 2022, scam victims in Singapore were duped of S$660.7 million (up from S$632 million in 2021).

In recent years, voice-based phishing (or vishing) has been deployed by cybercriminals to extract sensitive information from the victims. According to a report, in March 2022, organizations experienced the highest number of vishing attacks ever recorded, surpassing the previous record set in September 2021. Vishing is also directed at enterprises and their employees to obtain vital account-related information.

3. Integrating Multiple Communication Channels

For effective customer retention, organizations need to maintain consistency across different communication channels and touchpoints. Besides voice communication, today’s customers have access to other communication channels, including email, chat, social media, and more.

To that end, organizations need to efficiently integrate and coordinate their customer communication channels. Through proper integration, they can ensure consistent CX and avoid any duplication. By leveraging data-driven insights from these channels, enterprises can also improve their communication strategy and personalize customer interactions.

4. High Latency

A January 2021 survey found that business leaders prioritise call latency over speed. 9 out of every 10 business executives believe that business success depends more on low latency.

High call latency can easily impact call quality, thus frustrating both consumers and business executives. More profoundly, it can cause delays in voice communication and adversely impact customer experience.

To improve latency-related challenges, organizations must consider the following measures:

  • Upgrading their existing call infrastructure and communication devices
  • Improving their call routing system
  • Choosing the right telecom service provider
5. Cost Management

The latest telecom statistics stress that 77% of consumers believe a phone call is the best way to get answers to their queries. Also, 65% of consumers prefer to contact a business by phone.

With the increasing adoption of voice communication tools, companies are incurring more costs with their legacy communication equipment and tools.

Here are some of the cost-related challenges that enterprises face:

  • Upgrading and replacing their communication equipment and hardware devices
  • Increased time and money spent by enterprises in addressing customer concerns and queries
  • A shortage of skilled communication specialists adds to an organization’s hiring and training costs
How Can We Help in Balancing Cost and QoS in International Calls

Even with the proliferation of other digital communication channels, voice communication tools remain relevant for customer-facing enterprises. The challenge for enterprises is to balance their QoS with the cost factor.

Globe Teleservices  has designed and implemented international  voice communications  for businesses across the globe. Our voice-based solutions have enabled our customers to centralize their customer communication, integrate with multiple channels, and optimize voice calls anywhere in the world.

Our integrated voice platform offers multiple business benefits, including:

  • Cost-effectiveness – with affordable international calls at optimum call quality
  • Quality assurance – driven by global partnerships and dynamic call routing capabilities
  • Anti-fraud management – achieved by the use of business intelligence (BI) for monitoring network traffic
  • Dynamic routing and analytics – with low-cost best quality routing (LCBQR) services for both telecom retailers and operators

Are you looking for a cost-effective mode to improve the quality of service in international calls? Let us help you.  Get in touch with us today!

The Modern Technologies Coming Together to Elevate Customer Experience in The Telecom Sector

Delivering products and services to the customers of today in a way that best suits them has become a top priority of today’s telecom C-suite. But as customer journeys become increasingly complex and expectations surge, enhancing customer experiences is no longer straightforward.

Read on to know why customer experience has become so crucial and the role technologies play in driving better engagement.

Customer experience has become a competitive differentiator for the telecom sector

In this customer-centric era, enterprises are increasingly recognizing that their businesses must prioritize customer needs.

Customer loyalty is no longer dependent on brand value, product capabilities, or low prices as much as it is on quality of service. As the telecom industry evolves with new trends, norms, and standards, customer experience has become a crucial factor for telecom success.

With users increasingly working from home, they demand high uptime, reliability, and availability of networks. They are quick to change operators if they are not satisfied with the quality or level of service offered. Catering to customer needs offers telecom providers opportunities to meet expectations, deliver services promptly, and preempt challenges affecting customer satisfaction.

Building cutting-edge telecom products, optimizing services, and providing positive customer experiences enable telcos to enhance customer loyalty. A good customer experience also ensures significant economic and strategic advantages for telecom providers. They open doors to better cross-sell and upsell opportunities while introducing new streams of revenue for the business. In the long run, a good customer experience translates into happier customers, better margins, and a stronger market position.

But there are many challenges telecom providers encounter along the way 

A high-quality customer experience guarantees better customer loyalty and retention. But for telecom providers, continuously acclimatizing to new and higher expectations from users streaming their favorite TV series on online streaming platforms isn’t easy. With any time, anywhere access and connectivity becoming a requisite, there are many challenges telecom providers encounter along the way:

  • Addressing security challenges: With telecom customers extremely susceptible to modern-day frauds and attacks, the many shortcomings in enterprise data security initiatives put customer experience at risk. As social engineering threats become increasingly prevalent, the absence of robust fraud detection solutions makes addressing security concerns a huge challenge.
  • Driving omnichannel consistency: Another challenge telecom providers face in enhancing customer experience is enabling and sustaining omnichannel consistency. With telecom customers using an array of channels for collaboration, work, and entertainment purposes, it becomes difficult to achieve faster, safer, and smarter communication.
  • Meeting regulatory requirements: The inability of telecom providers to meet evolving regulatory and compliance requirements also impacts the customer experience in the long run. Lack of authentication or tracking makes it difficult to prevent regulatory oversights during communications. At the same time, telcos face a tough time identifying unethical practices by telemarketers and/or recording their activities.
How modern technologies come together to make the customer experience better

New technologies facilitate seamless and consistent telecom customer journeys, allowing for personalized experiences and interactions across multiple channels.

Let’s look at 5 such technologies that can enable telcos to increase agility and provide the intuitive experiences that their customers have become accustomed to:

  1. Automation: Automation offers several ways to boost omnichannel engagement and customer experience. Automating error-prone, mundane, and repetitive tasks can enable telecom providers to focus on strategic initiatives that improve customer acquisition and loyalty rates. From streamlining and tracking conversions to automating customer responses – technology works wonders to remove friction points and nurture relationships. In a February 2022 survey of global marketers, 43% cited improved customer experience as the top advantage of marketing automation.
  2. Data analytics: Data analytics can play a huge role in personalizing customer experiences. According to a report, 90% of executives worldwide leverage data analytics to enhance their customer experience. In-depth customer analytics across social media interactions, past behavior, and current sentiments can enable telecom providers to identify the latest trends and expectations. By knowing what customers love, analytics can empower telcos to build the right products, offer the right services, and craft the right experiences. In the long run, this can help enhance customer lifecycle journeys for the best upselling and cross-selling experiences.
  3. Digital document processing: The use of digital technologies for document processing can streamline the customer onboarding process. Instead of manually entering customer details into digital systems, telecom providers can make use of processing systems to feed and process customer information. This can enable quicker and more accurate information retrieval from customer forms. Intelligent character and pattern recognition using machine learning can further make the customer onboarding process smart, effective, and error-free.
  4. Security: Embracing security solutions that are powerful without being intrusive will also go a long way in enhancing customer satisfaction. With the right security controls in place, providers can address evolving security challenges while keeping their voice channel and messaging environments secure. For instance, state-of-the-art fraud detection and analytics systems allow telecom providers to validate numbers, route calls, and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. This can also help them protect their network subscribers, proactively track frauds, and eliminate threats in time.
  5. Blockchain: Blockchain technology is a great way for telcos to authenticate and track events to prevent regulatory oversights during communications. The technology can be used to identify telemarketers and record their activity across channels. Blockchain can also make audits simple and allow for real-time consent management – thus scrubbing unsolicited commercial communications (UCC) across messaging networks.

For telecom providers, engaging and seamless customer experiences provide the greatest potential to increase profits. If you want to shape the modern telecom landscape, you must integrate technology into your business operations and build the right foundation of quality, efficiency, and security.

This is Who We Are – A Glimpse of the Culture That Drives GTS!

132 months

573 weeks

4015 days

96360 hours

That’s 11 years of working together and achieving excellence. The Globe Teleservices (GTS) team achieved this milestone in February 2023. This has largely been possible due to the continued efforts and faith of our employees, customers, and business partners.

As a solution provider for the telecom industry, we have served our customers with the best telecom and voice communication products over the years. Besides our technical expertise, our organizational culture is what drives innovation and keeps us together.

Here’s a glimpse into the working culture that is driving the business success of GTS.

4 Qualities That Make GTS Successful

At Globe Teleservices, we believe in the mantra that “communication is the key driver of an enterprise’s growth.” Over the last 11 years, we have also followed this mantra for our organizational success.

Here are 4 qualities that have set us apart – and ahead – of other telecom solution providers:

1. Strong Leadership Skills

At GTS, we are blessed with a forward-thinking leadership team that brings a mix of creativity, passion, and technical prowess to building our future. Our leadership team loves to work with employees and create the next generation of business leaders.

With nearly 9 years of service, Pallavi Kudtarkar has been the face of women empowerment at GTS. As the executive director, Pallavi believes that “Success is a journey and not a destination.”

Our Chief Business Officer (CBO), Sudip Chatterjee, recently posted that “a product does not make a solution, a solution makes a product.”

These are some of the leadership beliefs and mantras making a difference to all our stakeholders be it  our employees, investors, customers, or online communities.

2. Diversity, Equality & Inclusion

At GTS, we pride ourselves in celebrating different cultures and a different employee mindset, which delivers creativity to our work. Our business leaders work closely with the human resource team in nurturing diverse skills and creating an all-inclusive work environment – where everyone is empowered to express their thoughts.

Be it Diwali, Thanksgiving, or any cultural festival, we celebrate every occasion with the entire workforce. Through our collective engagement, we ensure there is no “boring” day in the GTS workplace.

As the executive director, Pallavi has personally “committed to being equitable and just in all her actions.” She believes that “women are the catalyst of change in society, and it’s important to create a future where everyone can succeed and thrive.”

3. Creative Workspace

We believe that organizations must have a creative and energetic workspace to provide the best products and services to their clients. Besides celebrating different cultures, we engage our employees in team-building activities that promote mutual trust and collaboration. Be it at any location, we have designed our workspaces for:

  • Creative ideas
  • Effective brainstorming sessions
  • Problem-solving meetings

At GTS, we also believe that healthy employees can contribute to a creative workspace. Every year, we conduct pre-health check-ups to ensure that our employees are in the best shape. Through our annual sports event, we encourage our employees to get physically active and strong by participation.

4. Awards & Recognition

As part of our healthy working culture, we believe in recognizing the efforts of our top performers and innovators. Every month, we identify and reward the “Employee of the Month” for their hard work and creativity. We also hand out a special “Star Performer of the Year” to a special employee.

As Pallavi puts it explicitly, “something can always be better, and nothing is ever complete.” We use awards and recognition to encourage our employees to improve and promote healthy competition – without any work stress.

Besides employee awards, GTS also participates in various telecom events and webinars that highlight the latest industry and technology trends. Through these events, our executives interact with leading industry professionals from across the globe.

Conclusion

Through this blog, we have provided a small “glimpse” into the organizational culture at Globe Teleservices that has been integral to our continued success for the last 11 years. We have looked at some of the organizational qualities that have kept us at the forefront of telecom solutions.

Partnering with us means that you’re working with the pioneers of smart communications. Our technical team can closely work with you on realising success with your next-gen telecom solution. Interested in learning more? Get in touch with our experts today!

A New Innovation for Improving Security

The mobile phone or smartphone is at the heart of the digital economy, and understandably so. In the age of digital transformation, mobile devices are elevating the convenience associated with real-time communication, online shopping, and digital banking.

As mobile-based services continue to rise, so does the need for identity-based security. According to a Javelin Strategy report, identity-related frauds cost companies $52 billion and impacted over 42 million citizens in 2022 in the US alone. Experian’s Global Identity & Fraud Report  shows how the APAC markets are also troubled with identity fraud, with one in four consumers falling prey to the same.

Telecom operators do not simply approach mobile identity as the means to sign in and perform authentic transactions. Mobile identity is also the key to preventing identity fraud and validating user actions. Hence, in recent years, mobile identity solutions have been gaining more adoption in the telecom sector.

Overall, the global market for digital identity solutions is projected to grow to $70.8 billion by the year 2030. According to >Juniper Research, mobile identity solutions will be the source of identification for over 3 billion mobile users by 2024.

But what are mobile identity solutions, and how can they improve security? Let’s discuss.

What are Mobile Identity Solutions?

Mobile identity solutions are online verification tools that enable real-time user identification and verification. With their secure authentication layer, these solutions can secure all types of digital transactions happening on user-owned mobile phones. Additionally, mobile identity solutions can easily integrate with other mobile apps through APIs.

How do mobile identity solutions work? Through access to user data collected by the telecom operators.

This includes customer data such as:

  • Mobile number
  • First and last name
  • Registered address
  • Device location and type

Depending on the provider, mobile identity solutions provide a host of features, including:

  • Federated identity or a single sign-on service that uses the same digital identity across multiple systems and devices.
  • Multi-factor authentication or additional security layers for users’ access to confidential data and services on mobile phones.
  • Digital signatures for using the same identity across a range of services.
  • Service portals through which brands can send SMS to mobile users highlighting their products or service.

Next, let’s discuss the benefits of mobile identity solutions.

Benefits of Mobile Identity Solutions

With the increase in online fraud, telecom companies realise the importance of mobile identity solutions in user authentication. Here are some of the security-related benefits of using a mobile identity solution:

1. Authentic Transactions

In today’s digital economy, the mobile phone is driving both economic and social transformation. As more consumers switch to online transactions, companies need to provide them with a safe and authentic way to perform these transactions. Mobile identity solutions provide this level of security – along with the convenience of easy user validation and authentication.

2. Prevention of Digital Fraud

As more mobile data gets transmitted on the web, there are higher chances of data leakage or “bad” actors intercepting the data. In most online frauds, hackers are interested in stealing users’ information, like their credit card numbers, social security numbers, or even their medical information. Identity solutions provide users with guidelines on digital privacy.

3. Improves Brand Trust

With in-built call portals, mobile identity solutions enable companies to build brand trust among customers. Every call is now identifiable with the brand name, social media handle, and company logo. Besides improving brand recall, mobile identity helps customers identify unknown numbers or those without any digital identity.

4. Data Protection with Digital Identity Wallets

Digital identity wallets provide a safe and convenient tool for mobile users. They can use wallets to verify their identity, perform authorised transactions, and electronically sign documents. Mobile identity wallets also protect confidential information using secure protocols like two-factor authentication and one-time passwords.

5. Instant User Validation

Mobile identity solutions can quickly validate users on their registered mobile phones. They can streamline sign-up processes and user logins without any interruption. By authenticating online transactions, they can shorten the purchase cycle, thus improving brand trust and loyalty. Additionally, they can reduce customer churn by seamlessly integrating with third-party customer solutions.

Summing Up

In summary, mobile identity solutions provide a safe and convenient solution to authenticate and validate mobile phone users. In the telecom sector, mobile-based identity is quickly replacing traditional forms of paper-based identification methods. Identity solutions can counter the challenges of online fraud, identity theft, and data breaches.

With its innovative solutions and technology expertise, Globe Teleservices has served as a reliable partner for global telecom companies. Our tech-driven business solutions can meet their current and future business requirements. We offer a host of technology-related services in mobility solutions, cloud computing, international messaging, and managed services.

Looking for a reliable technology partner for your telecom solutions? Get in touch with us today.

 

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