Conversations around the evolution of telecommunications, wireless networks, internet services and more, usually revolve around communications and business applications. While the power of telecommunication has indelibly changed that space, it has also transformed other aspects with a far deeper and life-changing impact.
This blog explores how modern telecom solutions are changing lives.
Fostering socio-economic development
Modern telecom solutions have been instrumental in connecting individuals across urban and rural, and rich and poor segments. These solutions have delivered access to information, markets, and services, where its impact can be felt most significantly by the underserved sections of the society.
Telecommunication solutions have also influenced digital inclusion and equality by giving people from all walks of life access to essential digital technology. This has been instrumental in reducing socio-economic inequalities and fostering inclusive economic growth. Mobile phones have represented the first telecom infrastructure in many places and are proving crucial in driving connectivity.
It is through these solutions that people in the underserved areas delivered tangible economic benefits and improved access to information.
These solutions also create employment opportunities and influence economic outcomes. The mobile industry in the Sub-Saharan region, for example, has created approximately 2 million jobs for people directly and created employment for another 1.8 million people in the wider ecosystem in 2019.
Financial inclusion driven by digital payments and mobile money
The rise of digital payments and mobile money can be credited to the maturing of telecommunication networks and infrastructure. This growth has been further fueled by the expanding number of telecom solution providers, and pursuant innovation in this space.
Financial inclusion prompted by mobile money and digital payments has been a game changer for people. This is felt especially in areas where traditional banking services are inaccessible. Almost half of the world’s mobile money accounts come from the underserved Sub-Saharan region. This region also has more mobile money accounts than bank accounts.
The rise of digital payments and mobile wallets have driven financial inclusion in underserved areas and have made payments faster, simpler, and safer across the world. Innovations in the form of e-KYC have further driven financial inclusion by allowing those operating in this sector to acquire reliable and clear documentation.
Enable Small Business to Make a Big Impact
Modern telecom solutions are the cornerstone of the digital economy. Telecom solutions have helped small businesses remain agile, flexible, and responsive to constant change and market disruptions. These solutions have been instrumental in driving e-commerce and have helped many small entrepreneurs start small businesses from their homes.
These solutions improve connectivity and accessibility, allowing small businesses to expand their customer footprint. They also help them manage their customers, partners, distributors, and supplier ecosystem irrespective of their location.
Robust telecom solutions and internet services are driving cost savings and cutting travel expenses. They are delivering access to talent from low-cost geographies for small businesses using teleconferencing and remote work.
Effective telecom data management and real-time analysis provide valuable insights into markets, customers, and operations of a small business. SMS and social media messaging provide opportunities to engage personally with customers and improve customer experiences.
Telecom solutions have become instrumental in protecting revenues by ensuring greater security from grey routes and challenges like data theft, SIM phishing, and other threat actors.
Effective telecom solutions are helping small businesses enhance operations, creating opportunities to improve customer service, increasing efficiencies, and driving their growth and success.
Revolutionizing Healthcare Access and Delivery
Modern telecom solutions have been instrumental in making healthcare services more accessible and cost-effective, across rural and underserved areas. These segments of societies across different geographies can access medical services and healthcare professionals irrespective of geographical barriers.
Telemedicine, mHealth, remote health monitoring, etc. have enabled people to access quality healthcare, especially in places where it has been limited traditionally. The integration of telecom tech solutions in the healthcare ecosystem has improved medical diagnostics, enabled real-time collaboration amongst physicians and healthcare professionals, and enabled remote patient monitoring to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes.
Telecom solutions have been instrumental in enabling preventive medicine too. These have allowed healthcare professionals to provide personalized care plans and make timely data-driven adjustments. According to a study from the National Library of Medicine, telemedicine is as effective as in‐person visits for reducing 30‐day readmissions in patients with heart failure.
Improve education access
Mobile phones and the internet have been a key driving force in improving access to education and changing the lives of people. Telecom solutions in the education space are bringing classrooms online and improving knowledge access. They are creating pipelines to help learners draw distant information, interact with experts, and engage with students worldwide.
Telecom solutions have ensured that students in underserved areas can access quality information that would otherwise be hard to acquire. These have been instrumental in improving inquiry-based and analytical skills and creating greater access to education.
Wireless connectivity allows learners to access educational content from anywhere and collaborate with their peers and teachers. It democratizes education by increasing learning opportunities and allowing economies to build educated workforces.
Modern telecom solutions have been instrumental in reshaping the world that we live in and have been creating more equity for those in poor, rural, and underserved areas. And technology plays a key role in helping telcos deliver the services that change lives.
For instance, telecom solution providers need to exert caution to prevent incidents like grey routes and ensure greater security of their networks. Small businesses demand greater assurance, low latency, and cost-effectiveness in international voice and messaging services. Telecom solutions providers and CSPs deliver origin-based routing services for dynamic routing, as well as anti-fraud voice solutions for the best and most secure business communications. Real-time call monitoring and anti-fraud checks also become essential to drive seamless connectivity and secure networks for safer, smarter, and faster communications.
Telecom solutions are essential to spearhead the advancement of emerging economies worldwide. They improve communication access across the underserved sections of society and create opportunities. Underserved regions like Africa are now connected to the rest of the world more than ever before thanks to proliferating telecom networks. Today, telecom solutions have been instrumental in promoting health, education, agriculture, entertainment, business and tourism.
Also, more than 300+ hubs have emerged in the African tech startup ecosystem because of the telecom sector. These are creating more opportunities for economic advancement and social upliftment.
Changing the world isn’t easy but someone has to do it. As we can see, telecom services companies are trying to do just that, with a little help from technology!