Top communication service providers (CSPs) and solution providers around the globe are recognized for outstanding work digitally transforming the telecommunications industry

Digital Transformation World Series, London, UK — 22 September – TM Forum, the industry association driving digital transformation through collaboration, today announces the winners of its 2021 Excellence Awards during the first day of the Digital Transformation World Series (DTWS) global event.

Since 2007, TM Forum’s Excellence Awards have recognized the world’s leading companies for innovative achievements spanning digital transformation, business and IT agility, customer centricity, cross-industry partnering and collaboration, and product and service innovation across six event themes.

This year the 95 entries received from 23 countries were judged by a panel of 22 independent industry experts. As a neutral, non-profit organization, TM Forum ensures that the awards are impartial, celebrating important examples of industry success and delivering valuable peer recognition.

“TM Forum’s Excellence Awards are amongst the toughest and most rigorous in the telecommunications and technology industry. We had an outstanding selection of submissions this year and it was difficult to choose between all the companies partnering and innovating to bring the industry into the new age of digital telecoms. It was a tough competition, so congratulations to all the winners this year, you truly reflect the best cases of customer experience, digital transformation, automation, and innovation worldwide,” remarked Head Judge of the TM Forum Excellence Awards, Camille Mendler, Chief Analyst, Omdia.

This year’s winners and projects are:

Customer Experience and Trust

This award recognizes companies that have conquered digital experience and trust challenges resulting in significant improvements in digital experience metrics such as NPS, churn/loyalty, usage of digital touchpoints, ARPU uplift, or growth in market share.

Winners:

• Airtel with Amdocs – Airtel reduced customer frustration to near-zero levels, introducing AI-driven automated operations to their existing business support systems and creating a unique Customer Frustration Index to measure experience improvements in real-time.
• 48 from Three Ireland with Torry Harris Integration Solutions – Three Ireland’s trusted youth brand, 48, disrupted the Irish market with a unique digital experience, giving customers control over how they use monthly data.

The Human Factor

This award recognizes companies that have solved human factor challenges to make a meaningful impact on culture, organizational structure, ways of working, employee wellbeing, or employee transparency.

Winner:

• Libyan International Telecom Company (LITC) with Makman Technology Consulting – LITC’s cultural transformation, through investments in employee upskilling and expansion in the face of a pandemic and conflict, helped build a stable foundation for new service launches, business growth, and international expansion.

Beyond Connectivity

This award recognizes companies that have created new service offerings that go beyond connectivity, developing new lines of business with a measurable impact on revenues.

Winner:

• TELUS Health – TELUS has bridged silos to expand healthcare in Canada and beyond, fulfilling its vision of patient-friendly access to healthcare around the world and contributing to better health outcomes for 12 million Canadians.

AI, Data, and Insights

This award recognizes companies that have overcome AI, data, and analytics challenges, leveraging advanced analytics and AI to improve efficiency and customer experience.

Winners:

• China Unicom with Huawei – China Unicom’s AI-based network operations and management platform uses data to automate and simplify national network planning, operations, and management while improving customer experience, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability as it rolls out 5G networks and services.
• Dialog Axiata – Dialog Axiata has democratized the use of data analytics, giving employees in each business unit the data analytics capabilities they need to quickly solve business problems and provide exceptional customer experience across multiple business verticals.

Autonomous Operations

This award recognizes companies that have successfully implemented autonomous operations resulting in tangible business improvements such as operational efficiency, enhanced customer experience, faster time to market, and more.

Winner:

• China Mobile with Huawei – China Mobile has customized its autonomous networks methodology to slash 5G OpEx, developing an implementation architecture and level-based evaluation system to transform network Operations & Maintenance across its 31 subsidiaries.

Cloud Native IT & Networks

This award recognizes companies that have demonstrated business benefits from the deployment of cloud-native IT and network systems, leveraging cloud-native technology, and bridging the gap between IT and networks.

Winner:

• DITO Telecommunity with Whale Cloud – DITO Telecommunity leveraged cloud-native IT and network architecture to launch a greenfield operator commercially in just 10 months, creating a community around a world-class service, based on a high-quality network and differentiated customer experience.

Honorable mention:

• China Mobile – China Mobile boosted resource management to create next-generation, cloud-based data centers.

“Our mission at TM Forum is to reinvent the telco industry to be a vibrant player in the digital tech market landscape – and act as a driving force in shaping its future. The winning projects showcase the successful implementation of standards, blueprints, best practices, and frameworks co-created by TM Forum member initiatives. As the winners of this year’s Excellence Awards show us, unlocking growth and creating long-term value is possible through innovation, partnership, and digital transformation. Our independent, impartial judging panel has once again recognized the outstanding achievements being made to accelerate change in our industry,” commented Nik Willetts, CEO of TM Forum.

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