This year’s annual telecoms jamboree in Barcelona attracted a record breaking 101,000 visitors from a whopping 205 countries and provided a nexus of innovation together with the latest developments in telecoms standards. It brought together operators and vendors to discuss how the industry can respond to the latest shifts in customer behavior and explore new ways in which technology can increase both customer satisfaction and retention.
NAGRA proudly showcased our latest solutions with key partners on the show floor and some fascinating conversations were held as we discussed how the latest innovations can help shape future customer experiences.
Generative AI (GenAI) Based Always-On Support
One of our featured solutions was presented by two of our partners, AWS and Sagemcom.
The NAGRA Insight Negotiation Agent is designed to respond to the estimated 60% of call center traffic that focuses on billing explanation. The NAGRA Insight Negotiation Agent communicates in natural language with the consumer who is logged into their account on the operator’s app or authenticated via a social media channel. When a consumer asks a question such as ‘Why is my bill so high this month?’, the Insight Negotiation Agent looks up their account and responds with a list of their services broken down so that each service can be identified. It then continues the dialogue and can offer adjustments, new deals or upgrades based on the consumer’s likely reactions predicted by their digital twin, albeit while constrained by operator-defined guardrails. The benefits are twofold: it enables results-focused discussions for the consumer and reduced calls into the contact center for the operator.
The solution uses an innovative mix of GenAI and a subscriber’s digital twin to ensure that any dialogue reflects the consumer’s past behavior and will therefore only suggest offers or resolutions that are relevant. As per the 2023 Salesforce State-of-the-Connected Customer Report*, which found that 74% of customers expect to be able to do anything online that they can do in-person or by phone, the solution empowers telecoms operators to provide intelligent, 'always-on' support, aligning with consumers' preference for digital interactions with organizations. This improves Net Promoter Scores (NPS) by reducing call response and average handling times. Available via chat, social media and voice, the NAGRA Insight Negotiation Agent ensures that consumers can interact in natural language. This last point was shown to good effect through our demonstration with Sagemcom. Showcasing their latest set-top box that featured B&O speakers, consumers use the voice capability of the set-top box to ask questions about their bill to the NAGRA Insight Negotiation Agent, with the responses clearly played out through the device’s advanced speakers.
To read more about the NAGRA Insight Negotiation Agent, consult our product factsheet or read our latest briefing paper – From Data to Dollars. Alternatively, reach out to one of our experts for a no-obligation discussion to learn more.
SIM Swap – The Latest Consumer Cyber Threat?
These days, it seems that there is a consumer cyber trap around every corner. At NAGRA, the conversations we’re having with our customers tell us that connected lifestyle security is an area consumers are increasingly paying attention to – perhaps concerned about the size of today’s digital footprints or the speed at which AI fraud is advancing.
A cyber threat being addressed by the NAGRA team, in collaboration with Microsoft and Telefonica, and shown on the Microsoft stand at MWC, was how to react to SIM swap fraud. Also known as SIM splitting, SIMjacking or SIM hijacking, this happens when a hacker convinces a cell phone carrier to switch a number to a SIM in the hacker’s possession. Once control of the phone has been gained, they can then change passwords to banking and other sensitive accounts that use the cell number as part of a two-factor authentication. Equally, anyone then calling the phone, texting one-time passcodes etc. will then be contacting the hacker and not the intended recipient.
With this type of fraud on the rise (the FBI’s 2022 Internet Crime report* estimates losses total upwards of $72m which was a 25% increase on the 2021 figures), the NAGRA team were demonstrating a NAGRA Scout innovation that leverages the Open Gateway framework to protect against SIM fraud and interacts with the Telefonica network using Azure Programmable Connectivity. The solution works by associating a device to a cell number and then generating an alert and path of action if a SIM swap is detected. Providing peace of mind to subscribers, the demonstration showed how NAGRA Scout protects today's connected digital lifestyles and unlocks new sources of revenue and retention for operators.
To learn more about NAGRA Scout, visit our website.
Exploring the Value of Super Apps
Ahead of MWC, NAGRA partner Moflix issued a press release that announced how we would be jointly working to unlock next-generation consumer engagement opportunities for Telcos and Broadcasters. Enabled by a super app and utilizing Web3 technologies, the partnership presented how NAGRA innovation is responding to changes in media consumption as consumers increasingly follow multiple streaming services rather than a centralized, aggregated solution. Although this fragmented viewing experience is challenging the status quo, consumers still have strong, and often trusted, relationships with their current providers.
A mobile-first approach, powered by a super app, was demonstrated by the NAGRA team at MWC and showed how aggregation is extending beyond video to also include other media and entertainment services alongside broader digital services, such as payments. In certain economies, traditional payment methods—such as credit cards—are not universally embraced. To address this, the NAGRA teams demonstrated alternative payment approaches including peer-to-peer, loyalty and rewards, which could be seamlessly integrated into a super app strategy via a digital wallet that uses a SIM as the identifier.
To learn more, download our “New Digital Economy” eBook or contact us for a no-obligation chat with one of our innovators.
Adéu Barcelona
This year’s MWC was buzzing with innovation, and the ubiquitous focus on humanizing AI ensured that a wide variety of new devices, solutions and services were available for the browsing visitor to engage with. Our thanks to our partners AWS, Sagemcom, Moflix and Microsoft for hosting our solutions and further thanks to Telefónica for their collaboration on the SIM Swap innovation. To learn more, catch-up on a demonstrator that you missed or simply discuss how you’re looking to incorporate innovation into your business transformation programs, get in touch! We’d love to continue the conversation.