Top Seven Trends of 2024 Every Telecom Operator Should Follow

by Buana Sari Digital Marketer

In the dynamic world of telecommunications, where the global industry revenue is poised to surpass USD 1.6 trillion in 2024 (Source: Statista), the stakes have never been higher. Fueled by an explosive surge in mobile data usage, the advent of 5G technology, and disruptive innovations like moLotus in mobile advertising, telecom operators find themselves at the forefront of a digital revolution.

moLotus, a groundbreaking mobile video customer interaction platform, stands at the forefront of collaboration with leading telecom operators. Partnering with industry giants such as Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson, Vodafone, Airtel, Celcom, Maxis, Digi, and more, moLotus has become the driving force behind campaigns for global brands including Standard Chartered, Panasonic, Dell, Samsung, HDFC Bank, L’Oreal, and across diverse verticals like Banks, Insurance, Ecommerce, Automobile, Retail, Government Sector, and more.

In 2023, moLotus has expanded its reach to multiple countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and more, reaching millions of subscribers and offering unparalleled features and benefits to businesses worldwide. With its multiplied capacity, moLotus is expected to emerge as a bigger transformative platform in 2024, empowering businesses with innovative mobile advertising solutions and a global footprint.

As we hurtle towards 2024, the telecom operators stand at a crossroads, navigating through challenges and opportunities that shape its future. With the proliferation of smartphones driving increased mobile data usage and the rollout of 5G promising faster speeds and lower latency, the telecom landscape is undergoing a seismic shift. Innovations such as moLotus are not only disrupting the mobile advertising space but also propelling industry growth.

For those at the helm of telecommunication companies, the challenge lies in not just embracing these technological advancements but also in addressing pressing concerns such as enhancing Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), minimizing costs, and optimizing customer lifetime value. Amidst the cascading impacts of the global pandemic, inflationary pressures, data demands, Over-the-Top (OTT) intrusion, geopolitical conflicts, and the specter of service cannibalization, telecom operators face a myriad of challenges.

Yet, as of 2023, the telecom industry has made significant strides in its digitization journey, overcoming obstacles with the aid of state-of-the-art technologies like moLotus. Asia Pacific has emerged as the leader in the telco market, with North America following closely behind. The global telco market encompasses regions such as Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and South America.

Approaching the end of 2023, a new set of opportunities and challenges emerges, shaping the trajectory of telcos. In this ever-evolving landscape, identifying and leveraging prevailing trends becomes imperative for telecom leaders seeking a competitive edge. Derived from industry reports and the experiences of global Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), these trends are set to form the cornerstone of revenue management and cost optimization strategies for global telcos in 2024.

As we delve into the heart of these trends, let's unravel the driving factors that will guide the telecom industry forward in the coming year.

1. Embracing the Mobile Advertising Revolution

In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital advertising, the trajectory is set for an extraordinary surge, with the mobile marketing landscape projected to generate USD 184.5 million in 2024. Mobile marketing revenue is expected to reach USD 1,440.9 million by the year 2034 with a CAGR of 22.8 percent (Source : Future Market Insights).

This remarkable growth is intricately tied to the skyrocketing consumption of mobile video content, propelling digital ad spending to new heights. The catalysts behind this evolution are the innovation in digital advertising, driven by the widespread adoption of mobile advertising platforms like moLotus, InMobi, and Adcolony.

These platforms empower advertisers with real-time decision-making capabilities, paving the way for enhanced campaign performances and amplified ad revenues. For telecom operators, the burgeoning digital advertising realm, especially within the mobile segment, presents a golden opportunity to diversify revenue streams. Embracing high-growth mobile marketing models positions telecom players as integral contributors to the digital advertising ecosystem.

Among the notable platforms, moLotus stands out as the beacon for telco revenue generation in 2024, offering a unique opportunity to monetize valuable customer data through innovation, hyper-personalization, and seamless customer interaction. In a paradigm where no app or data plan is required, moLotus emerges as the forefront mobile ad platform, poised to redefine revenue generation and customer engagement for telecom operators in the imminent future.

2. Extending Business to Thriving Markets

Expanding market reach is a crucial agenda for telcos in 2024, and targeting burgeoning markets like Asia and Africa, with a surging demand for telecom services, presents a lucrative opportunity. In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region alone, there has been a notable upswing in telecom revenue, escalating from USD 504 billion to USD 516 billion, reflecting a robust 2.3 percent year-on-year growth, as reported by the International Data Corporation. Meanwhile, Africa boasts a mobile user base equivalent to one-third of its population, witnessing a remarkable 23 percent increase from 2019 to 2021. Looking ahead, GSMA intelligence forecasts an influx of six hundred million new subscribers by 2025, predominantly concentrated in Asian countries.

However, venturing into these advanced growth markets demands a strategic approach, and for telcos, adopting new tools and technologies becomes imperative. Traditional marketing platforms may fall short in delivering global scalability, underscoring the need for innovative digital tools like moLotus, InMobi, AdRoll, among others.

In 2024, telecom players would increasingly gravitate towards new-age solutions such as moLotus, recognizing their ability to provide the essential expansive reach and global scalability. moLotus, for instance, stands out by instantly delivering automated messages to vast telco customer databases, directly into their inboxes on all mobile phones, regardless of type or model. As telcos set their sights on conquering new territories, these innovative technologies emerge as indispensable allies for achieving global business expansion.

3. Rapid Digital Transformation

In the rapidly advancing digital landscape, 2024 promises an accelerated phase of global transformation. Telecommunication companies, once impeded by silos and complex legacy processes hindering rapid innovation, are now gearing up for significant digitization and automation of their business processes.

Amidst this swift evolution, disruptive technologies like moLotus, combined with the rapid integration of 5G and IoT, are steering the telecom sector towards a profound transformation. This paradigm shift is characterized by a strong focus on creating customer-centric products and services, leading to a more enhanced and efficient customer experience.

Central to this transformative journey is the intelligent reimagining of business processes, with moLotus taking a pivotal role. This platform stands as a beacon for telcos, ensuring increased revenues, heightened agility, speed, and cost reduction. In contrast to previous attempts with various technologies such as cloud offerings, Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), low-code platforms, and open-source software, where desired outcomes often fell short, moLotus is expected to emerge as a catalyst for breakthrough transformation in 2024.

Empowering telcos through automated and revamped customer processes—including onboarding, payment and service reminders, contract renewals, document submissions, and loyalty initiatives—moLotus is propelling telecom companies seamlessly into the modern digital landscape. By exceeding customer expectations and elevating overall experiences, moLotus is shaping the future of telcos, ushering in an era of unparalleled digital innovation and customer satisfaction amidst this epoch of accelerated transformation.

4. Elevating Customer Engagement

As we step into 2024, the telecom landscape is poised to transcend traditional boundaries, expanding its offerings beyond basic services to encompass non-core and complementary products and services. This evolution necessitates a robust focus on technological innovation, agility, and the development of strategic go-to-market approaches.

The digital consumer of 2024 holds elevated expectations for product promotion, delivery, and customer service. With a surge of options anticipated in the market, telecom operators face the imperative task of creating tangible value and key differentiators in their service offerings to engage customers and foster loyalty.

Understanding and addressing customer problems will be crucial in improving the customer experience next year. Modern consumers anticipate uninterrupted services, a diverse array of personalized product recommendations, and real-time resolution of service issues. Embracing the moLotus mobile advertising platform and its cutting-edge technology emerges as a solution to meet these evolving customer expectations.

In 2024, telecom operators should explore innovative ways to interact and engage effectively with customers. Incorporating interactive elements into customer communication, facilitated by moLotus' seamless response options such as SMS, USSD, mgram, Call, and Link Click, proves to be one of the most effective approaches to engage a broader customer base and enhance their experience. This interaction should extend beyond mere product and service promotions, delving into discussions about innovative ways to utilize them.

Industry experts predict that moLotus will play a pivotal role in engaging more customers for telcos, offering unique hyper-personalization options such as personalized names, greetings, rewards, and more. Telcos now have the opportunity to leverage a diverse range of rich media formats, including videos, slideshows, brochures, greetings, and showcases provided by moLotus to enhance visual communication. They can effortlessly integrate product images, voice-overs, and music, crafting captivating storyboards and high-quality videos up to 40 seconds.

To foster customer loyalty, telcos should leverage moLotus to incentivize and delight their customers with special offers, vouchers, and discount coupons. In return, they can encourage customers to leave reviews or explore opportunities for upselling and cross-selling, thereby creating a symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties.

5. Harnessing the Power of Big Data Analytics

As the use of smartphones and mobile devices continues to surge, telecom operators are going to find themselves grappling with an unprecedented volume of data in 2024. The challenge now is not only to rapidly store and process this deluge of information but also to extract valuable insights from it. This imperative underscore the critical role of big data analytics. According to Valuates Reports, the global big data analytics market is anticipated to soar to USD 684.12 billion by 2030, witnessing substantial growth from USD 198.08 billion in 2020, with a projected CAGR of 13.5% during the forecast period.

Big data technologies, including innovative solutions like moLotus, are poised to be the linchpin for telcos seeking to enhance profitability. By optimizing network usage and services, acquiring more customers, improving customer experience, reducing churn rates, and fortifying security, big data analytics emerges as an indispensable ally for telecom operators. According to research by McKinsey & Company, the application of big data analytics can empower the telecom industry to predict and reduce customer churn by an impressive 15%.

In the realm of big data analytics, moLotus takes center stage, opening new avenues of opportunity for the telecom industry in 2024. By analyzing customer data records in real-time, moLotus enhances the quality of service, allowing telcos to identify evolving customer behaviors and respond promptly. This proactive approach not only grants telcos a competitive advantage in the market but also unlocks hidden potential within their customer base.

By monetizing the subscriber data via moLotus, telcos can design and execute strategies personalized according to customer needs and desires of their customers. This involves micro-targeting vast customer data based on diverse business criteria, including interactions, demographics, interests, and language, enabling telcos to send customized ads that resonate with their customers on a personal level. In the rapidly evolving landscape of telecommunications, big data analytics, powered by solutions like moLotus, emerges as the cornerstone for informed decision-making and sustainable growth.

6. Driving Down Costs

With escalating competition in the telecom market, the anticipated decline in revenue margins for traditional telecom services is prompting a critical need for telcos worldwide to focus on driving down operational expenses (OPEX) and overhead costs. This imperative arises from the necessity to maintain a competitive edge in an industry where profit margins are under increased pressure. The key avenue for achieving this lies in the automation of existing operational processes and a wholehearted embrace of process automation.

Overheads across global telecom operators are on an upward trajectory, and this trend is set to persist in 2024, placing even greater strain on already precarious profit margins. Despite this challenge, industry experts remain optimistic, suggesting that telecom operators have the potential to curtail costs by a significant margin, ranging from 15 to 30 percent, through the adoption of marketing and transformation technologies like moLotus.

For telcos seeking a cost-effective marketing platform, moLotus emerges as an economical and efficient alternative in 2024. Notably, moLotus has a proven track record of creating impactful advertising campaigns on a modest budget. Platforms such as Facebook and Google, once favored by telcos, are gradually losing appeal due to escalating costs and diminishing marketing return on investment. moLotus stands out as the ideal choice for telco businesses to reach consumers on their mobile phones at a lower cost, eliminating the need for application downloads or data plans.

The breakthrough transformations facilitated by moLotus extend beyond cost reduction; they revolutionize and digitize entire telco marketing processes. This not only lowers tele-calling expenses but also addresses various cost elements such as training, compliance, printing, and delivery, contributing to a comprehensive reduction in operational expenditures. In the face of intensifying competition and financial constraints, telcos embracing advertising platforms like moLotus are well-positioned to not only navigate cost challenges but also to thrive in the dynamic telecom landscape of 2024.

7. Uplift ARPU

Telcos are bracing themselves for intricate challenges, courtesy of economic uncertainties and existing market pressures, as outlined by Analysys Mason's research predictions for the global telecom industry. Foremost among these challenges is the anticipated struggle to contend with inflation and surging costs, hinting at the possibility of telecom Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) lagging behind the escalating inflation rates.

In the face of this predicament, the concurrent growth of ARPU alongside an expanding subscriber base emerges as one of the most significant business hurdles. Industry experts are advising telcos to enhance their customer-centric approach in 2024 by incorporating breakthrough marketing technologies, such as moLotus, into their digital marketing repertoire. By doing so, telcos can elevate customer engagement, deliver enhanced value, and guide customers through maximizing product benefits at every stage of their journey, ultimately resulting in heightened customer lifetime value and an upliftment of ARPU.

Amidst the challenging landscape, a beacon of hope emerges with moLotus technology partnering with numerous telcos worldwide, contributing to a notable uplift in their ARPU, ranging from 2 to 4 percent. Through moLotus's innovative shadow marketing approach, telcos are successfully executing their existing marketing campaigns, achieving superior customer response at a reduced cost. Anticipated moLotus-driven initiatives, including upsells, cross-sells, and add-ons campaigns, are poised to counter the inflationary pressures, driving ARPU upward in 2024 and providing a glimmer of optimism amid the predicted industry challenges.

Conclusion

The telecommunications industry is undergoing a transformative shift, and telecom operators find themselves at the forefront of this evolution. The pivotal role they play in shaping the digital advertising narrative cannot be overstated. As we peer into the horizon of the coming year, the potential for moLotus to emerge as a catalyst for unparalleled revenue growth and heightened customer engagement becomes increasingly evident.

The unique capabilities of moLotus, coupled with its innovative approach to mobile advertising, position it as a driving force behind the success of telcos in navigating the intricate challenges and seizing the abundant opportunities presented by the dynamic digital ecosystem. Telecom operators, using moLotus, are better equipped to thrive in the competitive digital advertising landscape. The platform is redefining the standards of telco revenue generation and customer interaction. The journey ahead holds great promise, with moLotus leading the way toward a future.