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Digital-first is on every operator’s roadmap but the path can be marred with challenges. On this week’s episode of Zero-Touch Live, Rakuten Symphony CMO Geoff Hollingworth spoke with returning guest Atila Horvat, head of portfolio strategy at Rakuten Symphony, about what’s blocking progress, the paths forward discovered by some disruptors and how incumbents can simplify their own journeys.
📺 The replay is available now below.
Atila noted that while every operator’s journey may be different, the same blockers keep surfacing: local regulations, market-specific requirements, conservative mindsets and reluctance to take risks, among them.
“Old patterns tend to surface, such as attraction to “shiny new toys” like AI, complicating reinsertion into the customer value chain.”
That said, speed remains the biggest disadvantage as over-the-top players continue to move deftly to race ahead and deepen customer relationships.
Geoff highlighted the two contrasting but successful cases Atila covered in his article.
Atila stressed that these aren’t just novel projects.
“They reflect a return to something telcos once excelled at: acting as trusted local hubs and community connectors.”
At the close of the discussion, Geoff and Atila outlined five principles operators can consider to simplify the transformation to digital-first:
