• Belgian telco Proximus names new CEO
• Nokia launches autonomous networking platform
• Aduna unveils yet more partnerships

In today’s industry news roundup: Proximus appoints current CEO of Cegeka Group as new CEO from September; Nokia adds to the growing list of companies seeking to help telcos with their autonomous networking strategies; Aduna joins forces with Syniverse, Wipro and Tech Mahindra to expand global telco API access; and much more!

Belgian national operator Proximus has finally revealed (see this announcement) who will be the successor to its former CEO Guillaume Boutin, who joined Vodafone as head of investments and strategy in May. Stijn Bijnens is to take over the helm of the Belgian group with effect from 1 September. In the meantime, Jan Van Acoleyen, who also holds the role of human capital lead at Proximus, is acting as interim CEO. Bijnens, a Belgian national, is currently CEO of Cegeka Group, which he describes on LinkedIn as “a family-owned IT solutions provider” with revenue of €1.3bn. He started his career in 1995, creating the network security company NetVision, which was renamed as Ubizen in 1999. In 2008, he was appointed CEO of investment company Limburgse Reconversie Maatschappij (LRM), and prior to that held roles at Verizon Business and Cybertrust. Stefaan De Clerck, chairman of the Proximus board, described Bijnens as the “perfect fit” for the CEO role. “With his proven experience in domains like 5G, hybrid cloud, AI, cybersecurity, digital workplace and many more and as a recognised visionary leader, he will bring inspiration and innovation. I am confident he will be very valuable, drive the teams to face the exciting challenges that lie ahead and take Proximus to the next level, leveraging on our actual strengths,” added De Clerck. Bijnens certainly joins Proximus at a challenging time on the Belgian telecoms market: Disruptive player Digi has recently launched operations on the market, while Orange Belgium has just announced plans to take on Proximus in the business-to-business segment. Meanwhile, Proximus is still seeking a CEO for its global unit. The international business formerly fell under Boutin’s remit, but Proximus decided to split his role and hire a separate CEO. Group CFO Mark Reid is serving as interim CEO of Proximus Global until an appointment is made.

Hot on the heels of the launch by TM Forum of new tools to help telcos validate and prove their progress towards Level 4 autonomous networks (AN) and beyond, Nokia has introduced its own product that is designed to ease and accelerate the telco AN journey. It has also adopted the increasingly popular term “fabric” to underline how this “unifying intelligence layer” weaves together observability, analytics, security, and automation to facilitate this complex endeavour. According to the vendor, Nokia Autonomous Network Fabric brings together all the capabilities required to accelerate the journey to full network automation in an open, cloud-native, multi-vendor environment. It added that key features include a “library of cross-domain correlated data products”, telco-trained AI models (large language models, large action models, and machine learning), integrated security, and AI apps for automation workflows, providing operators with a “fully integrated suite that features unified data management, 360-degree observability and explainable AI”. Notably, the Finnish vendor has also announced an expanded collaboration with Google Cloud to enable customers to deploy Autonomous Network Fabric as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) application running on Google Cloud, on-premises with Google Distributed Cloud, and in hybrid cloud environments. The product will also make use of Google Cloud’s generative AI, including Vertex AI and BigQuery, to “deliver agentic-driven workflows for network operations”. Nokia further commented that telcos will be able to run a Nokia 5G core network on Google’s cloud infrastructure, and noted that the duo is joining forces with a “major European operator to build a smarter, more automated network”, although didn’t name the telco in question. As summed up by Kal De, SVP of product and engineering, cloud and network services at Nokia, “In an era of increasingly complex and vulnerable networks, customers are eager for fully autonomous networks, which depend on good data. There is no good AI without good data. Nokia’s Autonomous Network Fabric lays the foundation and applies our deep network expertise and agentic AI-optimised workflows together with Google Cloud to accelerate customer outcomes.” For more details, see the press release here. 

It has been a busy week for Aduna, the telco API joint venture recently formed by a dozen telcos and Ericsson. Following a number of announcements on Tuesday, it has now struck a partnership with international communications platform operator Syniverse (see this announcement) and revealed that system integrators Wipro and Tech Mahindra have also joined its partner ecosystem (see this announcement). Syniverse will integrate directly into Aduna’s aggregated API framework, which unifies access to network capabilities from operators around the globe. This will enable the company to offer its customers access to network APIs, including SIM Swap, Number Verification and Device Location, across a multi-operator environment. Meanwhile, Tech Mahindra and Wipro will integrate Aduna’s harmonised network APIs, including SIM Swap, Number Verification, Device Location, and Quality On Demand, into enterprise transformation initiatives across industries, such as financial services, manufacturing, logistics and the public sector.

A new report from the GSMA highlights that while mobile operators are making progress with reducing emissions, much more work needs to be done if the industry is to reach the target of net zero by 2050 (see this announcement). In its fifth annual Mobile Net Zero report, the association said the good news is that the mobile industry’s operational emissions fell by 8% between 2019 and 2023, even as mobile connections grew by 9% and data traffic quadrupled – showing that the industry has started to decouple emissions from data and connectivity growth. The bad news is that to reach net zero by 2050, emissions must fall by 7.5% annually until 2030 – more than twice the average annual rate achieved to date. Actions that are being taken by mobile operators include phasing out less efficient legacy networks and reducing their reliance on diesel generators, while improving network energy efficiency and transitioning to clean energy, including solar and battery storage. According to Steven Moore, head of climate action at the GSMA, all this indicates that the mobile industry “isn’t greenwashing or greenwishing – it’s green acting. Emissions are trending in the right direction, but the pace of progress must now double.” In 2024, preliminary data suggests a further 4.5% drop in emissions – an acceleration on previous years but still short of the 7.5% annual reduction that is required, the report said.

– The staff, TelecomTV