London, UK TM Forum, the industry association driving digital transformation through collaboration, announced the 29 finalists for its prestigious Excellence Awards 2020. The winners will be announced during Digital Transformation World in October.

This year’s finalists include the world’s largest service providers in Asia, Europe and North America; and regional providers in South East Asia, Ireland and New Zealand. Submissions focus on 5G B2B services, autonomous networks, edge computing, cloud native IT, cultural transformation, customer experience, data management and AI, and more.

About the Excellence Awards

TM Forum’s Excellence Awards recognize the world’s leading companies for their innovative achievements spanning digital transformation, business and IT agility, customer centricity, cross-industry partnering and collaboration, and product and service innovation. The awards also recognize the organizations making a significant contribution to the acceleration of digital transformation throughout the industry.

“Congratulations to the finalists for this year’s prestigious Excellence Awards,” said Nik Willetts, CEO, TM Forum. “The entries selected by our impartial judging panel make an inspiring set of real-world digital transformation case studies. The business results achieved by this year’s finalists demonstrate that real change is possible and underscore the critical importance of collaboration and co-creation to the future of our industry. I look forward to congratulating the winners in October.”

Excellent Awards 2020 Finalists

Autonomous Networks and the Edge

This category focuses on deployment of autonomous networks and edge computing solutions as essential ingredients of monetizing 5G:

• Building a Scalable and Autonomous Programmable Network to Empower Customers with On-Demand Services and Intent-Based Networking – Windstream, Prodapt
• Dynamic Network Manager 2.0: Self Services Portal for Enterprise Customers – Verizon
• Joint Innovation Automatic Driving Networks – China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Vocus Future State Strategy: Consolidating and Automating the Edge – Vocus, Blue Planet (a division of Ciena), DGIT

**Beyond Connectivity ** This category focuses on how 5G and AI-enabled IoT cyber physical systems and B2B2x services are creating new growth opportunities.

• 5G Use Cases in Vertical Industries Represented by the 5G Smart Grid of China Southern Power Grid (CSG) – China Mobile, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
• China Unicom Blockchain-Based Data Sharing Platform – China Unicom, Whale Cloud
• Smart Water Integrated Management System (SWIMS) – Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd, Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd
• Telia Division X Embracing Advanced B2B2X Digital Services Growth and Accelerating the Transformation of Businesses and Industries by Taking a Digital Platform Approach to Successfully Innovate and Co-Create Within a Partner Ecosystem – Telia Co., BearingPoint/Beyond
• Yes! Digital Transformation Plus 100% Cloud BSS for Helix – Videotron, Etiya

Cloud Native IT and Agility

This category focuses on how hyper-converged infrastructure can deliver faster time-to-value and dynamic zero-touch operations.

• Cloud-Based Intelligent Agile Enterprise-Level Big Data Analysis Platform of China Unicom – China Unicom, BONC
• Cloud-Native IT Innovation with China Telecom BSS 3.0 Program – China Telecom, Whale Cloud
• How Globe Telecom Implemented the First Network and Service Assurance Platform in the Public Cloud in South East Asia – Globe Telecom, MYCOM OSI
• Public Cloud Accelerates Truphone Transformation with Optiva BSS – Truphone, Optiva
• Sprint and Amdocs’ Unique Co-Development Approach for a Complex Digital Transformation to Cloud-Native Architecture with Rapid Delivery Cycles – Sprint, Amdocs
• Tecnotree and Telefonica Partnered for Innovative Service Delivery Platform – Tecnotree Corp., Telefonica
• Vodafone NZ Cloud Global and Wholesale Platform – Vodafone New Zealand, DGIT

Customer Experience and Trust

This category focuses on how companies are creating and managing complex digital services to deliver greater customer satisfaction, build trust and loyalty, and ensure business growth.

• Building Customer Experience and Trust through Digital Transformation – Axiata Digital Labs, Dialog Axiata PLC
• China Unicom’s Digital Operation Practice for End-to-End Customer Experience – China Unicom
• Orange Poland Uberizes the Mobile Experience – Orange Polska SA, Vlocity, Matrixx Software, Salesforce
• Reinvention Through M&A: H3G Ireland’s Digital-Led Approach to Achieve the Ultimate Seamless Intelligent Omnichannel Customer Experience – Three Ireland, Amdocs
• Vodafone UK’s Digital Transformation Journey to Enhance the Customer Experience in Partnership with Infosys – Vodafone, Infosys

AI, Data and Analytics

This category focuses on how businesses are managing data and AI to get useful customer insights and real-time operational efficiencies.

• AI-as-a-Service for Taiwan Mobile – Taiwan Mobile, Nokia,
• AI for 5G Billing Data Acceleration – China Unicom, Si-Tech, Whale Cloud
• AI in Turk Telekom Network Operations – Turk Telekomunikasyon A S, Innova Bilisim Cozumleri
• Enterprise Data Governance Program Implementation – Celcom Axiata Berhad
• Intelligent Network Diagnostic and Expert Advisory System for Service Desk (IDEAS+) – Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd

The Human Factor

This category focuses on how organizational structures, behavior and culture are changing from analog to digital, as a new generation brings business and agile technology skills across the organization.

• AI-Based IDIS Enables China Unicom’s Digital Transformation – China Unicom
• BT Reduces Network Planning Time by 70% Using TM Forum Open Digital Framework – BT, Tech Mahindra Ltd.
• Transforming Amdocs’ Global Organizational Culture to Embrace Change: New Ways of Working and Thinking in Order to Deliver a Re-Imagined, Seamless Customer Experience – Amdocs

**Excellence Awards 2020 Judges ** This year’s judges include some of the industry’s top thought leaders, including: Maria Adamczyk, Standards and Industry Alliances Director, AT&T; Dan Bieler, Principal Analyst, Forrester; Shoma Chakravarty, Vice President of Enterprise Architecture, Verizon; Martin Creaner, Former CEO and President, TM Forum; James Crawshaw, Senior Analyst, Intelligent Networks and Automation, Heavy Reading; Michelle Davies, Global L&D Technology Manager, Vodafone; Sandra De Zoysa, Group Chief Customer Officer, Dialog Axiata; Sheryl Kingstone, Research Vice President, Customer Experience and Commerce and General Manager, Voice of Connected User Landscape, 451research; Christian Maitre, Director Global Operations Transformation, Orange; Nancee Ruzicka, Founder, ICT Intuition LLC; Vincent Seet, Head, Enterprise Architecture, Globe Telecom; and Jay Shah, Partner, Data and Artificial Intelligence, &How Intelligence