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Welcome to the third series of Hard Talk! 
In these live debates and discussions, we address the key challenges and opportunities in the telecoms industry.

We pose the hard-hitting questions facing our industry and introduce you to global thought leaders who will share their insights and experiences through interactive polls and live Q&A.

Register for the whole series, or simply the topics that interest you, giving you instant access to on-demand recordings →


How to build the right partner ecosystems
2 pm GMT

Building strong partner ecosystems is going to be essential if telecoms providers want to play a role in the delivery of complex ICT solutions. Explore the commercial and technological issues that CSPs will need to address in order to attract and retain the right partners.

What enterprises expect and need from 5G
2 pm GMT

Explore the reasons why enterprises are looking to 5G as their preferred network technology and the use cases for the short and medium-term. We will also assess the challenges of embedding 5G into their existing systems and processes, and how operators can help them.

What does excellent customer experience look like?
2 pm BST

When it comes to customer experience, some operators are happy with modest improvements while others are seeking to develop a digital experience that rivals that of cloud providers. Explore what a fully digital, data-driven customer experience is and what is at stake for those CSPs that are taking a less ambitious approach.

Do telecoms operators really want to be enablers?
2 pm BST

What does it mean for telecoms operators to become enablers from a commercial perspective? Is it just what we used to call wholesale but repositioned for the 5G era? If so, will all telcos welcome such a business model or will they seek growth from delivering services for the end-user?

The future of CSP and hyperscale cloud provider relationships
2 pm BST


There can be no doubting the coming together of public cloud and telecoms providers in the 5G era. Telecoms operators are becoming important customers for cloud providers but will they become partners in the provision of new services such as IoT to enterprises? And if so, what will those commercial relationships look like?

Should telecoms operators become professional services firms and systems integrators?
2 pm BST

With the expansion in B2B and leveraging 5G, edge computing and network slicing, many operators are seeking to develop, or acquire new professional and IT services capabilities. Find out if there is an opportunity for telecom operators to build their own systems integrations capabilities and provide professional services. And, where will telcos find their role in this sector between local professional services firms and global ones?
2 pm London | 9 am New York | 10 pm Singapore


5G presents an opportunity to deliver new services and new software-defined capabilities that allow customers to decide what sort of connectivity they want and where. What is connectivity-as-a-service, its potential business models, and the technology challenges of delivering it?

2 pm London | 9 am New York | 10 pm Singapore

How cost-beneficial it is to migrate your IT and network workloads into the cloud and does it really create huge savings? Explore the claims and counterclaims, and the potential for taking a more consistent approach to making cost comparisons.

2 pm London | 9 am New York | 9 pm Singapore

Panel discussion

Is the level of dependence of today’s telecoms operators on public cloud providers a cause for concern? How do we get the balance right?

Time: tbc

Panel discussion

Some large connectivity providers want to expand their role in IoT by providing E2E services. But is this a realistic ambition? Do they have a clear strategy and is it worth it?​

Sign up to watch past debates

How to build the right partner ecosystems
Watch on-demand

Building strong partner ecosystems is going to be essential if telecoms providers want to play a role in the delivery of complex ICT solutions. Explore the commercial and technological issues that CSPs will need to address in order to attract and retain the right partners.

What enterprises expect and need from 5G
Watch on-demand

Explore the reasons why enterprises are looking to 5G as their preferred network technology and the use cases for the short and medium-term. We will also assess the challenges of embedding 5G into their existing systems and processes, and how operators can help them.
What does excellent customer experience look like?
Watch on-demand

When it comes to customer experience, some operators are happy with modest improvements while others are seeking to develop a digital experience that rivals that of cloud providers. Explore what a fully digital, data-driven customer experience is and what is at stake for those CSPs that are taking a less ambitious approach.

Do telecoms operators really want to be enablers?
Watch on-demand

What does it mean for telecoms operators to become enablers from a commercial perspective? Is it just what we used to call wholesale but repositioned for the 5G era? If so, will all telcos welcome such a business model or will they seek growth from delivering services for the end-user?

The future of CSP and hyperscale cloud provider relationships
Watch on-demand

With all the excitement about the potential of 5G in the B2B market, there is a risk that 5G in the consumer market gets overlooked. What are the tangible benefits that 5G offers over LTE for smartphone users and how to monetize them? Explore new 5G consumer services and devices, their market prospects and timelines.

Should telecoms operators become professional services firms and systems integrators?
Watch on-demand

With the expansion in B2B and leveraging 5G, edge computing and network slicing, many operators are seeking to develop, or acquire new professional and IT services capabilities. Find out if there is an opportunity for telecom operators to build their own systems integrations capabilities and provide professional services. And, where will telcos find their role in this sector between local professional services firms and global ones?
Watch on-demand

5G presents an opportunity to deliver new services and new software-defined capabilities that allow customers to decide what sort of connectivity they want and where. What is connectivity-as-a-service, its potential business models, and the technology challenges of delivering it?

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