Schedule of Events

Metaverse represents the next evolution of the internet that is immersive, interactive, and interoperable. We estimate $4-5 trillion in potential value creation by 2030—however, in the near term, the value is likely concentrated in a small set of use cases. Additionally, the full potential is contingent on a complex technology ecosystem coming together, with value disaggregated across ten layers of the stack, with two-to-three areas emerging as core control points to own. Telcos are at the center of enabling the infrastructure for the metaverse. This means there is a massive value creation opportunity for telcos, but at the same time, several risks and uncertainties. In this session, McKinsey will share research on value creation in the metaverse and implications for telecom providers. We will be joined by a guest speaker from Niantic who will present immediate use cases for the “real-world metaverse” powered by augmented reality experiences on mobile. We will also demonstrate real use cases for the audience.

Over the last decade, operators have struggled to make the cost of capital work, while at the same time, focused organizations adjacent to operators, such as over-the-top projects, or those born out of operators, like tower companies, have outperformed. To unleash operator growth, companies must replicate this pure-play model by restructuring the operator into focused entities with a large degree of autonomy. This will create focus on growth, reduce complexity, increase the ability to attract talent, and simplify inorganic moves, such as spin-out, acquisitions, and attracting capital. An exciting guest speaker will join for this session: Jens Schulte-Bockum, COO of MTN Group, who is responsible for commercial functions and new platform businesses.

The persistent, disruptive macroeconomic trends of 2022—high inflation, geopolitical instability, and acute labor shortages—continue to create fears of a downturn in 2023. McKinsey has been exploring how leading tech companies and operators did not just survive the last downturns but successfully built momentum to deliver long-term value post-recovery. We will discuss what sets apart those successful companies from their peers and how others can build resiliency.

While the fiber gold rush continues and initial 5G deployments are done in a high inflationary and tech evolution environment, the race will shift to customer experience, speed-to-market and financial efficiencies. With that in mind, McKinsey has developed an AI-driven and customer-backed approach to build and operate the network of the future with the right architecture, at the right place, and at the right price, in less time.

Ecosystem strategy is not only the bold new approach to growth and innovation, but also the path toward offering interconnected services to combine customers’ cross-sectoral needs into a single, integrated experience. In an ecosystem economy, companies aren’t limited to providing offerings solely within an industry’s traditional borders. This shakes up value chains and could fundamentally change how value is created. By 2030, virtually every sector in the world will orchestrate ecosystems, which is projected to drive approximately $70-100 trillion in annual revenue.

Join Venkat Atluri to discuss why leaders need to focus on ecosystems, how companies can change thinking about the topic and learn how to capture the sizable benefits available through employing ecosystem strategies.

The global ‘Edge Computing’ market will exceed $320 billion by 2026. As telecom networks advance toward delivering powerful infrastructure and applications at the edge, the complexity to deploy and manage computing resources across geographic locations grows exponentially. At the same time, telecom operators globally are looking to transform their networks to monetize ongoing 5G investments. We will discuss how the telco industry can harness opportunities in edge computing to transform itself, generate new revenue streams, and cultivate ecosystem partnerships.

Even without legal or structural separation, telcos can accelerate the transformation of business units by adopting the mindset of a service company (ServCo). McKinsey believes this does not need to be the case for those prepared to be bold, even in a market that has been under pressure for a decade. Discover a well-developed, tested formula with the potential to unlock growth across core connectivity business, new business lines, and beyond. Join this exclusive community of telecom leaders for this mid-week MWC reception.

The world of work is changing with the growth and emergence of technological innovations such as O-RAN, quantum technology, and AI, which position tech talent cultivation as a top priority for telco CEOs. As demand for tech talent continues to outstrip supply, organizations are rethinking talent strategies and operating models to meet new business, diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Together with Nicki Palmer, chief technology ambassador at Verizon, McKinsey will host a discussion of the tech talent trends and actions to build a robust plan for the future.

While global trade has stabilized, flows linked to knowledge and knowhow are driving global integration, according to recent MGI research. Zooming in on trade, every region imports more than 25 percent of at least one important type of resource or manufactured good that it needs, and about 40 percent of global trade is “concentrated” among three or fewer nations. Importantly, three-quarters of this concentration comes from economy-specific choices. We will discuss the report findings and the top challenges to overcome.

Achieving growth and competitive advantage for telecom companies requires a shift to comprehensive decision making and personalization, taking into account both commercial as well as the service aspect of interactions with the customer. With many levers and opportunities to explore, doing it right is impossible without a concerted effort from different parts of the organization and diverse capabilities to master. Learn about a new perspective on what it takes to build the next generation of client-centric and data-driven telco organizations and deep dive into customer value management and end-to-end decision systems—both service and commercial—as one of the key capabilities for sustainable growth. Furthermore, special guest Asaf Somekh, the CEO of Iguazio, a leading machine-learning operations platform, now part of McKinsey, will talk about best practices in deploying and amplifying analytical efforts at scale.

Scale-up success stories are the result of a distinctive set of organizational capabilities that founder CEOs may be able to develop as they move their start-ups from aspiration to ascent to peak performance. We will discuss the key factors crucial to the success of companies following’ fast-growth expeditions such as structure built especially for product or portfolio growth, effective ways of working, a strong talent development engine, a distinctive growth culture, leadership capabilities at scale, and an aligned founder CEO.