Telcos need to move faster to seize post-pandemic opportunities

A crisis is a terrible thing to waste, they say.

The global health crisis is still with us, but the post-pandemic world is already heaving into view. If telcos want to seize the opportunities in the post-pandemic economy they need to move fast. Surveys of business leaders show repeatedly that the shock therapy delivered by the virus has accelerated their digital transformation timetable.

Figure 1: New normal? The way we work has changed - possibly forever. So telcos need to be pragmatic and catch up.
(Source: Marga Santoso on Unsplash)

One part is 5G: It's shaping to be a force multiplier for digital transformation. Around three quarters of enterprises think 5G will be embedded in their organization's processes over the next five years. That's a prompt for service providers to show they not only have good technology but also that they can walk the walk themselves.

Work life balance

Another less-heralded part is the coming transformation of the workplace. Sloan Management Review has declared: "Work as we know it is forever changed by COVID-19." Telecom operators, with their critical technologies and diverse workforces, should be at the forefront of this shift.

Employee attitudes and work practices have changed fundamentally over the past 18 months. Managing this transformation is near the top of every CEO priority list right now. Put simply, employees love remote work – it's more convenient, eliminates commuting time and cost and in most cases lifts productivity.

Employers aren't against it but have some issues with it. A Sloan Review survey found that the lower level of contact reduces serendipity – an important factor in innovation. It's also harder to start new projects and maintain organization. These aren't insurmountable. Most likely the best solution is a set of flexible arrangements.

A Harvard Business Review study of companies in relatively COVID-free Australia early in 2021 found five different degrees of employee office presence were being deployed, ranging from fully in-office to fully virtual.

In between are ideas such as the "clubhouse," where staff work from home and visit the office only when they need to collaborate, and "hub-and-spoke," where employees work from smaller satellite offices near their homes.

Missing a trick

Telecom operators have the opportunity here to lead both the trend and the conversation. So far there's no sign of them. Light Reading reached out to a number of major Asia-Pacific operators to ask their plans for the post-pandemic workplace, but none managed to respond. They may have their reasons but they are badly missing a trick here.

Other companies have managed it.

Interested in Asia? Check out our dedicated content channel here on
Light Reading.

Nokia has just announced that all employees will be able to work remotely for up to three days a week, with greater flexibility in working hours. It also plans to redesign office spaces "to better reflect post-COVID working arrangements."

If you're a business looking for a partner to help on digital issues, who would you choose one who's gone through the process themselves, or one yet to express a thought?

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— Robert Clark, contributing editor, special to Light Reading