Over a thousand telcos gather in Cebu for ACC

CEBU, Philippines — Over a thousand telecom players are now in Cebu to brainstorm on possible solutions to ride on with technology disruptions instead of being affected by it.

This year’s Asian Carriers Conference (ACC), which formally opened Tuesday at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, tackles on preparing the industry while on a critical phase.

The three-day conference participated in by 60 countries carries the theme “Eyes on 2020: Turning Vision into Action.”

Hosted by PLDT Inc., the industry players are now also facing concerns of transition from merely a telco company to a total platform provider in the digital world.

“The next couple of years are critical for the industry’s survival and growth. What we have right now is an elevated sense of urgency. We feel that the turn of the new decade will be a defining moment for the technology and infrastructure industry at large,” said ACC 2018 Conference chairperson and PLDT Global president and chief executive officer Katrina Luna-Abelarde.

According to Abelarde the telcos are keen on taking on challenges regarding cyber security, fintech, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IOT), and the building for smart cities.

“For the carrier and wholesale community, there are many opportunities to transform our convention partnership principles into one that fits today’s environment — open to new technologies, partners and business models,” Abelarde told delegates of the ACC 2018.

Now on its 14th year, also ACC 2018 highlights the stories of start-up companies like the Israel-born Waze, Thailand-based eCommerce pioneer Tarad.com, among others.

Telcos also recognized the importance of “disruptors” like the apps developers as important partners to seize the opportunity of technology disruption wherein data becomes the telco’s new business “DNA”. (FREEMAN)