Telenor taps Google Cloud’s Amol Phadke as CTO for AI
Telenor, the Norwegian telecoms company, has appointed Amol Phadke from Google Cloud as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to bolster its AI initiatives. Phadke, formerly in charge of Google Cloud’s telecom business, brings experience from British Telecom, Alcatel-Lucent, and Accenture’s network services unit.
Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke emphasized Phadke’s understanding of the challenges faced by legacy businesses like theirs. The aim is for Telenor to stay at the forefront of technological change, notably as it partnered with Google Cloud in 2021 to digitalize its global operations.
Phadke envisions leveraging AI to enhance business operations and customer interactions. The goal is to improve efficiency by predicting traffic demand, allocating bandwidth, and developing new products. Notably, Telenor doesn’t foresee job cuts due to AI implementation. Instead, Phadke sees AI as an augmentation of human processes, not a substitution.
Telenor’s focus on AI stems from the need for swift innovation and transformative partnerships. Despite the industry’s slow AI adoption, attributed to competitive challenges and legacy systems, Telenor aims to utilize AI across its operations, from energy efficiency to customer interactions.
In addition to Phadke’s appointment, Petter-Boerre Furberg takes the helm of Telenor’s key Asia unit. This leadership change follows Telenor’s successful completion of major mergers in Malaysia and Thailand.
