Telcos race to transition from 'dumb pipes' to tech players with help from AI

Ryu Young-sang, CEO of South Korean telecoms giant SK Telecom, told CNBC that AI is helping telecoms firms improve efficiency in their networks. Manaure Quintero | Afp | Getty Images BARCELONA — Global telecommunications firms are talking up advances in key technologies like artificial intelligence as they look to transition away from being perceived as the "dumb pipes" behind the internet. At the Mobile World Congress technology conference in Barcelona, CEOs of multiple telecoms companies described how they're piling money into new technological innovations, including AI, next-generation 5G and 6G networks, satellite internet and even smart cities. Makoto Takahashi, president and CEO of Japanese telecom giant KDDI , detailed plans to build a smart city dubbed Takanawa Gateway City in Tokyo, as well as roll out direct-to-cell satellite internet connectivity in partnership with Elon Musk's Starlink venture. Ralph Mupita, the CEO of Africa's largest mobile network operator MTN, also too ... Read full article.