“We will continue to diversify our client portfolio”
Andrey Gulidin, CCO at Nexign speaks to Teletimes International
Exclusive Interview: Khalid Athar
Khalid Athar: Congratulations on becoming the new CCO of Nexign. Would you like to share the vision that you have for Nexign’s commercial strategy?
Andrey Gulidin: Thank you, Khalid. Back in 2018 we’ve kicked off the international markets expansion strategy for Nexign with a particular focus on the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia regions. Looking back now I can confirm with confidence that it was a smart bet from our leadership team side. And today we will continue to excel what we have started three years ago focusing on expanding Nexign’s footprint in the telco industry globally.
Nexign has an extensive track record of cooperating with different types of operators. The company’s strong product portfolio and experience accumulated over 28 years of successful operations mean that we are able to implement business support systems (BSS) transformation projects in diverse market segments, meeting the needs both of major mobile and fixed network operators and of smaller operators and MVNOs in regional markets. So we will continue to diversify our client portfolio. We will also consolidate our existing partnerships to strengthen our regional presence and offer a wider range of services to telco operators.
KA: How has 2020 been going so far for Nexign? What measures did you take to deal with the pandemic from a business point of view?
AG: Nexign had to guarantee both business continuity for its customers and the health and safety of its employees. Mobile and digital services have become more important than ever in supporting interaction between people, and we consider it our primary duty to ensure that these services are fully operational and always available.
From the side of business operations, there have been no substantive changes to our processes, though all our employees have been working remotely since March. We have even introduced the “Nexign FreeDom” programme, under which our staff can choose whether they would prefer to work from home or the office. I am proud to say that the pandemic has not affected Nexign’s performance. We have demonstrated that our team works equally effectively from customers’ offices or remotely.
As for the importance of the business continuity for our customers – telecom operators of all sizes – during these pandemic time, we are helping our customers to manage pandemic-induced heavy congestion on networks across the world, using the RAN congestion awareness function (RCAF). This is a BSS component that keeps mobile networks elastic and optimises the UX for all subscribers. RCAF supports dynamic content adjustment and prioritised plans, introduces speed limits for heavy users and application control, and enables CSPs to set up top-priority plans for emergency workers, guaranteeing reliable service for their communications and smart equipment even in the most congested spots and at the busiest times. Implementing technologies like RCAF will help to build customer loyalty and open up new monetisation models, which will be widely adopted in the 5G era.
Even before CSPs introduce full 5G support, however, they can leverage their mobile networks to provide reliable service to those who are experiencing difficulties working and studying from home at this time.
Nexign is also doing everything it can to support contactless services. We offer telecom operators partner integration mechanisms that help the CSPs to provide their subscribers with digital services and generate new sources of revenue. Nexign supports the eSIM technology that delivers a mechanism for attracting new subscribers without physical shops, and helps operators to fine-tune their policies on keeping subscribers connected whether they have paid or not.
KA: Have you been able to make a good forecast around how things will go during the rest of 2020 for Nexign? What are some of the key partnerships/projects that will be your focus in the coming months?
AG: COVID-19 has unfortunately led to an unprecedented situation across the entire world, and we have to accept that some processes have slowed down. Nonetheless, we expect that CSPs will start to fast track their activities. Nexign has a strong customer portfolio, so the company will continue to steer a stable course. We will be going ahead with several BSS implementation projects for major Russian operators and will focus on developing a number of exciting BSS opportunities in the MEA region.
KA: How would you compare the Middle Eastern and African telecom markets? On a regional level, which markets and verticals do you see as having the most potential for growth?
AG: The Middle East, especially the GCC, takes pride in leading on the technology front. The Middle East telco market is aggressively deploying 5G and generates many leads where CSPs are looking for innovation and future-proof BSS platforms.
The African market has even bigger potential. It is highly diversified and I foresee a lot of inquiries driven by technology upgrades. At the moment, we are in close discussions with a number of swap projects.
As for the verticals, telecommunications market stays at the core of our business. We’ve been known for our solid product portfolio and top-notch level of services for over 28 years by now and we’ll continue to capitalize on that.
KA: The introduction of “connected” devices in every area of life have revamped the telecommunications and ICT landscape. What is Nexign doing to enable this “Internet of Things in the region?
AG: Last year, Nexign and Gazprom Neft, one of the three largest oil producers and refiners in Russia, set up a joint venture to develop digital products for the oil and gas industry and roll them out to the Russian and global markets. We see huge potential in IoT solutions for the oil and gas industry and we are in the process of discussing pilot projects with several market players. We anticipate a great future here.
KA: How do you see the long-term future of the company. Where do you see things heading during 2021?
AG: With the pandemic whipping up interest in digital transformation among telco operators, I expect the following trends to strengthen:
- The importance of owning and managing distribution channels
- Increasing demand for convergence as digital and additional services develop
- A priority focus on integrating external products into telco operators’ offers
- A need for contactless technologies and services
Nexign is ready to meet these demands with its Nexign Digital BSS solution, which is ready for 5G and IoT monetisation, MVNE and analytical intelligence, while keeping the principles of overall system optimisation, cloud-based scalability, and cost reduction front and centre. We anticipate a surge of interest from the Middle Eastern and African markets.
