Blockchain Use Cases For Telecom Industry

• Toshendra Kumar Sharma
• January 08, 2018

Telecom industry today has the most complex operations framework, involving many partners, vendors, customers, distributors, network providers, VAS providers. There are a lot of trust issues and transparency challenges due to the involvement of multiple entities. Also, there are no clear mechanism to track end-to-end activities of every entity.

Telecom Industry: Blockchain Use Cases

• Internal processes: 

The processes such as OSS (Operation Support System) and BSS processes (Business Support System) such as billing and number portability databases can be streamlined using blockchain.

The interest groups can validate billing without hassle. This is possible with the help of an intercompany blockchain shared among customers, VAS providers, VPMN, HPMN and telecom companies.

Also, a migrating customer can be quickly on-boarded on network after receiving a porting request, if receiving operator shares blockchain with porting customer’s operator.

• Roaming:

Blockchain can solve the age old problem of operators to integrate high-cost systems and provide access/authentication settings for enabling roaming calls across networks and operators.

Blockchain can enable complex datasets across multiple parties, in real time with high trust and security, particularly for establishing subscriber identity.

• Smart connection:

With the help of Blockchain, device connection can be provided to multiple local hotspots and WIFIs based on permission and adherence to certain terms and conditions.

It also helps with automatic generation of billing amount and payments.

• Smart transactions:

Blockchain has enabled purchasing of digital assets, including music, mobile games, gift cards and loyalty points.

• Mobile money:

Blockchain has enabled cost-effective international remittances across the globe with very minimal transaction charges. Telecom operators can become global remittance providers.

• Identity management:

Operators could develop identity management tool that are accessible to organizations, devices and applications.

• Way Forward: 

Blockchain solutions are instrumental in enabling interoperability between internal as well as external systems for telecom companies. This can bring down infrastructure as well as compliance cost, and save operators from roaming/identity fraud.

Telecom industry today faces the challenge of eroding margins. There is a high pressure to cut down the cost and at the same time adopt service innovations. Blockchain is the right tool to not only bring in service efficiencies and innovation, but also keep a check on fraudulent practices.

Conclusion

The use cases above demonstrate the different ways that telecom industry can invest in the development and implementation of blockchain-based products. We estimate that, within the next few years, the use of blockchain technology by the telecommunications industry will become more prevalent. It will eventually become the norm.