While researching the progress of APAC telcos from “telco to techno” recently. I found a strange phenomenon – the rise of the “alphanumeric strategy”.
These telcos are adopting a strings of letters and numbers as an acronym to summarize their strategy or quickly describe activities in a particular area. Examples include:
| Acronym | Definition | Strategy |
| ABCDNETS | AI, blockchain, cloud, data, network, edge, terminal and security | China Mobile‘s definition of key new technology areas |
| 9 one platform | A suite of platforms for industrial internet, smart healthcare, smart finance, smart city, rural revitalization, private 5G, culture and tourism, high-precision positioning, smart traffic, education and smart parks | China Mobile‘s platform strategy |
| 1+N+X | AI computing system which includes 1 super-scale centralised AI computing centre, N x AI computing training and inference integrated hubs, and X localised AI computing inference node | China Unicom’s deployment of AI cloud computing |
| AICT | The use of AI and information and communications technology (ICT) to strengthen core businesses, explore new businesses (using AI+IT+SW+Data+Cloud) and using AI to create new innovations in media/content | Korea Telecom’s three-part transformation plan |
| AI pyramid strategy | Innovation in AI that includes:
• new AI infrastructure (data centres, chipsets, a telco LLM, edge AI) • AI transformation in core businesses and new external businesses • AI service (development of a customer AI assistant trained in Korean) |
SK Telecom’s plans to become an AI company |
Makes you almost nostalgic for the three letter acronym! 🙂
