We are a couple of days into Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona so I decided to pick up the phone and call a few of my colleagues who are down there. Most of them were too busy witnessing technology history in the making and wouldn’t answer my calls. But one of my calls was answered, and I managed to get my good friend Kok Liang Toh on the phone. I spent the next 15 minutes talking to him about his experience of MWC 2015. Here are a few questions I asked him, along with his responses.
Let’s start with the basics – What are you doing at MWC? Which part of Ericsson are you representing at MWC?
I’m a business builder representing Ericsson’s Industry & Society business, which is targeted at enterprise customers outside of the telecommunications domain. More specifically, I am representing the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) vertical. Showcasing Ericsson’s expertise and ambitions in the Industry & Society segment is a key focus area for us this year and the ITS vertical is a big part of this.
What are you first impressions of the event?
I am really impressed with the event. Exhibits and booths from all the participants are very professionally done, very well designed. The whole place is buzzing with activity and lots of business discussions. I was here last year as well, but I must say that the year’s event tops the last one.
What was the first thing that caught your attention at the Ericsson booth?
One thing that immediately caught my attention was what we show and demo at the booth has grown in size. Last year we had a Volvo sedan in the booth; this year is a big 4-wheel drive. Last year we showed a small remote controlled excavator; this year it’s a full-sized digger parked inside that is remotely controlled over 5G.
Coming back to Intelligent Transportation Systems, what is Ericsson’s role in this domain? What is the key message you would like to communicate regarding Ericsson and ITS at MWC 2015?
Ericsson’s goal is to become a trusted, end-to-end ICT partner in this domain. We are showcasing our existing solutions but we also launched two new solutions focused on the ITS market. The first is the Connected Traffic Cloud which was announced personally by our CEO, Hans Vestberg, during his keynote address. The Connected Traffic Cloud will combine data from multiple sources such as cars, traffic centers, mobile networks to enhance road safety and traffic management. The second is Mobility-as-a-service an integrated mobility service which provides access to public transport, car-sharing, car rental, taxi and a bicycle system – all through a single app. Think of it as Spotify for everyday travel.
What kinds of visitors are you seeing at the ITS booth? What types of organizations do they represent?
We’ve had so many visitors that it’s hard to categorize them. I’ve met a number of executives from automotive, shipping, energy and utilities companies. We had ministries, country representatives and other advisors who represent government bodies. We also had journalists, bloggers, analysts and a number of other people interested in understanding how the world of intelligent transport is shaping up.
What are the top 3 questions you have heard from visitors to the ITS booth so far?
From telecom operators: What is the role of the communications provider / operator in this solution?
From the general public: This is a cool idea! Has this been implemented somewhere or just a concept? Can you bring this to my city?
From public transport operators: What is the business model of this? Who is going to be the service provider of Mobility as a Service?
Is ITS a big topic at MWC this year? Are there many other companies show casing solutions in the space apart from Ericsson?
I’m at the Ericsson booth from 9am to 7pm everyday so I haven’t had the opportunity to explore other booths. We get a briefing of the previous day’s highlights from other participants at the event every morning. It’s clear from the briefing that the Internet of Things is a really big topic and Intelligent Transport is one key area where the Internet of Things plays a central role.
Have you heard any memorable quotes from any of the speakers at MWC (ITS or other areas)?
Overheard from the CEO of an European auto manufactures – “Everyone is talking about data collection & analytics, but where is the ACTION? Let’s share data and create joint innovation.”
Finally, it has been a long couple of days so how are you planning to unwind in the evening?
We make sure we get some nice tapas at the end of the day. We aren’t done till late evening but that works out perfectly because dinner is eaten quite late in Spain!
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