MVNO transformation: PortaOne’s vision for implementing innovative telecommunications solutions

At Gitex Africa 2024, Andriy Zhylenko, CEO of PortaOne, participated in a forward-looking discussion with TechAfrica News on transformation strategies transforming the telecommunications industry. He highlighted how PortaOne enables Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) to transition to business productivity providers by offering innovative service solutions beyond traditional telecommunications offerings.

Zhylenko pointed to an evolving landscape in which telecommunications services are increasingly merging with non-telecom offerings, driven by software advances. PortaOne, he explained, is at the forefront of this change and is advocating for telecommunications operators to move beyond mere connectivity services. Instead, they should integrate value-added tools such as business productivity solutions tailored to specific sectors, such as IoT in agriculture.

“We’re seeing this shift not just with MVNOs, but across the telecommunications industry. As everything moves towards software, the line between telecommunications and non-telecommunications services is becoming increasingly blurry. Telcos must accept this change or risk becoming obsolete if they continue to sell only SIM cards or connectivity. Today, it is crucial to offer customers value beyond basic services. This can be achieved through business productivity tools that increase sales or customer loyalty, or new services tailored to sectors such as IoT in agriculture.”

Andriy Zhylenko, CEO of PortaOne

PortaOne’s strategy focuses on enabling telecom operators to diversify their revenue streams by integrating value-added services such as business productivity tools and sector-specific solutions such as IoT applications for agriculture. Zhylenko emphasized the importance of using PortaOne systems to effectively manage and monetize these services, enabling companies to innovate without starting from scratch.

In terms of technology integration, he discussed PortaOne’s approach to combining Cloud PBX and CRM systems and highlighted the seamless connectivity and AI-powered features built into their solutions that provide SMEs with tailored communications tools designed to increase operational efficiency and customer engagement.

The discussion also touched on the challenge of transitioning from traditional hardware PBX systems to cloud-based solutions. Zhylenko highlighted PortaOne’s comprehensive support through professional services and data integration tools, ensuring a seamless migration path that preserves the user experience while unlocking new capabilities for modern business needs.

Another focal point was artificial intelligence innovation, with Zylenko highlighting the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in improving communication processes in enterprises. PortaOne’s integration of AI-powered features such as call transcription and automated assistance is designed to streamline operations and increase productivity across all business operations.

“We recently integrated Whisper with OpenAI into our Cloud Marketplace for value-added services and plan to add more components to improve user connectivity. While artificial intelligence is heavily used in our development and engineering to increase productivity, I believe that critical decisions will still be made by humans. The role of AI is to effectively execute these decisions and transform them into effective software systems or data flows.”

Andriy Zhylenko, CEO of PortaOne

Looking to the future, Zhylenko outlined PortaOne’s commitment to supporting innovation among SMEs and start-ups. Their accelerator program provides key support including mentoring, cloud lending and access to PortaOne systems, enabling emerging companies to scale their solutions globally.

By leveraging technological advances and cultivating strategic partnerships, PortaOne continues to lead in transforming telecommunications operators into dynamic providers of integrated, value-added services adapted to the evolving demands of the digital economy.