Verizon Business sees AI as ‘critical' part of managed network services portfolio: Jophy Varghese
NEW DELHI: US telecom carrier
Verizon
's enterprise unit said
artificial intelligence
(AI) will become a key differentiator in its network portfolio, enabling end customers to benefit from cost efficiencies.
'Over the years, we have expanded our network portfolio to include network-as-a-service (NaaS), SD-WAN, and others. Now AI will act as a critical part of how we roll out networks for large global enterprises,'
Jophy Varghese
, APAC head (SI) & country manager (India),
Verizon Business
, told ETTelecom in an interview.
He said AI will allow enterprise customers to gain visibility on end-to-end governance, offer flexibility on cost structures, and will also enable them to leverage cost-effective connectivity models.
Lately, AI adoption has boomed across industries. In telecom, the technology is currently being utilised by various companies for functions ranging from customer-facing chatbots to radio performance and energy efficiency optimisation.
New York-headquartered Verizon, this January, launched the '
Verizon AI Connect
' integrated suite of solutions and products designed to enable businesses to deploy AI workloads at scale. The telco already has tie-ups with hyperscalers and technology companies, including Google, Meta, Vultur, and Nvidia.
Meanwhile, the monetisation of the fifth-generation (5G) networks has not picked up at an anticipated pace. The executive, however, said that investments would continue to pour in the 5G space, with expansion into the 6G technology eventually.
Varghese further said that Verizon Business is currently prioritising its work in three areas: global network managed services, secured hybrid networks, and cybersecurity.
'All these elements come together as part of the core network. Apart from that, we have unified communications, or contact center solutions,' he said.
'I think we would continue to expand our investment globally. We are here to stay,' he added.
According to the executive, the company would explore opportunities in various areas, such as modernising enterprises, scaling up new network roll-outs, and orchestrating global network with multiple partners while ensuring security at the same time.
Watch the full video interview below:
ETTelecom Interviews: Verizon Business' Jophy Varghese on 5G monetisation, investment roadmap
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says Anthropic CEO is very wrong, and on almost everything he said about AI: Don't do it in a dark room and tell me ...
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang strongly refuted Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's predictions regarding AI-driven job automation during a press briefing. Huang dismissed Amodei's claim that AI could eliminate 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, advocating for transparent AI development. While acknowledging job transformation, Huang emphasized AI's potential to create new opportunities and boost productivity. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang expressed sharp disagreement with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei 's predictions about AI-driven job automation during a press briefing at VivaTech in Paris. Huang specifically challenged Amodei's recent claim that AI could eliminate up to 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, dismissing the notion as overly alarmist. 'I pretty much disagree with almost everything [Amodei] says,' Huang stated, critiquing three key points he attributed to Amodei: that AI is so dangerous only a select few should develop it, that it's too costly for widespread development, and that its power will lead to massive job losses. 'If you want things to be done safely and responsibly, you do it in the open … Don't do it in a dark room and tell me it's safe,' Huang added, advocating for transparent and collaborative AI development. What Anthropic CEO said on AI Amodei, in a recent Axios interview, had warned that AI could disrupt half of entry-level office roles and urged policymakers to prepare for economic impacts. Huang countered that while AI will transform jobs, it will also create new opportunities, citing increased productivity as a driver for hiring. 'Some jobs will be obsolete, but many jobs are going to be created,' he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 선납금·위약금 없이 벤츠를 원하는 기간만큼 이용하세요. 계약 만료시 반납, 인수 모두 가능합니다. 써치오토모빌 더 알아보기 Undo Anthropic on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's statement In response, an Anthropic spokesperson clarified to Fortune that Amodei has never claimed only Anthropic should build AI. 'Dario has advocated for a national transparency standard for AI developers … so the public and policymakers are aware of the models' capabilities and risks,' the statement read. The spokesperson reaffirmed Amodei's concerns about AI's economic impact and his commitment to addressing them. Anthropic, founded in 2021 by Amodei and other ex-OpenAI researchers, prioritizes safety in AI development, a focus rooted in the founders' reported concerns over OpenAI's direction. The public clash between Huang and Amodei highlights ongoing debates in the AI industry about its societal and economic implications. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Google, Scale AI's largest customer, plans split after Meta deal
HighlightsAlphabet's Google plans to sever ties with Scale AI after rival Meta Platforms Inc. acquires a 49% stake in the AI data-labeling startup, potentially impacting Scale's revenue significantly. The acquisition of Scale AI by Meta Platforms Inc. raises concerns among competing AI companies, as they fear that sharing proprietary data with Scale could expose their research strategies and technical blueprints. Following the news of Meta's investment, competitors of Scale AI, such as Turing and Labelbox, anticipate a surge in business as companies seek alternative data-labeling services. Alphabet's Google , the largest customer of Scale AI , plans to cut ties with Scale after news broke that rival Meta is taking a 49% stake in the AI data-labeling startup, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Google had planned to pay Scale AI about $200 million this year for the human-labeled training data that is crucial for developing technology, including the sophisticated AI models that power Gemini, its ChatGPT competitor, one of the sources said. The search giant already held conversations with several of Scale AI's rivals this week as it seeks to shift away much of that workload, sources added. Scale's loss of significant business comes as Meta takes a big stake in the company, valuing it at $29 billion. Scale was worth $14 billion before the deal. Scale AI intends to keep its business running while its CEO, Alexandr Wang, along with a few employees, move over to Meta. Since its core business is concentrated around a few customers, it could suffer greatly if it loses key customers like Google. In a statement, a Scale AI spokesperson said its business, which spans work with major companies and governments, remains strong, as it is committed to protecting customer data. The company declined to comment on specifics with Google. Scale AI raked in $870 million in revenue in 2024, and Google spent some $150 million on Scale AI's services last year, sources said. Other major tech companies that are customers of Scale's, including Microsoft, are also backing away. Elon Musk's xAI is also looking to exit, one of the sources said. OpenAI decided to pull back from Scale several months ago, according to sources familiar with the matter, though it spends far less money than Google. OpenAI's CFO that the company will continue to work with Scale AI, as one of its many data vendors. Companies that compete with Meta in developing cutting-edge AI models are concerned that doing business with Scale could expose their research priorities and road map to a rival, five sources said. By contracting with Scale AI, customers often share proprietary data as well as prototype products for which Scale's workers are providing data-labeling services. With Meta now taking a 49% stake, AI companies are concerned that one of their chief rivals could gain knowledge about their business strategy and technical blueprints. Google, Microsoft and OpenAI declined to comment. xAI did not respond to a request for comment. RIVALS SEE OPENINGS The bulk of Scale AI's revenue comes from charging generative AI model makers for providing access to a network of human trainers with specialized knowledge - from historians to scientists, some with doctorate degrees. The humans annotate complex datasets that are used to "post-train" AI models, and as AI models have become smarter, the demand for the sophisticated human-provided examples has surged, and one annotation could cost as much as $100. Scale also does data-labeling for enterprises like self-driving car companies and the U.S. government, which are likely to stay, according to the sources. But its biggest money-maker is in partnering with generative AI model makers, the sources said. Google had already sought to diversify its data service providers for more than a year, three of the sources said. But Meta's moves this week have led Google to seek to move off Scale AI on all its key contracts, the sources added. Because of the way data-labeling contracts are structured, that process could happen quickly, two sources said. This will provide an opening for Scale AI's rivals to jump in. "The Meta-Scale deal marks a turning point," said Jonathan Siddharth, CEO of Turing, a Scale AI competitor. "Leading AI labs are realizing neutrality is no longer optional, it's essential." Labelbox, another competitor, will "probably generate hundreds of millions of new revenue" by the end of the year from customers fleeing Scale, its CEO, Manu Sharma, told Reuters. Handshake, a competitor focusing on building a network of PhDs and experts, saw a surge of workload from top AI labs that compete with Meta. "Our demand has tripled overnight after the news," said Garrett Lord, CEO at Handshake. Many AI labs now want to hire in-house data-labelers, which allows their data to remain secure, said Brendan Foody, CEO of Mercor, a startup that in addition to competing directly with Scale AI also builds technology around being able to recruit and vet candidates in an automated way, enabling AI labs to scale up their data labeling operations quickly. Founded in 2016, Scale AI provides vast amounts of labeled data or curated training data, which is crucial for developing sophisticated tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT. The Meta deal will be a boon for Scale AI's investors including Accel and Index Ventures, as well as its current and former employees. As part of the deal, Scale AI's CEO, Wang, will take a top position leading Meta's AI efforts. Meta is fighting the perception that it may have fallen behind in the AI race after its initial set of Llama 4 large language models released in April fell short of performance expectations.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Great news for waitlisted passengers! Indian Railways starts trial for train charts; get to know status of your ticket 24 hours before departure
Indian Railways reservation charts are prepared in two stages. Indian Railways ' wait-listed passengers may soon be able to know the final status of their train ticket much earlier. Currently, Indian Railways releases the final chart for a train journey four hours ahead of scheduled departure. This adds to the uncertainty for waitlisted passengers on whether they will be able to undertake the journey or not. A new experimental initiative has started by Indian Railways where passengers on the waiting list receive confirmation of their travel status 24 hours prior to the train departure, replacing the existing 4-hour notification system. Indian Railways Train Charts 24 Hours Before Departure "We have started this pilot project in the Bikaner Division, where charts are being prepared 24 hours before the train departure. The current practice is doing so before 4 hours," Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, said. He emphasised that the trial addressed the concerns of passengers who face uncertainty whilst travelling with waiting tickets. "Now, if they know 24 hours before that their tickets are confirmed, they can plan their travel better," he added. Indian Railways reservation charts are prepared in two stages. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live by the Beach at Sunteck's 2/3BHK Homes starts @₹98L+ Sunteck Realty Learn More Undo The first chart was generated four hours before the train's scheduled departure, whilst the final chart was completed approximately 30 minutes before departure. Also Read | New Tatkal ticket booking rules 2025: Indian Railways announces compulsory Aadhaar authentication from July 1; what it means for passengers Railway officials have said that this pilot scheme would be incorporated into official policy only after receiving favourable feedback from travellers. The revised system is designed to enhance journey planning for passengers, particularly benefiting those travelling from distances exceeding 100 km by providing additional time to reach their boarding stations without last-minute uncertainties. The new regulations will not affect passengers seeking Tatkal tickets for immediate travel. "Since Tatkal tickets are booked 48 hours before the scheduled departure of trains, bringing out the full chart a day before won't be an issue," a railway official said. The railways have not yet confirmed whether they will issue second and third passenger lists for confirmed reservations, considering potential cancellations within the final 24 hours. "Let the pilot run be over and then decisions will be taken keeping in mind the best interest of passengers," a source told TOI . Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
