Blockchain at Work
At Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier, we plan to take advantage of the benefits of blockchain for the hundreds of inter-operator agreements we conduct. This technology will significantly reduce the amount of manual work we still see throughout the industry. It will also lead to less errors, minimized potential for fraud and shorter delays in resolving disputes. On this page you will find articles and videos giving an overview of our measures regarding blockchain – and how it’s use can lead to business success.
Top telco providers streamline financial settlement through blockchain solution
Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica, and Vodafone have successfully finalized a trial automated settlement of roaming discount agreements using a solution developed by blockchain-based settlement company Clear. The first automated settlement trial encompassed a settlement for roaming data from the three providers for 2019. Operator benefits included obtaining yearly settlement results in minutes instead of hours; uncovering data discrepancies visible to both sides in real-time; and the ability to update or correct data instantaneously.
Improving inter-operator agreements with blockchain
At Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier, we believe blockchain has the potential to transform the world of inter-operator agreements. That’s why we’re working with three other network operators and the GSM Association on a joint blockchain platform. We’re also examining its use in several of our business sectors: Access & Transport Services, Commercial Roaming and Voice Termination. And, we’ve taken a leading role in an industry blockchain working group. Discover how we're exploiting blockchain to ensure future growth across the industry.
Creating the first inter-operator blockchain network
Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier, together with Deutsche Telekom Laboratories, has developed a blockchain solution designed to streamline inter-operator roaming discount agreements. It is currently being jointly tested by Deutsche Telekom, together with Telefonica, T-Mobile US, Orange and the GSMA Association. Current agreement processes involve a significant amount of manual execution. This solution will reduce complexity, eliminate potential manipulation and prepares the way for future business demands.
Carriers and tech-developers design a DLT-enabled settlement
A new settlement platform for ICT service providers based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) is now closer than ever to realization. That’s thanks to the joint work of the members of the Communications Business Automation Network (CBAN), of which Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier is a founding member. At the beginning of the year, CBAN released a whitepaper outlining the project’s reference architecture and definitions, which will benefit settlement processes for data-on-demand and international voice services.
Employing blockchain for inter-carrier settlements
In this engrossing video interview, Federico Homberg, Head of Business Development at Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier, discusses why blockchain has enormous potential to simplify inter-carrier settlements, which are today highly complex and mainly handled manually. He explains that by automating processes, inefficiencies can be overcome and collection of revenue simplified. This will be especially important as new technologies and services such as narrowband IoT, LTE-M, VoLTE or ViLTE rapidly become mainstream.
Opportunities for applying blockchain in roaming
Mobile operators across the globe depend on each other for their roaming needs. Deutsche Telekom alone has roaming agreements with over 600 other providers. And that inter-dependency will grow in the future, as new technologies evolve, such as NB-IoT, ViLTE or 5G. Blockchain can provide invaluable support by automating today’s mainly manual approach to the agreement workflow. It can more efficiently handle contracting, settlement, payment and processes while providing high transparency as well as one source of truth.
Global Leaders Forum launches Communications Blockchain Network
To support the development of a blockchain-based settlement platform for the ICT service provider industry, a new entity has been established called the Communications Business Automation Network (CBAN). It was founded by the ITW Global Leaders’ Forum (GLF) together with a group of 11 carriers, including Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier. The project aims to expedite the acceptance and use of automated settlement processes while facilitating the creation of open-source and interoperability standards.