BARCELONA, June 28 (Reuters) - IBM (IBM.N) will offer telecom operators Verizon (VZ.N) and Telefonica (TEF.MC) new services ranging from running 5G over a cloud platform to using artificial intelligence, the U.S. technology company said on Monday. Big technology players such as Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Amazon (AMZN.O) are vying for a share of 5G revenue by offering telecom operators next-generation software tools. IBM, using technology it obtained from buying software firm Red Hat, will offer the telecom operators cloud services to run their networks and assist them in selling products tailored to customers. No financial terms were disclosed about the tie-ups, which broadened IBM's existing partnerships with the two firms. A cloud platform uses software instead of physical equipment to perform network functions, helping telecom operators build 5G networks faster, reduce costs and sell customised services.

IBM has announced a new partnership with Verizon and Red Hat, to deploy 5G networks for the US carrier as an open hybrid cloud platform, Announced during Mobile World Congress 2021, the platform will come with automated operations and service orchestration. IBM Global Business Services will also integrate Telco Network Cloud systems into Verizon's Service Orchestration Platform to automate and manage services more efficiently.

At Microsoft we are working on many Artificial Intelligence (AI) conversational platforms, transforming the way companies engage their customers. When building them, one of the most important success factors is providing these AI with the right personality: right for your company… and right for your customers. Please remember, in case your AI conversational platform had a strong "personality", never call him or her "bot". Otherwise, you may have quite a "personal" response…:-) It's important to know the difference between conversational AI and conventional chatbots (or just "bots"). Chatbots serve up canned responses to anticipated requests and statements.

Successfully deploying conversational artificial intelligence (AI) is like no other digital business-process upgrade. In fact, it's not an IT upgrade in the conventional sense; conversational AI does nothing less than usher sophisticated robotics into the front office. The surest route to project failure would be taking this fact for granted. Where these cross-channel AI systems--designed to interact naturally and fluidly with internal users and/or customers in text or verbal conversation--are most like traditional business systems is in how short-sighted decisions can doom development and hobble future productivity. What should you keep in mind when deploying conversational AI?

How to invest in big data. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the internet completely changed the way the business world operates and created a tremendous amount of wealth for investors who picked early winners. The next major technological transition for global businesses will be collection and analysis of data using artificial intelligence. The so-called "big data" revolution will help companies streamline their businesses like never before. But much like the dot-com boom, not all big data stocks will end up winners.

Pascal Weinberger in conversation with his team at Telefonica's "moonshots" division Alpha, where he heads AI research and development. Flying cars, augmented reality glasses and contact lenses that can detect diabetes: They're all innovations born out of Google X, the skunkworks division of Alphabet. Three years ago Spanish telco giant Telefónica established Alpha, a lab in Barcelona staffed by around 100 people, working in stealth on innovative technology that holds the promise of a potential new revenue streams. The person running all things AI at the lab is Pascal Weinberger, 21. Weinberger is originally from Germany and like many other computer programmers is self-taught.

Flying cars, augmented reality glasses and contact lenses that can detect diabetes: They're all innovations born out of Google X, the skunkworks division of Alphabet. Three years ago Spanish telco giant Telefónica established Alpha, a lab in Barcelona staffed by around 100 people, working in stealth on innovative technology that holds the promise of a potential new revenue streams. The person running all things AI at the lab is Pascal Weinberger, 21. Weinberger is originally from Germany and like many other computer programmers is self-taught. He dropped out of a bachelor's degree, having "enrolled to keep my parents happy," but by 15 had already taken several remote courses in programming at MIT.

Successfully deploying conversational artificial intelligence (AI) is like no other digital business-process upgrade. In fact, it's not an IT upgrade in the conventional sense; conversational AI does nothing less than usher sophisticated robotics into the front office. The surest route to project failure would be taking this fact for granted. Where these cross-channel AI systems--designed to interact naturally and fluidly with internal users and/or customers in text or verbal conversation--are most like traditional business systems is in how short-sighted decisions can doom development and hobble future productivity. What should you keep in mind when deploying conversational AI?

The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) launched three new project groups at its second annual TIP summit. The groups will tackle network slicing, artificial intelligence (AI), and open radio access networks (RAN). Facebook co-founded TIP in 2016, along with Intel, Nokia, Deutsche Telekom, and SK Telecom. Its mission is similar to that of the Open Compute Project (OCP) in terms of disaggregating software and hardware. TIP's focus, however, is telecom specific in its work to develop and deploy new networking technologies.

First of all, I will explain the reason for the post title. For those who have not seen the films, I summarize: "A group of four illusionists win year after year to the public with their incredible magic shows and even mocking the FBI. GSMA is a great illusionist and MWC is their principal magic show. We are invited year after year to visit an event with unique keynote speakers, an enormous list of exhibitors, amazing performances and a great LinkedInplace where we can meet in person some of our social media contacts. What else can we ask for? I know that it is very ruthless to compare the GSMA with illusionists and the MWC as their greatest magic show, but at least I see quite a few reasonable resemblances, you don t. If in 2015 I wrote " MWC 2015: Everything Connected, Tapas and Jamon", and I argued as one the reasons to attend MWC was the fact it was celebrated in Barcelona. In 2016, in my post "GSMA need to think how to reinvent MWC" I justify the reasons why the MWC needed to reinvent itself. One thing has become clear to me after many years attending MWCs, this is the world's biggest phone and mobile networks show, with manufacturers set to unveil a raft of new phone handsets and new technology. However, the GSMA had insisted on introducing more and more distractions like Internet of Things (IoT), Connected Living, Connected Car, AR/ VR, Robots. Maybe the reason is because Telecom operators do not have the DNA to change. Still, many telecom operators take a dim view of some of the aggressive moves being made by these peers, especially when it comes to business models based on commercializing customer data. "I expected to see less hype and a dose of common sense" Starting by the announcement of Spain's Telefonica to introduce a broad plan "4th Platform" to help both consumer and business customers keep greater control over their data rather than giving it away to web giants Google, Facebook and Amazon. "I expected to see more applications where IoT will become a lot less exciting, but more useful and profitable.