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Enterprises today are pushing for simplicity, no multiple portals, fragmented services or complex user experiences. What they want is mobility that works as seamlessly as the cloud: unified, scalable, and fully integrated into their IT environment.
Yet too often, telecom operators are still perceived as “just connectivity providers.” Unless this perception changes, others will fill the role enterprises truly need — the role of the tech orchestrator.
The Gap to Close
Recent GSMA Intelligence research shows that enterprises will spend 10% of their revenues on digital transformation during 2025-2030. The appetite is enormous, but the challenges are equally large: the cost of implementation and the difficulty of integrating new technologies with legacy systems.
Enterprises are asking for something far beyond “connectivity plus”: they want simplicity, orchestration, and outcomes.
Telecom Operators are in the best position to integrate mobile connectivity directly into enterprise IT ecosystems. Unlike third-party intermediaries, operators manage both the network and the service orchestration layers, ensuring a direct, secure, and cost-efficient connection between the customer’s IT systems and their mobile environment. This end-to-end integration eliminates costly middleware and manual processes, while providing real-time visibility, automated order management, and simplified governance.
The opportunity (and challenge) ahead
But the shift from telco to techno is not a marketing exercise — it represents a fundamental transformation in how operators deliver value. The focus must move from selling connectivity to enabling measurable business outcomes.
- Employee productivity. Mobility is now about empowering every worker — from the office to the field — to be securely connected and efficient.
- Transparency and cost control. Enterprises want a clear, centralised view of their mobility spend and usage.
- AI readiness. Without orchestrated, standardised data, enterprises cannot leverage AI for predictive provisioning or real-time optimisation.
Across the industry, enterprise leaders consistently share the same message: make it easier, faster, and smarter. That is the opportunity operators must seize.
Collaboration as the Differentiator
No single operator can meet these expectations alone. Multinational enterprises demand scale, consistency, and trust across borders — and achieving this requires collaboration.
This is where alliances like FreeMove play a pivotal role. By working together, operators can provide:
- Consistency: a unified, orchestrated experience across multiple countries.
- Speed: faster time to market through shared expertise and resources.
- Customer-centric outcomes: harmonised solutions tailored to each enterprise’s digital maturity.
At the recent Mobile World Live Unwrapped series, experts from the FreeMove Alliance — including Usman Javaid (Orange Business), Urs Lehner (Swisscom), and Stefan Grosse Onnebrink (Deutsche Telekom) — discussed this transformation in depth. Their shared conclusion was clear: collaboration is not a “nice-to-have”; it is the only way to deliver enterprise mobility at scale.
The FreeMove Automation Solution exemplifies this approach. Whether a customer is just beginning their digital journey or ready for full ITSM integration, the solution adapts to their needs. It reduces tools, lowers manual workload, improves transparency, and lays the foundation for an AI-driven future.
The road ahead
The choice for telcos is stark.
They can remain commodity providers of connectivity — or evolve into techno-orchestrators that simplify complexity, co-create with customers, and deliver tangible outcomes.
The future of enterprise mobility will not be defined by who owns the network, but by who can orchestrate ecosystems that deliver simplicity, trust, and measurable value.
Through initiatives like the FreeMove Automation Solution (FAS), operators enable seamless API-based integration into ITSM and procurement systems (including ServiceNow and Punch-Out interfaces), allowing enterprises to manage their global mobile fleet as part of their broader digital infrastructure.
In a context where enterprises will dedicate nearly 10% of revenues to digital transformation by 2030, operators stand out as trusted partners who can bridge the gap between connectivity and IT transformation—simplifying integration, enhancing security, and reducing total cost of ownership across multinational operations
The transformation from telco to techno is already underway, and collaboration will define its success.
To explore these ideas further, watch the full Mobile World Live Unwrapped session featuring Usman Javaid (Orange Business), Urs Lehner (Swisscom), Stefan Grosse Onnebrink (Deutsche Telekom), and Selma Avdagic Tisljar (FreeMove Alliance): https://www.mobileworldlive.com/mwl-unwrapped-webinar-beyond-borders-connecting-enterprises-globally-with-automation-collaboration/