Page 44 - SAMENA Trends - May 2020

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Openet’s best in breed BSS capabilities services is the single most important factor opportunity for service providers to cut a
provides market leading capabilities to when it comes to monetizing 5G. However, lot of legacy overheads and costs.”. Niall
solve the most difficult monetization, existing charging systems are not up to Norton, CEO, Openet, said “We are very
customer experience and commerce par and must be upgraded to 5G-ready pleased and excited to formalize a global
challenges that CSPs will encounter as convergent charging systems.” However, partnership with Tech Mahindra who we
they look to build profitability from 5G. the system change is not limited just to have worked closely with over many years
Manish Vyas, President, Communications, charging as Cary explains, “As CSPs invest to provide our joint solutions and services
Media and Entertainment Business, and in areas such as revenue management to CSPs. At Openet we made the investment
the CEO, Network Services, Tech Mahindra, and policy control in their efforts to to re-write our software to be cloud-native,
said, “We have always been committed monetize 5G, they should also remember open and digital several years ago. With
to build a robust set of strategic partners the value of customer management and this partnership Openet and Tech Mahindra
to deliver an enhanced experience to engagement tools. Investing in improving will be able to scale our collaboration,
our customers. Openet is an important the omnichannel customer experience and adding a few major CSPs to our client list
member of our ecosystem, we have already the customer lifecycle and in incorporating as our solutions produce results that are
delivered several innovative solutions analytics into front-end systems can driving change and growth in the telecoms
with them to CSPs of the world. Their allow CSPs to maximize monetization industry. With this formal collaboration, we
software and our delivery models ensure opportunities”. The need for change is not intend to add a lot more. I look forward to
exceptional outcomes to our customers. just about having the ability to capitalize working with Tech Mahindra to accelerate
We are looking forward to rolling out this on new digital and 5G opportunities. John this growth in our customers”. As part of
strategic partnership on a global basis. As Abraham, Senior Analyst at Analysys the TechMNxt charter, Tech Mahindra is
a part of our TechMNxt charter, our focus Mason explained, “Upgrading BSS for committed towards creating a partner
is on providing solutions that enable digital digital and 5G services can help drive a ecosystem to deliver enhanced cutting-
transformation and meet the customers’ lot of redundant costs out of a business. edge, next-generation technologies like
evolving and dynamic needs.” 5G is driving For example, around 65% to 70% of global Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence,
change for CSPs to upgrade their BSS revenue management system spend goes Blockchain, 5G, and Internet of Things, to
systems. According to Chantel Cary, Senior on support and maintenance of existing disrupt and enable digital transformation
Analyst at Omdia, and author of recent systems. Digital transformation and the for customers globally.
report IT Investment Essentials for 5G introduction of 5G is a catalyst for systems
Monetization, “The ability to charge for 5G change and as such presents a significant

Tech Mahindra Leverages Artificial Intelligence to Research on Potential
Therapeutic Drugs for COVID-19

Makers Lab, the research and development (R&D) arm of Tech was to prevent the entry of virus into human host cells such as
Mahindra Ltd., a leading provider of digital transformation, lung airway epithelial cells. This is important because the high
consulting and business reengineering services and solutions, transmission rates of COVID-19 is attributed partly to the high
leveraged Artificial Intelligence to conduct research and affinity binding and entry of the virus into host cells. Once the virus
find potential therapeutic drugs for treatment of COVID-19. cannot enter the host cell, it is harmless. Our strategy included
Testimony of a strong synergy amongst academia, businesses finding a GRAS (generally recognized as Safe) agent which can
and independent researchers to fight a global pandemic, Tech inhibit the virus and we have successfully utilized two areas of
Mahindra is also collaborating with a renowned bio-scientist research, one is Molecular docking on approved FDA compounds
for plausible therapeutic drugs and research laboratories for and medicines. Use of Artificial Intelligence helped the research
synthesizing and testing these compounds. CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, team to evaluate multiple scenarios with different parameters
Tech Mahindra, said, “The COVID-19 disease continues to disrupt while finding how molecules dock with the main protease.” The
the socio-economic order, impacting lives and livelihood globally. technique, Molecular docking, enables search for therapeutically
As a leading global digital transformation provider, Tech Mahindra potent drugs and molecules in real time, to find compounds which
is not only committed to ensure the well-being of our employees, can act as inhibitors against a viral protein computationally.
customers and partner ecosystem; but we are also invested Tech Mahindra conducted molecular docking studies across 19
in finding a potential cure for COVID-19 by leveraging cutting FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved ligands and anti-
edge and futuristic technologies like Artificial Intelligence.” Tech viral drugs on the main protease of the virus. There is more work
Mahindra’s Makers Lab aims to promote technology innovation needed to be done to move the process from molecular docking
and recognize transformative ideas that have a potential to make to actual drug design, testing and drug development at scale. This
a difference and create disruptive solutions to solve real world is just the first step, where computational analysis can reduce the
problems. The R&D team has used Molecular docking approach amount of time taken to narrow down the search amongst the
because of high transmission rates of COVID-19. Nikhil Malhotra, vast array of molecules present in the process of finding a cure
Global Head of Makers Lab, Tech Mahindra, said, “Our objective to COVID-19.

44 MAY 2020