Telstra Chief Executive Andy Penn is telling Australia’s telecommunications sector to be prepared to face aggressive change in what he describes as the age of digital disruption. In his speech at the CommsDay Summit 2021, Penn stresses the importance of addressing a number of issues in the industry for it to deliver on a technology-enabled future. He emphasises that there are several key areas the industry should concentrate on.

To quote Penn’s words, “Firstly, we must further improve customer experience. Our industry, on the whole, needs to get better at meeting our customer/s expectations around products and services and network delivery. We need to earn and keep our customers’ trust. I know customer service is fundamental to all of us, but across the industry, TIO complaints are still too high and we know we're not up to the standard we need to be yet.”

Penn assures the public that Telstra’s efforts are geared towards achieving this goal by means of the T22 strategy while at the same time making giant steps in eliminating pain points as well as unpredicted charges for customers.

The second thing on his mind is that the industry has to try to be what he terms as technology agnostic and further choose what the best technology there is that can meet the specific needs of every customer. As an example, he cites the debate over the comparative advantages of the NBN opposite the 5G.

 “I want to be clear though, that 5G versus the NBN is not a binary conversation that some are saying, and as we read in the media. It's not about one or the other. It has to be a focus on what's the best technology to meet the specific needs of a customer,” Penn reiterates.

The CEO further states, “For the majority of fixed customers that's going to be the NBN, but there will, of course, be some customers for whom 5G will be the better answer and that is what we're focused on.” “Another key area of focus for the industry should be cybersecurity,” Penn narrates.

The Chief Executive says moreover, “Australia is under constant attack from a range of malicious actors and the volume and sophistication of these attacks are unprecedented. We need to align and get laser-focused on cyber-safety to ensure our networks, IoT devices, and connected things are protected, safe, and resilient.” “The industry also has a role to play in the national conversation around the ethical use of AI, as well as the push to accelerate digital adoption,” Penn explains.

The CEO goes on to say, “The pace of disruption and innovation today may seem fast, but I believe it will never be as slow again as it is today. We need to prepare now, not just for a change, but exponentially more change.” In his final statement, Penn states, “Disruption is creating challenges, but we have the ability to rise to these challenges and not just to do that, but to turn these challenges into opportunities. Our networks and our technology innovations are central to this response. If we can make significant progress on these five ideas, I truly believe our industry can deliver the kind of future that we all want to be a part of.”