CATEGORIES

World Communication Awards 2022
Celebrating Innovation & Excellence in Global Telecoms
1 November 2022 | 18:00 - 21:00 GMT | Business Design Centre, London

Entry deadline extended to Friday 24th June


Select the first category you wish to enter from the list below. Expand the category, Click ENTER NOW. You will be able to choose further categories after you have started your first entry.

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Please note that the awards “CEO of the Year” and “Startup of the Year” are not open to nominations and will be selected by the WCA judges.

Categories 

Open to CSP/MNOs as well as users and owners of private 5G networks, and vendors in partnership with a named network. This category is looking for the 5G network that has been most successfully deployed and is now demonstrating progress in areas including but not limited to scale and scope of rollout, network architecture, eco-system and business models / opportunities for monetisation.

This item is not available

THE 5G IMPLEMENTATION AWARD

Points to address:

  • Describe your 5G network implementation and how the business case is developing.
  • How is your 5G network developing?
  • Outline the timeline, targets and key milestones for this project.
  • Who are the customers or users? Their appreciation so far of your offerings ?
  • If you offer a B2B solution, which vertical(s) and industry-specific solutions does it serve
  • Who is involved in the programme – partners and suppliers?
  • Does your project goes beyond to the connectivity component of the Edge ecosystem ?
  • Is your network owned by an operator/CSP or is it a private network for enterprise use?
  • Why is 5G more applicable than other forms of connectivity such as 4G or Wi-Fi?

Open to CSP/operators and vendors and other partners with a named operator. Recognising the most compelling service offered in the B2B sphere by a CSP/operator selling directly or indirectly to business end users, such as for example managed networks, security, voice services, messaging, cloud, IOT solutions and on-demand connectivity.

This item is not available

B2B SERVICE OF THE YEAR

Points to consider:

  • What does this service do and what customer need does it address?
  • What technologies does it use? Why is it innovative?
  • How does it fit within your wider service portfolio?
  • Who is the target market (directly/indirectly)?
  • What sets it apart from other competing or similar offers?
  • Does it unlock new industry-specific use cases?
  • Demonstrate new thinking in design, development, usability and market appeal.

Open to CSP/operators and vendors and other partners with a named operator. This category is recognising transformation of business and organisational activities, processes, culture and competencies through a mix of digital technologies. This category looks for more than just technology, recognising the impact of transformation programmes on interactions with customers and employees.

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BEST DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME

Points to consider:

  • What was the scope of your digital transformation project?
  • How has digital transformation accelerated during the global pandemic?
  • What were your over-arching goals with the programme as well as the success criteria?
  • Who did you partner with to deliver digital transformation?
  • Outline the timeline, targets and key milestones for this project.
  • How did the transformation contribute to the success of the company as a whole ?

Open to CSP/operators and vendors and other partners with a named operator. In this category the judges are looking for a network transformation project that goes beyond a simple equipment supply deal and is delivering a step-change in operational excellence.

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BEST NETWORK TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVE

Points to consider:

  • What was the scope of your network transformation project?
  • What were your over-arching goals and how well were they met?
  • Who did you partner with for this network transformation?
  • What technology developments were integral to this initiative?
  • What evidence can you show of success, such as cost-savings, revenue generation, customer satisfaction, other KPIs?
  • What challenges did you overcome along the way?
  • How did the network transformation contribute to the success of the company as a trusted third party?

Open to all operators or vendors in partnership with a named operator. Broadband connectivity is critical to building the digital economy. This award looks for clever use of technology to assist in the deployment of broadband.

This item is not available

THE ACCESS INNOVATION AWARD

Points to consider:

  • Explain the nature of your access innovation.
  • How is it innovative & why does it stand out from competitive products and organisations?
  • What technologies have been utilised or developed?
  • How has the access offering been received by customers?
  • How future-proof is the offering?
  • What future development plans do you have?

Open to operators, CSPs, Data Centres, Internet Exchanges, or vendors in partnership with a named operator. This award recognises the best telco enablement of utilise virtualization to deliver agile, automated and scalable solutions and services.

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THE CLOUD NATIVE AWARD

Points to consider:

  • What are the benefits of your cloud-native thinking?
  • Show how products and services benefits from virtualisation, automation, agility etc.
  • How have developments in technology, infrastructure and architecture impacted your offering?
  • How does your approach address increasing customer needs?
  • What are the business benefits of working in a cloud-native fashion?

Open to CSPs and platform, application, and IoT providers. The judges are looking for the best commercially deployed IoT solution which brings real innovation to its target markets.

This item is not available

THE IOT INNOVATION AWARD

Points to consider:

  • Why is IoT vital to your solution? What does your offering do?
  • Who is your target market and what particular customer requirements does the solution address?
  • What is unique and innovation about your solution for the end users?
  • How has your IoT solution contributed to your business and those of your customers?

Celebrating the operator or operator partnership with the best platform strategy. The judges are looking for the best platform strategy which brings real innovation, efficiency and provisioning of new products and services.

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THE PLATFORM AWARD

Points to consider:

  • What was the objective of your platform programme? What did you hope to achieve?
  • Who was your target audience and why?
  • What was the scope of the project?
  • How scalable is it?
  • How has it aided development of new products and services including apps and IoT?

Open to smart places, owners of smart places as well as operators and CSPs and other organisations involved in the development of one or more (named) smart places. Smart places include but are not limited to cities, landmark locations (stadia, retail malls, campuses etc), or a specific facet of a place such as traffic signalling. The judges will be looking for entries that showcase places where traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of digital and telecommunication technologies for the benefit of its inhabitants and business. They will specifically be looking for innovative approaches that will improve quality of life.

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THE SMART PLACES AWARD

Points to consider:

  • Which smart place does your entry cover – describe it?
  • What is the scope of your smart product/service/project?
  • How does it meet the needs or improve the lives of the citizens it serves?
  • How does it improve upon any existing services?
  • What is your organisations role in the smart place offering?
  • How does your entry show benefits above and beyond mere connectivity?

Open to all CSPs/MNOs/operators and other service providers. The telco industry needs to adapt to new ways of working to allow the digital ecosystems to flourish. Many telcos are now involved in activities that rely on connectivity and their relationship with their customers but go beyond pure connectivity – e.g. financial services, healthcare, automotive and entertainment. This category is about the business proposition or model that successfully extends the service provider business beyond it’s traditional boundaries.

This item is not available

THE BEYOND CONNECTIVITY AWARD

Points to consider:

  • What is your offering and who are the target customers?
  • What is the business model for the product / service?
  • How do you measure its success?
  • Who have you partnered with to deliver this offering?
  • How does the offering rely on the existing relationships and attributes of your business?

Open to all providers of IT and telecoms services. The winner will be the IT or telecoms service provider that proves to have the best all-round experience for its customer whilst enhancing the trust bonds with its customers in an increasingly digital world. The judges will be looking for evidence of a memorable customer journey experience and customer stickiness beyond pure connectivity whilst putting them in control.

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CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AWARD

Points to consider:

  • Who are your customers and end-users? How do you support them and consistently deliver a great customer-centric experience?
  • Demonstrate how you are customer obsessed and how you proactively manage your customers?
  • What methods do you use to interact and engage with your customers and what is the measurable impact of your initiative ?
  • How do you use technology to improve customer experience?
  • What sets you apart from your competitors when it comes to customer care excellence?

Open to all fixed and mobile operators. This category celebrates the CSP demonstrating greatest positive impact on the market it seeks to address. The judges are looking for organisations that not only offer a product or service that offers positive social benefits but also seek to recognise an organisation that demonstrates how they address social responsibility or narrow the digital divide. This category might be termed telecoms for good.

This item is not available

THE SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION AWARD

Points to consider:

  • Briefly describe what social contribution means in the context of your organisation.
  • What specific projects or initiatives do you want to highlight?
  • Who are your initiatives aimed at?
  • What specific need are you addressing and how?

Open to all operators or partnerships between suppliers and a named operator. Sustainability and especially the subject of Net Zero is now a board level issue. The judges will be looking for CSP’s own sustainability initiatives and also how they are enabling customers to reduce carbon emissions / get closer to net zero. Other areas of interest are: diversity, eWaste, social inclusion and supply chain sustainability.

This item is not available

THE SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

Points to consider:

  • How are you approaching net zero as a business?
  • How have you gone beyond a CSR ‘tick-the-box’ type of exercise?
  • How are you helping customers on their net zero journey?
  • What are your future sustainability plans?

Open to all industry organisations: CSPs / Operators / MNOs as well as vendors, associations and other organisations. The telecommunication industry plays in a crisis whether on a global or local scale, for example any physical, natural or manmade crisis. The winning entry will demonstrate how the organisation has responded to an apparent and urgent need, utilisation their skills and relationships to deliver a rapid and effective response without focus on commercial success.

This item is not available

CRISIS RESPONSE AWARD

Points to consider:

  • What crisis did you address and where?
  • Who did you help/what need did you recognise and were able to address?
  • How did you benefit from collective skills within your organisation?
  • Was your assistance dependent on your position as a CSP or a reappropriating of your resources in other ways?
  • Which crises management governance have you implemented?
  • Did you partner with anyone to address the crisis?
  • Did you assistance go beyond the immediate crisis to create a long-term solution?

Open to all operators/CSPs/ MNOs addressing one or more emerging markets. Awarded to the operator that has best adapted to emerging market characteristics and overcome challenges to achieve commercial success and improve the lives of customers.

This item is not available

BEST OPERATOR IN AN EMERGING MARKET

Points to consider:

  • What are the key characteristics of the emerging market(s) in which you operate?
  • Briefly explain how you have tailored your strategy to address the market.
  • What services do you offer that are specific to the market needs?
  • How do your services compare with those of rival operators?
  • How have you evolved your network infrastructure to best serve your target market?
  • What investments have you made in infrastructure and in local employment?

Open to all wholesale operators – operating on a regional or global basis. This is not about having the most customers, the largest network or highest revenue, it is about being the best! The judges will be looking for the most innovative business models, how you have evolved your business, successful partnering strategies and how new technology deployment supporting a successful wholesale carrier business.

This item is not available

BEST WHOLESALE OPERATOR

Points to consider:

  • Which market(s) do you operate in and what are the key services you provide?
  • How have you diversified your traditional services portfolio to create new and profitable revenue streams?
  • How have you adapted to meeting increasingly demanding customer expectations?
  • What do you offer to your customers that sets you apart from your competitors?
  • How have you adapted your company culture to be fit for the future?

Open to all CSPs/MNOs/operators of any size. This category could easily be called the Most Admired Operator because it is not about size – it is a level playing field for small, medium and large organisations. Judging is independent from the size of the company and the judges will solely focus on the originality and quality of the contribution itself, looking for evidence ability to address their market, cultural change and transformation initiatives, as well as diversification of business models and business growth.

This item is not available

OPERATOR OF THE YEAR

Points to consider:

  • Demonstrate the scope of your business. Which market(s) do you operate in?
  • Highlight your business strategy. Demonstrate areas of innovation.
  • What were your key developments during the entry period?
  • How do you differentiate your offering from the competition?
  • Think about your company leadership and culture – how does this impact the business?
  • How do you address external challenges?
  • How have you succeeded as a business to safeguard your future?

Open to all CSPs/operators/MNOs. The judges will be looking for organisations who are investing in their people and providing evidence of successfully managing the cultural change impact of digitisation. They will look for organisations who are enhancing employee’s digital skills and undertaking programs to enhance digital literacy, as well other policies to develop company culture. They will also assess how far the organisation has gone to stimulate employee journeys to help create positive customer interactions.

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PEOPLE & CULTURE AWARD

Points to address:

  • Demonstrate how you have developed a corporate culture appropriate to your business.
  • How has this benefited your customers? What do they experience as a customer centric outcome?
  • How far you have progressed in transforming cultural attitudes throughout your organization?
  • How has your organisation developed and encouraged policies and actions to promote diversity, inclusiveness and purposefulness?
  • How have you developed a customer-centric workforce equipped to meet the challenges of digital transformation? Do you now put more focus on soft skills & creative intelligence?
  • What new skill sets have you developed to deliver digital transformation?

Open to all women who have stood out within the telecom industry for individual achievement and contribution, regardless of the type of organisation they work for: CSP/MNO/supplier. The judges will be seeking a widely admired woman from the industry, not necessarily one working for the largest organisation or the most senior position.

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WOMAN IN TELECOMS AWARD

Points to consider:

  • What have they achieved in the industry?
  • What are their key professional objectives and how have they addressed them?
  • How have they gone above and beyond what might be expected by their role?
  • How have they assisted the development of others, for example through mentoring programmes?
  • What market needs have they addressed?
  • Why do they stand out amongst other women in the industry and in wider business?

This category is open to all satellite operators and partners in association with a named satellite operator The judges are looking for the best commercially deployed satellite solution which is enabling broadband access for a previously under / un-served community or is proving a more reliable and resilient solution than an existing form of broadband connectivity.

This item is not available

THE SATELLITE TELECOMS AWARD

Points to consider:

  • What type of satellite technology are you utilising?
  • Why is it particularly suited to the deployment / what market needs have been addressed?
  • What is the business model for this technology, how good has uptake been?
  • Number of customers, end-users and vertical use cases served so far?

This category is open to CSP’s and vendors in partnership with a single named CSP. The judges will be looking for deployed cyber security strategies, either addressing the CSP’s own risks or as an offering for enterprise clients as a Managed Security Services Provider. The winning entry will demonstrate how their offering detects cyber threats to mitigate business impact, and drive efficiency into cybersecurity operations through an innovative approach.

This item is not available

THE CYBER SECURITY AWARD

Points to consider:

  • What market does your entry address?
  • What threats are you tackling?
  • Who was your target audience and why?
  • How are you mitigating business impact of a cyber attack?
  • How has it aided development of new products and services?