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The morning of my fireside chat with Vonage CEO Niklas Heuveldop at the ConnectMobile stage, the GSMA released a report stating that wireless operators were looking at a $400 billion B2B opportunity—a market that could balloon to $2.9 trillion by 2030. While neither of us had yet read the report, Niklas shared an insightful take with the audience: If you assume a 10% brokerage fee for API-enabling the network, the market for network APIs would be around $40 billion, which aligns with estimates from McKinsey and others. It was a great “hot off the presses” way to kick off ConnectMobile ’24.
Vonage: The Network API Finds a Flagship Supporter
Niklas was this year’s ConnectMobile keynote speaker. He shared a compelling vision for network APIs, outlined Vonage’s roadmap for the future, and discussed the recent Ericsson-led joint venture—the largest of its kind in the industry—with partners like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, and Google. He also offered a unique perspective, having transitioned from being the head of Ericsson North America to the global CEO of Vonage. For instance, he believes networks often make things unnecessarily complicated for developers. We covered a wide variety of topics including some personal insights into the life of a global CEO. In case you manage to get on his calendar, Niklas prefers short meetings with an available whiteboard, The Seventh Sense is one of his favorite books to understand the power of the network, and he prefers a call over a text.
Klaviyo Talks CDPs and a Data-First Platform
Klaviyo’s VP of product, Jen Kessler, and I had a focused conversation about Klaviyo’s innovations in customer engagement. We discussed the shift in consumer expectations toward real-time, personalized interactions across platforms. Jen explained how Klaviyo’s data-first approach gives brands an edge by helping them store and activate first-party data, crucial for personalized marketing under today’s stricter privacy regulations.
Jen also outlined how Klaviyo’s AI tools automate repetitive tasks, freeing marketers to focus on strategy and creativity. They can work smarter, and drive better results with less effort. A consummate product leader with degrees in math and neuroscience, Jen shared how she prioritizes her product roadmap and looks for inspiration everywhere, often chatting up strangers on a flight if she’s intrigued by an app they’re using.
Attentive on 1:1 Conversations and AI-Driven Context
Karine Terzibachi, SVP of Attentive, and I spoke about how Attentive is revolutionizing customer engagement through AI and rich messaging. Karine described how Attentive uses AI to enhance brand-consumer interactions, making them smarter and more personalized. This approach allows brands to send highly relevant and timely 1:1 messages that resonate with consumers, improving engagement and driving loyalty.
Karine highlighted how Attentive is at the forefront of combining AI with rich messaging channels, such as RCS, to offer deeper, more interactive brand experiences. She discussed the operational challenges of scaling AI and messaging technologies while ensuring compliance in a regulated space. Karine’s leadership and deep understanding of the complexities of messaging (see Niklas’s keynote above) were clear to see. Like CEO Amit Jhawar last year, Karine stayed away from talks about an IPO. We’ll let that one slide even though an Attentive IPO, like the Klaviyo IPO, would be a watershed moment for the industry.
RCS Can’t Come Soon Enough
Speaking of RCS, the race to bring RBM to businesses is on. While the industry is pushing to unlock its full potential, we’re still in the early stages—it’s like the AI buzz: Everyone’s experimenting, but few are rolling out fully mature solutions. Forget the “buy” button—some players are still hunting for the “start” button. There’s plenty of speculation about timelines for mass adoption, but what’s clear is the palpable excitement across brands, platforms, and operators. They’re eager to bring these use cases to life and, more importantly, to realize the revenue streams.
Finally
There was talk about thinning crowds at MWC Americas. The West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center will never be able to match the festivities of Fira de Barcelona. There are historical, geographical and timing reasons for this. But let’s focus on innovation.
The US mobile market has consolidated around a few dominant players: Apple, Google (and Samsung), and the big three networks: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. This is a far cry from Europe and the rest of the world with its greater heterogeneity of operators, device manufacturers, and software developers.
Personally, MWC Barcelona and Las Vegas were evenly matched when it came to the quality of conversations, both on and off stage. In the end, while crowd sizes fluctuated, individual calendars were just as full, and the conversations were just as deep, qualitative, and hectic. On that front, both MWC Barcelona and Las Vegas delivered.