Hemant Soni

How one digital architect's two-decade journey from New Delhi's telecom infrastructure to enterprise AI deployment is reshaping customer experience in America's telecommunications sector

Hemant Soni's career chronicles telecommunications evolution itself-from managing infrastructure for Vodafone's 33.8 million customers in India to advising Nokia and Ericsson on digital transformation and ultimately architecting generative AI platforms for one of America's largest cable operators. His specialization in AI-driven digital transformation and Internet of Everything (IoE)-based customer experience optimization positions him at the forefront of how TMT companies are reimagining customer engagement.

Building Foundations: Multi-Vendor Global Infrastructure
Soni's telecommunications expertise began in New Delhi, where from 2003 to 2011 he managed network infrastructure for Vodafone. His work spanned multiple global OEM technologies, Motorola, Siemens, Nokia, and Huawei across 2.5G through early 5G deployments, building cross-platform knowledge that later informed his platform architecture work.

A defining moment came in 2005 when Motorola base stations began failing globally. Soni identified the root cause and developed a recovery process that Motorola's engineering teams adopted worldwide. He also led the Siemens Intelligent Network upgrade for prepaid systems and designed network infrastructure for Delhi's first Half Marathon, ensuring connectivity for 500,000 participants.

Engineers who worked across multiple vendor platforms during that era developed a rare breadth of technical knowledge -expertise that becomes invaluable while architecting integrated digital platforms.

Guiding Global Telecom OEMs Through Transformation
Transitioning to strategic consulting at Evalueserve (2011-2015), Soni advised Ericsson and Nokia on major OSS/BSS transformation initiatives as these global OEMs navigated the shift from hardware-centric to software-defined architectures.

He established the first in-house analytics team for a major U.S. OEM, delivering 150+ strategic reports annually. For Mitsubishi, Soni drove a growth strategy for IT/telecom services markets, achieving $85 million in ROI. His strategic frameworks contributed to IoT Control Center architectures now managing 220+ million devices globally and generating over $1 billion in IoT revenue.

Soni helped launch a consulting services division that generated $3.03 billion in revenue and delivered $22.5 million in annual cost savings through partner ecosystem analytics involving multiple global telecom providers and OEMs.

Academic Excellence That Fueled Innovation
In 2014, Soni relocated to the United States to pursue a Master of Information Systems at Georgia State University, graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA and ranking in the top 1% of his class. While completing his degree, he directed enterprise technology transformation programs, applying his multi-vendor OEM expertise to modernize billing platforms.

AI Platform Architecture at Scale
Soni joined Capgemini in 2017 to spearhead AI-centric digital transformation for one of America's largest private telecommunications operators. His work centered on creating integrated ecosystems using TM Forum-standard APIs the global telecommunications industry standard developed collaboratively by operators and OEMs worldwide.

TM Forum standards emerged from collaboration between global operators like Vodafone and AT&T with OEMs like Ericsson and Nokia. Professionals who've worked across multiple operators and vendors understand how to implement them effectively at enterprise scale.

Soni's integrated architecture reduced the bundled offer launch time from 40 days to 7 days while streamlining 400 service offers into 40 products. He achieved 100% automation of campaign launches, cutting rollout from weeks to a single day - benchmarks rivaling global telecommunications leaders.

Production Generative AI Deployment
The defining milestone came in 2023 when Soni implemented large-scale generative AI and conversational AI solutions, making the cable operator among the first in the nation to deploy such technologies in production environments. Production deployment of generative AI in telecommunications remains rare globally, with even major international operators mostly in pilot phases due to accuracy and compliance concerns.

Soni designed a three-layer AI-driven fraud detection framework achieving 89% fraud reductionnsubstantially exceeding the 60-70% industry benchmark. His AI-powered decision platform leveraging machine learning and reinforcement learning algorithms increased customer lifetime value by 3.5%, translating to millions in incremental revenue.
MVNO Innovation

Soni led development of an MVNO-lite wireless model that enabled a cable company to enter wireless markets without the typical $500 million infrastructure investment. The program activated several hundred thousand wireless lines within four years, applying lessons from global MVNO deployments and OEM partnership models.

Measurable Impact
Soni's transformation initiatives have delivered hundreds of millions in documented impact, including 99.7% system uptime for platforms handling millions of daily transactions and customer retention improvements exceeding 35%. He successfully led crisis recovery for a major industrial client within three weeks.

Beyond client delivery, Soni contributes thought leadership through articles in Forbes and State of Streaming, exploring AI-powered media personalization and autonomous networks.

Shaping the Industry's Future
As telecommunications companies worldwide invest billions in AI capabilities-with industry estimates projecting global AI spending in telecom reaching $36.7 billion by 2026 expertise gained from working with leading global telecom providers and OEMs becomes increasingly critical to competitive differentiation.

Soni's career trajectory from Vodafone infrastructure through advising Nokia and Ericsson to implementing AI platforms reflects the telecommunications industry's global evolution and the rare combination of international operator experience, OEM vendor knowledge, and AI platform architecture expertise now driving the sector forward.

"The future of telecommunications is intelligent, predictive, and experience-centric," Soni observes. "Success comes from building systems people can rely on-platforms that operate seamlessly, powering millions of lives daily."