Dr. Karim Taga
Karim advises board members and CEOs to take effective decisions on the telco transformation journey.
Areas of Focus
Education
Vienna University of Technology, Austria
PhD, Mechanical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry
Webster University, Austria
MBA, International Business and Marketing
Polytech Orléans, France
MSc, Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, with a master’s thesis at UC Berkeley
Past Experience
Ericsson (before 1997)
Product Manager
University of Technology in Vienna
Assistant Professor (Univ. Ass.)
Karim is Managing Partner, Global Head of Functional Practices. Prior to that, Karim led the TIME practice globally for over 12 years since 2012. He has 30 years of experience with ADL in the telecommunication area and previously worked with a leading global telecom supplier.
In Arthur D. Little, Karim’s work focuses primarily on three functional areas:
- Growth strategies and business transformations
- Corporate Finance – Transaction support, mainly working with Private Equity firms and Banks
- Boardroom presentation and facilitation
Besides his management consulting assignments with clients in 4 industries:
- he acts as a Jury member for several Telecom & Media prize award ceremonies in Asia, Europe, and in the US.
- he supports several telecommunication councils and associations as well as governments and regulators in setting their (digital) agenda as an advisor
- he is chairing and facilitating top executive international events and conferences
Before joining ADL he worked for several years for Ericsson and was a research assistant professor at the University of Technology in Vienna. Furthermore, he enjoyed four different education systems: Tunisia (Lycée El Menzah V), France (Lycée JB Say/ESEM), the USA (UC Berkeley), and Austria (TU Wien).
Karim holds an MSc, MBA, and Ph.D.
Network APIs: Unlocking the Potential of Advanced Connectivity
WHAT ARE NETWORK APIs? WHY DO THEY MATTER?
Telcos: Outsource international voice!
Providing voice services is among the core functions of telcos. It may seem counterintuitive but outsourcing international voice services has the potential to create value and enhance service quality. In this Viewpoint, we summarize the options available for stand-alone telcos and small telco groups to manage the decline in international voice business and illuminate benefits they can gain from outsourcing international voice. We also highlight the outsourcing process and strategies to mitigate common challenges.
Embracing the telco productivity race
Improving productivity is a critical element of the journey telcos must take to become ambidextrous — and improving productivity is about going way beyond cost-cutting. In this Viewpoint, we discuss a transformative approach that we call the “Productivity RACE” (Radical, Accelerated, Continuous, and Effective). This framework sets out to improve and sustain business productivity, while addressing commonly observed challenges and barriers to successful execution of productivity measures.
State of the media market, 2022
Mobile network virtualization calls for operating model reconfiguration
VIRTUALIZATION ENTAILS CHANGES IN PROCUREMENT
Copper switch off: Opportunity to drive infrastructure convergence?
Time to accelerate growth
Broadcasters’ 5G evolvement within a hybrid environment
Network sharing in the 5G era
Virtualizing mobile networks
The race to gigabit fiber
Telecoms: Leveraging adversity to leapfrog into the future
The telecoms industry has been able to weather the COVID-19 storm better than many sectors, and has even increased its importance for communicating in a locked-down, socially distanced world. What will be the longer-term impacts for different parts of the sector? This article examines the current environment and explains how CXOs can prepare for the potential challenges and opportunities in a postcrisis world.
Telecom, media and technology – COVID-19 implications and medium-term recovery
Leading businesses through the COVID-19 crisis
Leading businesses through the COVID-19 crisis
First learnings from Asia and Italy
Is your city ready to go digital?
Today, cities face a multitude of challenges originating from societal and technological changes: population growth, urbanization, infrastructure provision, crime and cyber-crime, and environmental pollution. These challenges necessitate new digital use cases. A variety of use cases based on 5G, the next generation of mobile network technology, help to overcome these challenges and enhance economic development across industries.
Acing 5G pricing
Leading telcos have switched on their 5G networks and launched commercial offers to acquire early adopters. With the scale of investments required for 5G, the consumer pricing strategy becomes a critical lever for recouping these investments. In this viewpoint we aim to provide a framework for increasing customers’ willingness-to-pay for 5G services and B2C 5G pricing guidelines, in order to achieve optimal monetization.
Embracing the future
Beyond traditional network & IT organizations
With the onset of new technologies such as 5G, NFV and IoT, telecom executives are increasingly realizing that transformation of technology organization is imminent. The CTO office is at the center of this and needs to rethink its strategic roadmap and operating model. In this paper, we assess how a gradual transformation from traditional IT/network units to a more functional organization will address several of the legacy constraints in adopting new technologies.
Private Campus Networks
The demand for Private Campus Networks offers operators an opportunity for value generation – we estimate the global market size to be €60-70bn by 2025. If operators do not act now and prepare accordingly, they risk missing out. Enterprises have economically sensible use cases and technologically justified needs for private 5G or LTE technology on their premises. But, few operators to date have developed a strategic approach to satisfy demand, which is why enterprises have begun to fight for access to their own spectrum.
Digital infrastructure as a driver of competitiveness
Telecoms data monetization: Reality, not a mirage
Telecoms operators and startups: Rethink and reinvent
Telecoms operators around the world are already engaging with startups in an attempt to benefit from their agility, execution speed and disruptive power. However, realizing tangible benefits and value from these initiatives has been a persistent challenge. Fundamental changes to current approaches are required to truly harness the innovative power of startups, young companies and digital upstarts: operators must rethink their business and operating models, reinvent their engagement models, and refresh their processes, governance mechanisms and cultures.
Karim is Managing Partner, Global Head of Functional Practices. Prior to that, Karim led the TIME practice globally for over 12 years since 2012. He has 30 years of experience with ADL in the telecommunication area and previously worked with a leading global telecom supplier.
In Arthur D. Little, Karim’s work focuses primarily on three functional areas:
- Growth strategies and business transformations
- Corporate Finance – Transaction support, mainly working with Private Equity firms and Banks
- Boardroom presentation and facilitation
Besides his management consulting assignments with clients in 4 industries:
- he acts as a Jury member for several Telecom & Media prize award ceremonies in Asia, Europe, and in the US.
- he supports several telecommunication councils and associations as well as governments and regulators in setting their (digital) agenda as an advisor
- he is chairing and facilitating top executive international events and conferences
Before joining ADL he worked for several years for Ericsson and was a research assistant professor at the University of Technology in Vienna. Furthermore, he enjoyed four different education systems: Tunisia (Lycée El Menzah V), France (Lycée JB Say/ESEM), the USA (UC Berkeley), and Austria (TU Wien).
Karim holds an MSc, MBA, and Ph.D.
Network APIs: Unlocking the Potential of Advanced Connectivity
WHAT ARE NETWORK APIs? WHY DO THEY MATTER?
Telcos: Outsource international voice!
Providing voice services is among the core functions of telcos. It may seem counterintuitive but outsourcing international voice services has the potential to create value and enhance service quality. In this Viewpoint, we summarize the options available for stand-alone telcos and small telco groups to manage the decline in international voice business and illuminate benefits they can gain from outsourcing international voice. We also highlight the outsourcing process and strategies to mitigate common challenges.
Embracing the telco productivity race
Improving productivity is a critical element of the journey telcos must take to become ambidextrous — and improving productivity is about going way beyond cost-cutting. In this Viewpoint, we discuss a transformative approach that we call the “Productivity RACE” (Radical, Accelerated, Continuous, and Effective). This framework sets out to improve and sustain business productivity, while addressing commonly observed challenges and barriers to successful execution of productivity measures.
State of the media market, 2022
Mobile network virtualization calls for operating model reconfiguration
VIRTUALIZATION ENTAILS CHANGES IN PROCUREMENT
Copper switch off: Opportunity to drive infrastructure convergence?
Time to accelerate growth
Broadcasters’ 5G evolvement within a hybrid environment
Network sharing in the 5G era
Virtualizing mobile networks
The race to gigabit fiber
Telecoms: Leveraging adversity to leapfrog into the future
The telecoms industry has been able to weather the COVID-19 storm better than many sectors, and has even increased its importance for communicating in a locked-down, socially distanced world. What will be the longer-term impacts for different parts of the sector? This article examines the current environment and explains how CXOs can prepare for the potential challenges and opportunities in a postcrisis world.
Telecom, media and technology – COVID-19 implications and medium-term recovery
Leading businesses through the COVID-19 crisis
Leading businesses through the COVID-19 crisis
First learnings from Asia and Italy
Is your city ready to go digital?
Today, cities face a multitude of challenges originating from societal and technological changes: population growth, urbanization, infrastructure provision, crime and cyber-crime, and environmental pollution. These challenges necessitate new digital use cases. A variety of use cases based on 5G, the next generation of mobile network technology, help to overcome these challenges and enhance economic development across industries.
Acing 5G pricing
Leading telcos have switched on their 5G networks and launched commercial offers to acquire early adopters. With the scale of investments required for 5G, the consumer pricing strategy becomes a critical lever for recouping these investments. In this viewpoint we aim to provide a framework for increasing customers’ willingness-to-pay for 5G services and B2C 5G pricing guidelines, in order to achieve optimal monetization.
Embracing the future
Beyond traditional network & IT organizations
With the onset of new technologies such as 5G, NFV and IoT, telecom executives are increasingly realizing that transformation of technology organization is imminent. The CTO office is at the center of this and needs to rethink its strategic roadmap and operating model. In this paper, we assess how a gradual transformation from traditional IT/network units to a more functional organization will address several of the legacy constraints in adopting new technologies.
Private Campus Networks
The demand for Private Campus Networks offers operators an opportunity for value generation – we estimate the global market size to be €60-70bn by 2025. If operators do not act now and prepare accordingly, they risk missing out. Enterprises have economically sensible use cases and technologically justified needs for private 5G or LTE technology on their premises. But, few operators to date have developed a strategic approach to satisfy demand, which is why enterprises have begun to fight for access to their own spectrum.
Digital infrastructure as a driver of competitiveness
Telecoms data monetization: Reality, not a mirage
Telecoms operators and startups: Rethink and reinvent
Telecoms operators around the world are already engaging with startups in an attempt to benefit from their agility, execution speed and disruptive power. However, realizing tangible benefits and value from these initiatives has been a persistent challenge. Fundamental changes to current approaches are required to truly harness the innovative power of startups, young companies and digital upstarts: operators must rethink their business and operating models, reinvent their engagement models, and refresh their processes, governance mechanisms and cultures.
More About Karim
- Vienna University of Technology, AustriaPhD, Mechanical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry
- Webster University, AustriaMBA, International Business and Marketing
- Polytech Orléans, FranceMSc, Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, with a master’s thesis at UC Berkeley
- Ericsson (before 1997)Product Manager
- University of Technology in ViennaAssistant Professor (Univ. Ass.)