The world has dramatically changed in the last 12 months. While the pandemic crisis is coming under control in most parts of the world, the Russian aggression against Ukraine is having serious global economic and political ramifications. The combined effects are being felt deeply across societies, enterprises, and the telecommunications industry. As many economies face recession, it’s even more important for the industry to focus on its core strengths: connecting societies and underpinning the digital economy’s growth.

It’s against this backdrop that TM Forum held its latest Digital Transformation World (DTW) conference last month in Copenhagen, a global event for network and digital service providers and their partners. The theme for this year’s conference was the blueprint for growth, focusing on what it takes to unlock growth that has been elusive for the telecom industry for more than a decade. Despite this backdrop of uncertainty, throughout the event—held in person for the first time in more than three years—we found an optimistic mood and a new commitment to make real change happen.