'5G Isn't Just For Faster Internet, It's the Cloudification of Networks: MATRIXX Founder Jennifer Kyriakakis

The big headline in 2023, "It's Not Just You: 5G Is A Big Letdown," in the Wall Street Journal reflected the widespread disappointment among consumers expecting lightning-fast speeds and revolutionary change. Even today, when Jennifer Kyriakakis hears people complain about it, she's not surprised. "It's kind of déjà vu," says the founder of MATRIXX, which powers real-time monetization for telecommunication operators across the globe. "When 4G launched, there were skits mocking it, and people asking, 'Why do I even need this?' And now we're hearing the same about 5G."

But to Kyriakakis, the letdown has little to do with performance and everything to do with misunderstanding. "The problem isn't 5G," she says. "The problem is education about it. Most people, especially in the business world, still don't understand what 5G actually is."

And what it is, Kyriakakis explains, is a seismic shift: "5G is the cloudification of the mobile network."

Just as cloud computing platforms changed the game by letting companies buy data center capacity on demand, scaling it up or down based on real-time need, 5G promises to do the same for mobile connectivity. "Instead of building a massive, permanent network just to handle your two-day conference once a year," says Kyriakakis, "5G allows you to spin up the bandwidth you need when you need it, then spin it back down. Like you do with cloud services."

That flexibility opens a new world for enterprises: a sports stadium can temporarily boost connectivity for game day; a theme park can elevate customer experience during peak season.

And yes, these are not consumer use cases. "This isn't about downloading movies faster," Kyriakakis explains. "It's about giving businesses network agility, just like the cloud gave them infrastructure agility."

But here's the catch: just because 5G can be sold like the cloud doesn't mean telecommunication companies are ready to sell it that way. And that, Kyriakakis believes, is the real bottleneck.

"We've been through this before," she says, pointing to the early days of the internet on mobile phones. "Operators rushed new tech to market without fully thinking through how they'd monetize it. They ended up giving it away or losing money for years."

The same risk looms over 5G, unless operators radically rethink their commercial mindset. "At MATRIXX, our core mission is to help telcos become smart digital service providers, not just utilities. That means being able to package, price, and deliver services that are aligned to outcomes, not just usage," she explains. "If you're an enterprise spinning up a mobile slice for a concert, your goal isn't bandwidth; it's customer experience. That's what you should be paying for."

A major reason cloud services have drawn criticism is 'bill shock.' Unexpectedly high charges from usage that continues unchecked. Kyriakakis says telecommunications can learn from those missteps. "Enterprises move to the cloud expecting it to be cheaper, but they don't have the tools to manage what's running. They forget to shut services down, and costs balloon."

MATRIXX was built specifically to avoid that fate. Its platform gives telcos and their customers real-time insight into service usage and costs, with automated alerts and controls. "If a business is using a network slice for an event, they can see consumption costs in real-time and even set budgets for spending. That kind of intelligence is critical to make usage-based models work, and, in the end, keep customers happy," she says.

Real-time pricing transparency is at the heart of MATRIXX's value. "You can look at your usage and spending every hour if you want. That's the difference between thoughtful monetization and chaos."

Kyriakakis believes the broader telecom industry is overdue for a reckoning. "In the past, telcos didn't have to sell. They were utilities. Everyone needed a phone line," she says. "Now everyone has a mobile phone, and most people are overpaying for generic plans. So, how do you create new value?"

The answer lies in personalization and enterprise services. "Telcos need to think like software companies," she says. "If they've invested billions in building 5G infrastructure but are still offering the same flat-rate plans, they're not going to see returns."

Kyriakakis is calling for a mindset shift: "The technology is here. What's missing is the commercial creativity. Operators need to shift toward value-based, outcome-based pricing that speaks to what customers, especially businesses, are actually trying to achieve."

As if the commercial shift wasn't challenging enough, Kyriakakis sees another wave coming: artificial intelligence. "We're heading toward a world where AI agents talk to other AI agents, making complex decisions and driving actions over mobile networks," she says.

The challenge, again, is monetization. "How do you price an AI-powered service? Based on the number of queries? The number of words? That doesn't reflect the actual value."

Instead, MATRIXX is helping operators explore smarter pricing models that focus on intent and outcome, not raw consumption. "If a customer runs a critical AI process through your network, that's different from a casual chatbot conversation. We're working on making sure those distinctions show up in the pricing and that the customer feels it's fair."

With operations in over 20 countries, MATRIXX is on a mission to help network providers reinvent how they make revenue through smarter, more responsive billing and service models.

At its core, Kyriakakis says, MATRIXX exists to make telecoms more adaptable, more agile, and more aligned to the needs of today's digital economy. "It's not just about data. It's about relevance. If you can't offer services in a way that's meaningful and valuable to your customers, you'll get left behind."

Her advice to telecom leaders as they prepare for the next decade? "Change your commercial mindset. The technology works. But if you want to see ROI on 5G, you've got to start selling it like the cloud, because that's exactly what it is."