Boost Mobile’s Quantum Leap

View This Article in BOSS Magazine

On the cusp of a daring advancement in connectivity, Boost Mobile is amping up their vendor landscape to embrace a promising technological jump

The $26 billion acquisition of DISH Network by satellite pioneer EchoStar (NASDAQ: SATS) this year marked a significant change in the telecom landscape. The merger of DISH Network's satellite technology, streaming services, and nationwide 5G Boost Mobile Network with EchoStar's satellite communications solutions didn’t just take a giant step towards forming the nation’s fourth-largest wireless provider; it gave a substantial boost to an ongoing multiple-year plan to change the world.

And it’s putting the Boost Mobile® Network at the tip of their technological spear.

Relaunched and rebranded to align with the development of their advanced 5G network, Boost operates under the EchoStar umbrella, which is also home to the EchoStar®, Sling TV, DISH TV, Hughes®, HughesNet®, HughesON™, and JUPITER™ brands.

Boost Mobile created the very first cloud-native Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) in the world. O-RAN's open interfaces make it possible for cellular equipment and systems from different vendors to work together. Now, operators, like Boost, have the freedom to choose the best components from different suppliers to build networks that meet their specific needs.

“Operating an O-RAN network means we’re a multi-vendor ecosystem, which helps us to drive cost efficiencies and high quality in the network through sourcing a multitude of new vendors,” said Barbara Mendez, Boost’s Head of 5G Sourcing and Vendor Management. “We can onboard or off-board suppliers as needed to tailor to our specific network requirements and desired network quality

Prior to joining Boost Mobile, Mendez directed sourcing and procurement for AT&T, DIRECTV, and SKY Brazil. These days, Mendez and her team negotiate and purchase everything required to develop and operate the Boost Mobile 5G network, including all hardware for site development, contingent labor, software, and services.

The greatly expanded supplier pool and the sourcing organization’s precision negotiation expertise combine to get the maximum value from supplier relationships. “Strategizing on supplier selection and focusing on value creation while negotiating lower costs is the key to our success.  Then we can pass  that value on to the customers. They can pay a lower bill and switch to a high quality network using the latest 5G technology,” she reported. When it comes to sourcing, O-RAN also helps to elevate quality, reduce supply chain risks, and avoid vendor lock-in.

“We run away from complexity, we want be very efficient and make things run impeccably for our wireless business,” she added. “We should positively impact the PnL, otherwise we’re not doing our job right.”

The ultimate goal for sourcing is to impact P&L by reducing costs, improving efficiency, reducing risks that may impact revenue, and developing and benefitting from win-win supplier relationships. “When sourcing has support and space to work side-by-side with business leaders on strategic vendor relationships and is seen as an ally, there’s a shift in cost and efficiencies delivered by the business,” she explained.

It should come as no surprise that suppliers are eager to be part of Boost Mobile’s vendor ecosystem. “They want to be the ones that can claim ‘I offer O-RAN’ because it's the future of the world. Vendors want to be well positioned associated with the very first O-RAN,” she posited. “When the business case is proven, other companies will follow.”

That proof is well on its way. As we went to press, the FCC granted EchoStar's amended Boost Mobile 5G network buildout framework, which gives EchoStar the right to optimize its coast-to-coast buildout of the Boost Mobile network. The approval also enables Boost Mobile to more efficiently deploy the network in new areas of the country.

The key role of professional services

Multi-vendor ecosystems drive competitiveness, particularly when it comes to negotiating. Suppliers understand that companies using this approach have greater flexibility in sourcing, so they tend to be willing to work more closely with procurement and sourcing to get in on the action. “From a cost negotiation perspective and a value delivery perspective they’re a lot better. That allows Boost Mobile to offer value to the customer,” Mendez pointed out. “As the newest player in the US wireless market, we Boost Mobile need to be very, very aggressive.”

The ability to precisely mix and match different equipment required assistance from specialists that could deliver the resources necessary to develop and build the network. One such group of experts, Tech Mahindra, has been a partner on the Boost Mobile journey for about three years.

A global consulting service and systems integrator that operates in over 90 countries, and one of the fastest growing global IT services brands, Tech Mahindra has a client base that cuts across multiple industries and was a perfect fit for Boost Mobile.

“We design future state solutions for industry leaders and offer innovative digital experiences that enable them to transform and scale at speed,” the company states. “Our aim is to enable enterprises, associates, and society to rise for a more equal world, future readiness, and value creation.”

A thorough understanding of the project’s unique challenges from both the sourcing and business sides made Tech Mahindra a compelling choice, and their partnership has been fundamental to the endeavor’s success. “That's why Tech Mahindra was so fundamental,” Mendez stressed, noting that their expertise in resource management allowed the sourcing operation to flex with shifting needs without sacrificing quality.

“Tech Mahindra not only brought the right people with the right skills but helped us over the span of three years when we needed all hands on deck,” she said. “Being very mindful of those staffing movements was critical. Tech Mahindra helped us as we needed to develop and will continue to assist  as we pivot to running the network. They’ve been crucial for us to successfully build and run this network due to the expertise they bring to the company with the highest commitment to make things right.”

Opportunity and the dynamic attraction of industry firsts

The debut of groundbreaking services presents tremendous career opportunities. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 era about the criticality of supply chain management have opened a pathway for aspiring sourcing and procurement specialists to enter the field and eventually take their place at the leadership table.

“Working for such an innovative company like EchoStar, which has reinvented itself though the wireless business, has allowed me so many new opportunities,” Mendez revealed. “The wireless business allowed me to expand my knowledge and expertise, as I learn something new—whether a technology or solution—every day. It’s easy to dive into new opportunities constantly if you’re willing.” For a career sourcing professional who has been a leader in the discipline for some of the world’s biggest telecoms, that’s quite the hook.

“It’s part of my growth as a professional, and I think it's a brilliant opportunity for everybody that works on the team to be exposed to something as innovative and broad as is the wireless industry.”

Mendez has at a variety of companies directed sourcing for organizations that assign managers to specific sourcing categories, but at Boost Mobile her sourcing managers align to business leaders to better support the business instead of just categories. “Managers handle multiple categories because we want to be very close to the business and because our team is so lean. It works great for us from a team development perspective and it's brilliant for our managers’ careers because they get exposure to a lot of different things,” she said.

“Boost Mobile is a great company to work for because the word here is opportunity. You have the opportunity to do so much and learn … and the opportunity to just try something new.” Mendez’s management philosophy is rooted human development and systems thinking, where she exposes her team to different people, categories and suppliers, and encouraging different and novel ways to support the business through sourcing and procurement strategies.

“As sourcing professionals, we have our toolkit of strategies and creative techniques to make sure we get to our objective in terms of negotiation,” she concluded. “But going beyond that understanding how the industry as a whole operates is fundamental to a successful career in wireless.”