OTE Group of Companies

Member: Platinum
Since: 01.02.2007

99 Kifissias Ave, Maroussi, 15124 Athens, Greece

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COSMOTE InnovatiON: Innovative ideas, for a better world for all

27.10.2020 Share

- The OTE Group’s people submitted over 90 ideas in the internal digital innovation initiative

Four winning innovative ideas that will contribute to a better world for all and that will be implemented by COSMOTE, was the result of InnovatiON internal digital innovation contest held by the OTE Group. InnovatiON evolved from the Group’s Internal Hackathon and sought smart solutions in the new environment shaped by Covid-19. In total, more than 1,600 employees submitted or supported more than 90 innovative ideas for simplifying customers’ and employees’ daily lives, creating unique digital experiences for customers, solving a social or environmental problem, or proposing ideas for the digital market of the future (Market 4.0).

Teams of OTE Group employees across Greece combined their knowledge and expertise and used a special digital platform to submit their innovative ideas, along with new digital collaboration tools in order to refine their proposals. The goal of COSMOTE InnovatiON is to promote innovation and cooperation, with multiple benefits for society, COSMOTE subscribers and the OTE Group itself, contributing to the Group’s sustainable growth.

George Athanasopoulos, the OTE Group’s Chief Information Technology Officer, stated: “For the OTE Group, innovation is not an end in itself. We are constantly experimenting with new technologies and looking for solutions with practical applications that will contribute substantially to a better world for all. These solutions start with an idea. We sought these innovative ideas through COSMOTE’s InnovatiON digital initiative, and we are proud of the talent, enthusiasm and ingenuity of our people.”

The contest

To participate in COSMOTE InnovatiON, OTE Group employees registered on Ideanet, a new digital hub designed to enable them to share their ideas and develop collaboration with their colleagues. On Ideanet, they could either submit their idea, register to join a group that would work on an idea, or ‘Like’ the idea of their choice.

There were 4 categories in which employees submitted their ideas: The first category, SimpLifE, was for ideas that could make the daily lives of OTE Group customers, employees and partners easier. The second, i-Experiences, was for digital-oriented ideas that create unique experiences for customers, employees and partners. The third category, Society+, drew ideas that respond to current social, humanitarian and environmental challenges, and the fourth, Market 4.0, was for ideas inspired by rapidly transforming economic and business models.

COSMOTE InnovatiON grew out of the new conditions imposed by Covid-19 and created a new remote-collaboration experience. The submission of ideas, the training sessions, assessment, mentoring and pitching of ideas were all carried out digitally. At the same time, the OTE Group’s management and employees had the opportunity to watch digital events with guest speakers from startups and the Innovation Ecosystem in Greece and abroad (Incubators, Funds) on the central question of how innovation can provide solutions under the new conditions.

In total, over 1,600 OTE Group employees registered on Ideanet, and more than 90 ideas were submitted. Of these, 70 ideas advanced to the next stage, with teams of 2 to 6 members evaluated by the committee for each category. Committee members were drawn from OTE Group upper management. COSMOTE InnovatiON produced 4 winning ideas, one from each category, which were presented to the OTE Group management team, which in turn approved advancement to the research and development stage.

COSMOTE’s InnovatiON initiative was coordinated by the OTE Group’s IT Innovation Center team, in collaboration with the Corporate Communication and Human Resources teams.

OTE Group’s IT Innovation Center team

The OTE Group’s IT Innovation Center team was formed in 2016 to monitor and support innovation across the OTE Group’s business operations and activities.

The IT Innovation Center experiments with new technologies such as AI & Analytics, VR, AR & Mixed Reality, 3D Printing and Human-Robot Interactions. It also tests pilot applications (Proof of Concept) in real use cases, in collaboration with Startups/Scaleups and Research Centers. Furthermore, the team participates in European IT Research projects and builds bridges between the OTE Group and the Startup Ecosystem in Greece and abroad.

Article and photo source: https://www.cosmote.gr/cs/otegroup/en/innovation_kainotomes_idees.html