What is telecom metadata?

Beyond connectivity

Published on: 30/01/2024

Following Data Privacy Week which took place from January 22 to 26, our focus naturally gravitates toward the intricate landscape of safeguarding sensitive information. Unlike major OTT players, telecom companies are not in the business of selling personal data. Even with anonymized datasets, they can extract powerful insights from activity and mobility data and create valuable outcomes thanks to metadata. That’s where the magic happens.

Metadata is the new data

Metadata [ˈmetədeɪtə], plural noun: Metadata provides information about other data, but not the content of the data itself. Telecom metadata can be succinctly defined as "data about data." This additional layer of information helps in understanding the structure, nature, and context of a dataset.

Thus, telecom metadata encompasses insightful attributes about mobile subscribers’ activity and mobility, such as call duration or device location, without ever revealing the content of calls, texts, or browsing for example.

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