16
The starting point for the telcos in this respect is good. Thanks
to their large customer base and comprehensive, often highly
reliable network infrastructure, they are well positioned to
implement platforms and make them successful.
Identifying the right
platforms and investing
in new platforms and
thereby getting into new
industries improves the
user experience.
Top executive,
Technology, AT&T, USA
But this also requires the capacity to innovate digitally. The
telcos must be close to both the market and customers’
needs, must develop and test digital approaches, and must
either discard them or continue to refine them iteratively – all
while working in close collaboration with potential partners.
The established structures of many telcos are currently not
designed for such an approach, and often enough the requisite
flexible structures and methods must first be introduced
and established in a company. One avenue in this direction is
to collaborate with and integrate innovative start-ups. Many
telcos are already investing in such entities through corporate
venturing or incubators, or are promoting the associated
practices in their own innovation hubs. It remains a challenge,
however, to integrate the ideas, business models, and culture
of the start-ups and innovation hubs into the entirety of a
telecommunications company.
The same applies to open and collaborative innovation in the
context of platforms. Open interfaces and joint standards are
the basis for successful platform models and accelerate the
dissemination of innovations, yet they also require telcos to
abandon long-standing business practices, to become more
transparent and to open up.
By 2022, B2B partnerships and particularly platforms will
become increasingly important for telcos. The telcos’ advantageous
starting position in this respect will help them
successfully reinvent their business and revenue models.
However, they will also have to deal with a fundamental shift
in their approach. ||
Scenario 2020:
Content & entertainment
Start binge watching the new season of a series
in the living room and continue on the train?
Have customized news sent to your smartphone?
Quickly check traffic reports before going for a
drive? The customers of a telco company can do
all of that now through a centralized dashboard
that their provider makes available to them in
accordance with their interests and needs. This is
because the provider makes proprietary content
formats available, buys others through partnerships
with media companies and integrates OTT
services seamlessly into its own offerings.
Accordingly, the customer’s invoice no longer
specifies data packages, not to mention voice
minutes or individual text messages. The customer
buys a content and entertainment package
instead – from premium offers with the ability to
select from among hundreds of content channels
including cloud photo archiving and blazing fast
down- and uploads, all the way to economical yet
limited options for students. The advantage for
the customer? As the telco provider is the general
contractor for the customer in all matters related
to content & entertainment, it also has an overview
of all of the costs. At the same time, the offer
is extremely attractive, because it is tailored to
the customer’s preferences.