Defining the future telco — and what it means for operators and their partners
Since Google acquired Nest for $3.2bn, Apple and Samsung have also entered the complex battle for the connected home. We analyse in-depth why Google wanted Nest, the players’ goals and strategies, and what should telcos and others do to stay in the game?
Facing lockout from a growing chunk of the Internet and mounting competition from the Facebook-Microsoft alliance and Amazon, Google’s core business is under intense pressure. The search giant’s response is to innovate, offering consumers proactive recommendations, as well as reactive search results. Once an interesting sideline, Google Now has become fundamental to the Mountain View company’s future. Is the suggestion service good enough to maintain Google’s position as the world’s leading big data company?
A launcher is a customizable home screen for an Android device that allows users to reorganize, customize and interact with their device. Launchers are gaining popularity, with Facebook, Google, Twitter and Yahoo all having either acquired or developed their own versions, but the market is fragmented with different launchers providing different functionality, services and monetization methods. Our latest analysis shows how telcos should seek to explore this area to help them establish more relevance in the digital ecosystem.
T-Mobile USA’s ‘uncarrier’ strategy has delivered significant net additions, but is it a good strategy – and is the disruption promised by Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son already underway? We compare it to Free Mobile’s disruptive approach in France, and the results of its competitors’ responses.
Digital transformation is now impacting every industry, and one of the hardest organisational challenges is developing small-scale innovations fast and managing them in large and mature organisations. Here are our recommendations and key findings from the OnFuture EMEA 2014 cross-industry brainstorm, including a summary of Facebook’s internal recipe for speedy success. (June 2014, Executive Briefing Service, Transformation Stream.)
Existing Business remains the biggest obstacle to innovation
New Mobile & Digital Transformation Strategies. Presentations and Voting Slides from the New Mobile & Digital Transformation Strategies stream of the OnFuture EMEA Executive Brainstorm, 11th June 2014, in London.
New Mobile & Digital Transformation Strategies: OnFuture EMEA London June 2014
Next Generation Mobile Marketing & Commerce. Presentations and Voting Slides from the Next Generation Mobile Marketing & Commerce stream of the OnFuture EMEA Executive Brainstorm, 12th June 2014, in London. (Executive Briefing Service, Dealing with Disruption Stream.)
Next Generation Mobile Marketing & Commerce: OnFuture EMEA London June 2014
Our new global research among enterprises and telcos shows that many telcos are ideally positioned, but underprepared, to exploit the fast emerging and evolving $50bn Enterprise Mobility opportunity. How can telcos address this gap?
Verizon and Comcast have invested in high bandwidth fibre and cable networks, whereas AT&T has until recently focused on U-Verse, an IPTV play. Which strategy is winning out and why? The answer is surprising and may transform the US and other markets, and there are parallels with Apple and Samsung’s ‘deep value’ strategies of investing in assets that are hard to replicate.
The latest results for Telefonica are grim, showing a 12% y-o-y revenue decline, following Orange and Deutsche Telekom’s 4% drops. This signals unequivocally that transformation is now a necessity not a luxury for European operators – and the rest of the world is not far behind. Longer term recovery is possible but not a certainty – what are the key steps? (May 2014, Foundation 2.0, Executive Briefing Service, Telco 2.0 Transformation Stream.)
Enterprise Mobility Framework December 2013
In this new report based on Telco 2.0 Transformation Index analysis we compare Vodafone’s competitive positioning with another European-centric multi-national, Telefonica. The results are surprising and instructive, showing that Vodafone faces substantial challenges if it is to grow in the foreseeable future.
We see five major trends leading towards the overall picture of the ‘software defined operator’ – an operator whose boundaries and structure can be set and controlled through software. This presents threats as well as opportunities for industry players selling and wanting to sell to telcos.
Much of what we need to know, do or get, can now be delivered through software, pretty much at any place at any time via mobile. It is a key tool, and how we use it increasingly shapes our lives, businesses, work and identities. Why are telcos missing out, and what do businesses of all types need to do about it?
Albeit pioneering, Telefonica’s Digital business unit as was lacked focus and combined too many clashing cultures and incompatible businesses. Our latest analysis sees the change as ‘the end of the beginning’ for Telefonica’s Telco 2.0 services, and summarises lessons for all players implementing strategic transformation.
Operators face difficult choices on the best way to change their business models. In this note we analyse the approaches taken by AT&T, Verizon, Ooredoo, Singtel and Telefonica, extrapolate the options for all carriers, and offer a framework to help managers define the right new business model goal for their organisation.
So Facebook is buying the mobile IM app WhatsApp for $19bn including $4bn in cash, and WhatsApp is launching a voice service. Why, and what are the consequences and lessons for telcos and others?
The success of digital economies is underpinned by the growth of the Internet. Our analysis of a number of economies shows that enlightened policy is more important than the wealth of the populace or any other measure. What are the key lessons?
Our research focuses on how telcos and their partners can embrace industry disruption.
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