Telecom Media Convergence - A new world of opportunity

With the profitability from conventional services shrinking every day, communication service providers are increasingly turning into media service providers and vice versa. Advancements in various telecommunications (Mobile, High speed broadband etc) services are forcing operators to provide new media-rich services to their exiting customers.

At the same time, media-specific businesses that formerly relied on traditional telecom service providers are seeing ways of independently distributing their product.

As a result of this, world-wide, Telecom and Media Service Providers are trying to provide converged services. They are either competing with each other or have collaborated to leverage know-how to gain more customers and increase profitability.

In both Telecom and Media cases they have found that their back office support systems and service delivery infrastructure do not adequately support the agility required. There seems to be a confusion at all sides, as traditional providers and media companies figure out what their roles will be in the world of converged services and how they will collaborate with each other.

Both Media and Telecom Service providers are on a look out of software services companies and consultants who can address the issues and challenges brought about by the convergence of communication services and media & broadcasting services. The main goal is to ensure rapid response to OSS/BSS issues and to provide expert guidance.

IT consulting & services companies should take up this challenge and start doing the groundwork on the same. They should identify operational changes and stipulate new operational models and also focus on aspects of processing services such as content acquisition, storage, management and delivery and related functions such as Digital Rights Management or Intellectual Property Rights Management. They must leverage their knowledge in both the domain and build resources with dual expertise. From the Operator / services provider stand point, they would need to come out with solutions, which primarily focuses on cutting cost, time to market of innovative products and services and better customer & end user experience. To top it all they must integrate themselves with the business function to deliver value to the organization and a deeper understanding of the products and services that a Telco & Media company needs.

They should also analyse the impacts on the traditional value chain and the collaborative value grid of telecom media convergence. An ambitious goal should be to create an operational blueprint that will further define converged telecom-media services as well as the relationships among all the companies involved.

In the field of observation, chance favours the prepared mind. IT consulting and services companies need to take up the challenge of convergence seriously help building a win-win business platform between the IT service providers and the convergence service providers.

Comments

[nick ross]

Great insight! This article really was a good read. IT consulting & services companies should take up this challenge and start doing the groundwork on the same
Nick Ross
www.JazdOilandGas.com
www.JazdTelecom.com
www.JazdPackaging.com