Lisbon, Portugal – Only a third of communications service providers (CSPs) feel sufficiently prepared for LTE, new research shows. WeDo Technologies, a provider of business and revenue assurance, surveyed over 100 representatives from 47 CSPs around the world at its recently-held seventh annual Worldwide User Group in Portugal.
The annual customer event attracted CSPs from 33 countries, of which only 31% said they were prepared for the roll out of LTE. Further analysis found that 40% of respondents felt they weren’t as prepared for LTE as they should be, while a further 27% said they had not begun to make plans for a roll out.
The survey also revealed that 48% expect machine-to-machine (M2M) communications to have the most positive impact on their business over the next two years, while 34% felt it would be mobile money, banking and/or payments.
Rui Paiva, CEO at WeDo Technologies, said, “Traditional markets are becoming saturated and telecommunications providers are beginning to look at new streams of revenue to ensure financial stability for the long term. In this time of diversification, it is essential that the ‘under the cover’ components work seamlessly together so that companies can expand without negatively impacting on their profits. This is why almost 90% of attendees felt business and revenue assurance issues have become more important to the board in the last two years.”
Rui Paiva continued, “There is always a lot to be learned from peers and customers. This event is designed to create a forum for our customers to share knowledge, feedback and ideas that help them improve user experience while working more efficiently to protect the bottom line.”
Held in the historical town of Óbidos, Portugal, the User Group was hosted by Tony Poulos, blogger, industry thought leader and market strategist for the TM Forum. Setting the theme for the event, proceedings were opened by Carlos Nuno Oliveira, Portuguese Secretary of State of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Competitiveness. He was shortly followed by the president and CEO of the TM Forum, Martin Creaner, who discussed the changing ecosystem created by growing over-the-top (OTT) services and stressed the importance for service providers to adapt to the new environment.
A programme of 20 customer presentations and case studies, product demos and training also spanned the three day event, covering topics including Business and Revenue Assurance, Fraud Management, Roaming, Credit and Collections and Incentives Management. The full list of customer speakers can be found online at http://backoffice.wedotechnologies.com/media/WUG2012.pdf.
Since launching its first Worldwide User Group in 2006, WeDo Technologies has seen the event become increasingly popular and grow in size. Statistics from 2011 show a 13% increase in the number of attendees for 2012. The company hopes to build on this further in 2013, particularly following its recent acquisition of US-based network usage expenses management firm, Connectiv Solutions. Rui Paiva added: “The acquisition of Connectiv Solutions will strengthen our presence in North America. Next year we hope to have more representatives from across the Atlantic.”
The event comes just weeks after Rui Paiva was nominated to the Portuguese Council of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a programme set up to promote the international export of expertise from Portugal and strengthen the country’s integration in international knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship networks.
