VanillaPlus Magazine Q2 2021: How CSPs can drive profits by enabling communication platforms as a service

Inside this Issue:

• TALKING HEADS: BICS’ Matteo Gatta explains how CSPs can drive profits by enabling communication platforms as a service
• ANALYST REPORT: In our specially-commissioned analyst report, Francis Haysom and Robert Curran from Appledore Research detail why rethinking database technology platforms is enabling a data-driven, distributed future
• PROGRAMMABLE COMMUNICATIONS: Divya Ghai Wakankar explores the power and potential of programmable communications
• INTERVIEW: Transforma Insights’ Jim Morrish talks to Amdocs’ Avishai Sharlin to establish the extent of the opportunities that exist across the 5G value plane
• SECURITY: The cyber threat landscape has intensified as malicious actors capitalised on pandemic-related disruption, writes Adrian Taylor
• CEO GUIDE TO AUGMENTED ANALYTICS 2021: How augmented analytics democratises data insights
• COMMUNICATIONS-AS-A-SERVICE: Tim McElligott explains what CaaS really means to CSPs
• CASE STUDY: VMware explains how telco cloud is turning digital service provider unicorns from myth to reality

 

Editor’s Comment:

Being open is easier to say than do. At the heart of openness lies trust and confidence and the telecoms industry finds it hard to trust having been consistently defrauded for decades. At the same time, it lacks confidence as a result of being continuously drubbed by the markets for generating single digit returns while web giants that have never made a profit soar in valuation. It’s no surprise communications service providers (CSPs) are protective of their networks and their support systems because these are the hearts of their businesses. However, they’re more and more frequently being asked to share access to these – often by the very companies that have usurped their positions as investors’ darlings. It’s easy to understand why there would be some reluctance to open up and allow access to these valuable resources. However, more CSPs are doing exactly this, investing in open RAN and exposing application programme interfaces (APIs) to partners. Soon, networks will be truly open, allowing customers and partners to configure the network via slicing in the same way as Burger King allowing you to have it your way. If you need high-speed, low latency connectivity from a location for the next hour, you can have it. If you want low cost, best effort connections available all the time, you can select that too. This is far away from the constraints of the traditional industry which offered a very limited portfolio of services with the choice of either taking it or leaving it. This opening up is facilitated by that universal lubricant – revenue. It has become clearer and clearer to see that old revenue is commoditising and new revenue is growing. The example of hyperscalers has been seen and learned from and CSPs want to replicate that model. By opening up they recognise they can customise their networks to deliver a richer array of offerings and charge for these on a per-use basis. At the same time, by allowing partners to utilise their systems, they can derive revenue as the enablers of services that go far beyond the network. The important take-away here is that while telecoms is becoming open, open does not mean free. Just as having it your way at Burger King wasn’t free, either. Enjoy the magazine!   George Malim, managing editor  

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