A new study from Juniper Research has calculated that the consumer migration from operator voice and text services to OTT (Over the Top) messaging services and social media will cost network operators nearly US$104 billion this year. This is equivalent to 12% of their service revenues.
Margins under pressure
The new research, Mobile Operator Business Models: Challenges, Opportunities & Strategies 2017-2021, reached its conclusions by analysing the scale of operator traffic decline together with the uptake of OTT VoIP and message services. The research pointed out that the success of several platforms had substantially impacted on operator margins, with WhatsApp alone now generating nearly three times as much daily traffic as SMS.
Furthermore, it argued that with most leading OTT messaging platforms now incorporating or trialling multiple communication options, including group voice or video chat, operators would see continued erosion of traffic levels in the future.
Strategic choices for operators
However, the research highlighted a number of measures that operators could introduce both to arrest the decline in core revenues and to develop new sources of income.
These measures include:
- Big data and analytics packages for both consumer and IoT (Internet of Things) devices
- Carrier billing payment options
- Mobile money services
- Mobile identity services
In each case, the research explored the strategic options offered by these measures and quantified the scale of the revenue streams they would provide.
The research also argued that with mobile increasingly deployed within the context of a quad-play offering, it was essential for telcos to provide consumers with attractive, original content to differentiate themselves from the competition. According to research author Dr Windsor Holden, “With mobile devices now regularly used for primary consumption of video content as well as snacking, operators providing popular film, drama and exclusive sports events over multiple channels are at a distinct advantage.”
The whitepaper, ‘Mobile Operators ~ Making the Networks Pay’, is available to download from the Juniper Research website together with details of the new research and interactive dataset.
Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.
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