Telecom executives responsible for planning new services, and their co-workers responsible for planning network rollouts, agree on the need to change their operational models to respond to the growing adoption of next-generation services.
Service providers are already preparing for the "connected world," which will see trillions of devices interconnected by 2017, and are testing new business models in anticipation. A study conducted by Frost & Sullivan on behalf of Amdocs has identified the technology challenges, business models and partnerships that service providers are considering to meet emerging demands.
The Connected World survey found that service providers see an opportunity to take the lead by adopting new flexible business models to match growing demand. Most providers are already testing short-term experimental models.
More than 80% of respondents cited investment in the network and network planning as the No 1 area of focus in terms of preparation for the connected world. Service providers also recognize the need for change - two-thirds stated that outsourcing part of their operations will be critical to succeeding in the connected world.
And more than 90% recognized the need for flexible business models to support new partnership opportunities. The same percentage stated that wholesale services and partnering with internet companies such as Facebook and Google were growing areas of opportunity.
Service providers also see the chance to expand their areas of focus into new industries. The most promising new areas - healthcare, consumer electronics, government and utilities - were favored for their high degrees of new device adoption, infrastructure support and potential end-user demand.