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Telco Execs Know VoIP Has Them Beat |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Tuesday, 13 March 2007 |
A global survey of industry executives shows that most believe voice
will no longer make up the primary revenue source for communications
carriers within six years and that introducing new services is the
secret to survival.
Exactly how fast the telcos will lose their voice revenue was the only
real issue, with 80 per cent believing it will take six years, but over
half of the senior executives questioned believe this will happen
within the next four years.
72 percent said that introducing new services is the most effective
strategy to counter falling voice revenue, much more so than pricing
changes or marketing initiatives.
The Economist Intelligence Unit surveyed 115 telecommunications
industry executives from around the world in September 2006. The survey
covered 36 countries in three regions; 38 percent of respondents were
based in Europe, 28 percent in North America and 28 percent in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Nearly one-third of firms represented in the survey (32 percent) were
fixed line or integrated fixed-mobile network operators, with the
remainder consisting mainly of mobile operators, equipment
manufacturers, software operators and cable operators. The survey
sample was also senior -- 45 percent of respondents were C-level
executives such as CEOs, CFOs and CIOs, with the rest consisting of
heads of business units and other senior managers.
68 per cent of respondents identified VoIP operators as the primary cause of declining revenues.
65 per cent of respondents believe triple-play offerings are important
or critical and 51 percent say mergers and acquisitions with mobile
operators are strategies they are most likely to pursue in the next two
years.
Executives in every region cited operational cost efficiency as the
main obstacle in developing new revenue streams.
Respondents
acknowledged that service providers must act now to upgrade their core
networks, streamline their organizational structures and business
processes and must provide greater functionality and more compelling
user experiences, such as converged instant messaging, in-call-content
sharing and push-to-talk over cellular. Doing this is vital if they are
to compete effectively with smaller, highly mobile start-ups leveraging
disruptive IP-based technologies and platforms.
"The global communications industry is changing drastically and
rapidly," said Denis McCauley, Director, Global Technology Research
with the Economist Intelligence Unit. "Our survey results illustrate a
sense of urgency for fixed-line and wireless service providers to
deliver new services for their customers in order to remain
competitive."
"The results from the global communications community clearly
demonstrate how important it is for both fixed-line and wireless
operators to act immediately," said Bhaskar Gorti, Senior Vice
President and General Manager, Oracle Communications Global Business
Unit. "With the rapid decline in voice revenues and the reality of an
ever changing competitive set, customer service providers must
accelerate their development of new revenue opportunities."
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