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What's that old counterculture catchphrase? “The Revolution will not be televised?” Well, perhaps not. It seems, however, that there is a revolution already in motion on how things are televised.

Well, maybe not televised per se, (though with HD approaching, and a now-vacant 700mhz bandwidth being auctioned off to the highest bidder, that's definitely a topic worth chatting about. See our story on the auction in last month's issue), but the ways...

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Judging by the capabilities demonstrated at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month, it is clear that customer demand for social networking, rich and seamless feature sets, and high quality video content services can be met by a myriad of technical solutions and service providers – and that customers are fully aware that these capabilities are largely here and now – not next decade. Those Core and Edge providers who choose to collaborate to get those services to the customers will be the big and sustainable winners; ...

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In only the third month of the year, news in the telecom world is offering plenty of food for thought. Yahoo! is suddenly in turmoil due to Microsoft’s proposal for a takeover, and other companies are stepping out of the woodwork to offer possible solutions to the issue. At the same time, yet another lawsuit has come up that may force everyone to take a hard look at the state of patent laws and the validity of intellectual property firms. Consumers have also succeeded in winning a skirmish against telemarketing. Many things have already ...

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No modern business sector has demanded more and faster adaptability to change than the service provider industry. No sooner is a service provider paradigm established than another one — with new provisions, new services, and new technology — takes its place. For today’s service providers, those who adapt to subscriber needs and demands will survive and thrive, while those who do not will ultimately fold. Incorporating new content-based and value-added services into the product offerings will not only attract ...

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The IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, is an architectural framework and a standard that’s gaining in popularity. According to OSS Observer, up to 150 service providers are currently engaged in IMS projects. IMS offers a standards-based approach that promises to truly allow the economical construction and delivery of new services from “lego-block” components over any technology to any device. The need to support regular and ongoing development, delivery and assurance of high volumes of new services – and to do it conveniently, ...

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In the increasingly competitive environment communication service providers (CSPs) live in today, the ability to reliably meet customers’ needs, drive loyalty and derive as much revenue as quickly as possible is paramount as traditional revenues disappear.

Internet-based and - derived services present a considerable opportunity for CSPs that can successfully harness them; conversely they represent a considerable threat to those that cannot. This means ...

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Telcos are debating how they will avoid being commoditized in a multi-party, content- and applications-oriented service environment. Billing and CRM vendors are dominating many of the conversations by pushing the message that telcos must become innovative service creators and personalized marketers in order to win in the end. The analytical capabilities these arguments infer will be important to drive market-of-one tactics, granular customer segmentation, and to target new services. But these capabilities only represent one part...

Mobile World Congress continues to grow and diversify. It's not getting prettier as it matures, but it still serves a purpose. Around 55,000 delegates turned up to the Barcelona conference center, which for four days holds the population of a good-size town, but with not so many bathrooms. Twelve-hundred companies paid for space on the exhibit floor and many more rented meeting rooms, or just turned up to network, sell, and buy in the halls and bars of the Barcelona conference center. This is a show that takes about five days...

“In a revolution, as in a novel, the most difficult part to invent is the end.”

Revolution is a strong word. Literally defined, it is a sudden, radical, and pervasive change. It's the sort of change that redefines convention and forces everyone to look, listen, and reevaluate. This change can be difficult for many.