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So you've built a network. You've rounded up subscribers to use that network. You have all of the elements in place to be a successful CSP. So you're all done, right? What could be left to do? Well, as we all know, it's not the getting that's essential (though it's sure a big part of the game). It's the keeping.

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Here we are, in the last quarter of the year. And of course, we have plenty of news! This month, we've gone a little more in-depth on a few topics, presenting them to you with our usual flair, and making the news as colorful as the leaves of October. Enjoy!

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In a time when the world's attention is focused on turbulence in the financial markets, it might be good to look at financial strategies in telecom. We find reasons for traditional service providers (telcos and cablecos) to review their strategic plans for future revenue growth. It could be that too much reliance is being placed on charging extra for higher QoS and more bandwidth, at the expense of developing truly novel services. Are these providers headed for the same cliff as the big investment banks? Not yet – if the industry reacts intelligently. But this requires change in current strategic plans.

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Mobile Barcodes Open Doors to New Applications Opportunities. But OSS/BSS Providers Must Better Define their Role in the Application Value Chain

Barcodes are becoming even more prevalent in our everyday environment. Until recently, specialized scanners were required to read the barcodes on groceries, price tags, boarding passes, baggage tags, shipping labels, and event tickets. A number of applications, like NeoReader and Scanlife, have since emerged that are designed to turn any mobile phone with a camera into a barcode reader. The concept is simple...

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Unified Communications (UC) has been around for some years now. When you strip away the hype, isn't it just about linking all the communications services already out there? So it's no big deal... right?

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Unless you've been on a desert island with no way to reach the outside world, you've likely noticed that the communications industry isn't the same as just a few years ago. Since deregulation reared its head more than 20 years ago, the cable providers started joining the game and with more recent developments, such as the rise of mobile providers and new media companies, communications has grown infinitely more complex as consumers demand more simplicity with their service bundles, bills, and customer service.

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Here in North America, the leaves are changing colors, the pumpkin patches are hanging their signs, and the evenings are starting to cool. That must mean that it's time, again, for the TM Forum's Americas show: Management World Orlando.

Operator Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Operators encounter it daily: They work to provide their subscribers with the highest-quality end-to-end service for increasing revenue associated with voice, video, and data. In doing so, they must manage a hybrid network consisting of different equipment types from countless vendors, various troubleshooting and diagnostic tools, numerous operator interconnect agreements, and a plethora of performance data. All this while trying to integrate accurate and consistent performance data into multiple business entities within their operation – to maximize network and business performance.

It is hard to find anyone with a cell phone who uses it exclusively for phone calls today. Even the most basic phones are capable of sending text messages, taking photographs, or checking sports scores, stock prices, and news headlines. Unless you've been a site coordinator for Survivor since it started in 2000, you know that device manufacturers such as Blackberry, Nokia, Apple, LG, and others, as well as operating system providers such as Microsoft, are revolutionizing...

Today's highly competitive telecommunications environment allows for very few errors. In most markets, consumers and businesses can choose from multiple service providers and can compare the quality of service (QoS) each offers. Additionally, the rapid technological development of a wide variety of applications over recent years translates into "something for everyone." The widespread business and consumer acceptance of services like VoIP, BlackBerry®, and Mobile TV means that many people carry their homes and offices in their pockets and briefcases utilizing a broad range of applications. Increasingly they require the ability to transmit voice, text data...

Managing and securing large IP networks has become nothing short of a nightmare for network operators due to their increasing complexity. Defending against a gamut of innovative and sophisticated network attacks adds to the complexity, making it harder for operators to effectively deliver value-added services to increase business revenue. Operators tend to install silo applications to address specific network problems, resulting in inefficient business operations.

What do end-users expect? What do they require? What keeps them coming back for more? This is a relatively complex question when it comes to telecommunications, so let's peek into a simpler world: what do you expect to receive when you buy a hot dog?