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So, with cutting-edge thinking like this, and the basic needs of most potential
subscribers rarely going beyond the essentials, there still may be an
opportunity to excel in many of these markets simply by delivering basic voice
and text service. However, even in these settings, there seems to be more to the
story. The demand for mobile data is growing, and technologies like WiMAX are
creating a whole new narrative in the realm of wireless for the developing
market.
For instance, while the BMI study notes that Malawi is one of Africa’s least
developed markets, WiMAX provider Burco Electronic Systems Ltd. Launched its
eWiMAX service there in 2010. While not the first WiMAX provider to roll out
WiMAX service in the small, landlocked country, one of Africa’s most densely
populated, it did boast the largest coverage area.
Jonas Lagerquist of Aptilo Networks,
which provided OSS/BSS support for
Burco, noted in a case study that there
were several specific support system
considerations that accompanied
Burco’s Malawi rollout. Flexibility, for
example, is particularly necessary in
markets that often prove as remote as
they are dynamic. Furthermore, a multi-
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The demand for mobile data is growing, and technologies like WiMAX are creating a whole new narrative in the realm of wireless for the developing market. |
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markets, according to Lagerquist,
stress the importance of policy control
and billing structures suited to the
specific needs of the market.
Most developing markets necessitate a prepaid charging scenario, but arranging
for ease of payment is paramount. For Burco, that meant understanding that most
customers in Malawi were accustomed to paying bills through bank accounts via
ATMs, so the integration of a voucher system into the existing ATM network
created the best environment for easy payment.
In other markets, users may or may not even have bank accounts, which can serve
as a hindrance or an opportunity for wireless providers. An uncreative provider
would scramble to understand how this lack of external banking may impact their
business. A wise carrier would see it as an opportunity to provide financial
services directly to customers.
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vendor approach is encouraged, as
Lagerquist noted that it “minimizes the
risks if a vendor for some reason
leaves the market and ensures a
healthy competition from vendors to
drive down costs”.
However, at the moment, it is in emerging markets that the single-vendor
approach may be the most compelling.
It has been noted by industry analysts like Analysys Mason’s Mark Mortensen that
a newer breed of OSS/BSS vendor has begun to crop up with a focus on emerging
markets and a broad slate of services for CSPs to grab hold of. Vendors in this
mode (Clarity and Comarch are of particular note) may be jacks-of-all-trades,
but their pre-integrated software components save on systems integration costs
and are perfectly suited to the Greenfield environment of emerging market play.
However, other takeaways from
Burco’s foray into one of the least likely
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Understanding what sort of market one is encountering is of obvious importance,
but every few years, we hear of another CSP who rushed into a region without
proper preparation, and committed some blunder. It still happens.
As the wireless provider has gone beyond its Promethean days, it has likely
grown a few competitors over time, whether external providers spotting an
opportunity or in-country upstarts eager to knock off the incumbent. Therefore,
customer experience cannot be any less important on the most remote island than
it is in the largest North American city.
As the last low-hanging fruit gets plucked, providers must learn how to turn
their expeditions into emerging markets into long-term relationships with
markets that entertain ever-increasing complexity.
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