By: Jesse Cryderman
When it comes to the global telecommunications landscape, competition is highly dependent on geographic and demographic differences, and these varying conditions necessitate divergent
operating strategies. As Pipeline reported in April, communications service providers (CSPs) in emerging markets are investing in localization, low-cost devices and subsidized access to get a
jump on their competitors.In supersaturated markets like South Korea, where smartphone and 4G LTE penetration is 100 percent, customer experience is the new battleground, and CSPs are busy trying
to differentiate themselves with engaging service experiences and content…
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By: Jesse Cryderman
To say that the competitive landscape in communications and entertainment services is different today than it was in 2003 is like saying high-speed broadband is faster than
dial-up—the two reference points are so far apart as to be nearly incomparable. Ten years ago there was no telco TV, voice service was the sole domain of the telephone company, and the concept
of streaming video, let alone mobile streaming video, was in its infancy at best. With the introduction of high-speed broadband and voice over IP (VoIP), cable companies, otherwise known
as multiple-system operators (MSOs), began to leech customers from wireline providers at a remarkable rate…
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By: Jesse Cryderman
Remember NetZero? Back when internet speeds were measured in baud, and dial-up was the only way to get online from home, NetZero introduced a no-cost connectivity model that was quite popular
for a time. The idea was simple: dial into a local number, watch a few ads and surf (more like dog paddle) the internet for free. It was an early attempt at subsidized access, and
until the dot-com bust evaporated online ad revenue, it worked. NetZero still provides users with a free on-ramp to the information superhighway, but now it’s partnered with
Clearwire to deliver 4G mobile broadband…
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By: Steve McIntosh
Today’s mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) have far more options for the types of services they can provide than merely the voice applications supplied by their predecessors. Mobile
broadband, M2M, security applications, and digital content can all be provided via the MVNO model. But diversified offerings require far greater operational responsibilities: provisioning, service
management, billing, and payment all become more complex as services do, and customer expectations of availability and high-quality experiences intensify…
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By: Tim Young
Last month, on a particularly lovely day on the French Riviera, Pipeline had the occasion to recognize some of the most innovative companies working in the communications and entertainment
technology (COMET) industry. As yachts motored by and vacationers and locals meandered through the streets of quaint Beaulieu-sur-Mer, just a few miles from Nice, we were honored to host a
gala reception to present the 2013 COMET Innovation Awards. The awards ceremony, scheduled to coincide with the annual Management World event, took place at Les Salons de la Rotonde LenĂ´tre, a
stunning, sun-filled venue constructed in the Belle Epoque as the restaurant of the adjacent Bristol Hotel, once a favorite haunt of Europe’s upper crust…
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By: Michael Tessler
For mobile network operators, a pair of converging trends is presenting unprecedented opportunities as well as challenges for business growth. First, the broader deployment of LTE-
and 4G-enabled devices allows MNOs to accelerate the return on investment (ROI) of their mobile broadband networks and, in addition to voice, deliver new and innovative mobile
UC, or unified communications, applications to enterprise users. Second, emerging cloud-delivery platforms are making it possible for MNOs to shrink time to market
(TTM) in the delivery of advanced applications to an increasingly mobile workforce with consumer-grade expectations…
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By: Becky Bracken
You don’t have to be a multinational megacorporation to need a global communications network. You don’t need a bank account in Zurich to understand the immediate and real benefits of having
easy access to a secure, reliable global banking network. From the everyday working stiff traveling to Bucharest to land a new account to FedEx tracking packages as they move around the
world in real time, the communications service providers (CSPs) that are able to create and operate a truly global business will occupy some awfully high ground in the
telecom market…
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By: Jesse Cryderman
Believe it or not, the smartphone revolution is only six years old.It kicked off in 2007 with Apple’s prescient slogan “This is only the beginning” and the
release of the first iPhone, which pulled smartphones as a whole out of the geek toy box and into the realm of mass-market acceptance, changing the world as
a result. Smartphones combined the power of the PC with cellular connectivity, creating an always connected society with an ever-increasing appetite for data, media and
interaction…
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By: Kevin Dean
Ever since the internet was introduced, we have pushed the limits of connectivity. First we saw the progression in connectivity speeds from dial-up to DSL, then mobile
connections evolved from 2G to 3G to 4G speeds and, finally, connectivity spread to mobile devices, offering the ability to access networks of information in even the most remote
areas. Although connectivity is widespread today, it’s increasing in complexity. Beyond basic connections between people, data and services, there is a variety of types of connectivity that
each vertical business segment prioritizes, including low latency, high capacity and global reach…
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By: Susana Schwartz
This year may end up being a critical one for LTE momentum. Deloitte predicts that 200-plus carriers spanning a total of 75 countries will introduce an LTE network by the time 2013 has come to
a close, and subscriptions are expected to climb north of 200 million, which is 17 times greater than the number of subscriptions that existed just two years ago.The Global Mobile Suppliers
Association (GSA) estimates there are now 145 commercial LTE networks deployed in 66 countries. The majority of LTE revenues have thus far been generated in North American and Asian markets…
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By: Becky Bracken, Scott St. John - Pipeline
Windows 8 has gotten a bum rap.Microsoft’s newest operating system (OS) represents a major strategy shift for the company, which is attempting to catapult the
PC desktop experience, where it’s gained total traction, into the tablet world. But in the process Microsoft has rattled its more staid customers, particularly large
enterprises, which, by and large, are still grounded in the PC mindset (or worse, the BlackBerry mindset)…
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By: Jesse Cryderman
Verizon has the largest 4G LTE network in the US, but who has the fastest? According to PCWorld/TechHive, AT&T’s next-gen mobile network can claim the speediest
signaling, while Verizon seems content to pursue an expansion strategy that helped it pull in $28.2 billion in mobile-data revenues in 2012. The top-ranked US wireless
carrier is busy building additional macro stations and farming its recently acquired AWS spectrum for LTE; the Samsung Galaxy S4 will support Verizon’s highly
anticipated AWS LTE network starting this summer in New York City…
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By: Tim Young
“Excitement is impossible where there is no contest.” —Henry Cabot Lodge You know, I’m not a guy who thinks that competition for competition’s sake makes everything better. Take competitive
cooking shows, for example. I’m a sucker for Top Chef, but even I don’t seriously believe that any chef is at his or her best when faced with the prospect of turning a box of cheese crackers
and a can of tuna into a three-course meal while adrift on an ice floe. That kind of manufactured competitive pressure? Meaningless…
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