Letter from the Editor - August 2015

By: Tim Young

“Life is flux”
- Heraclitus of Ephesos

The world is in a constant state of change. Some changes are rapid, while others are gradual, but either way, it’s those most able to tap-dance through life’s changes who are able to come out ahead. Sure, change can be uncomfortable, and uncertainty can be unsettling, but I think most of us are all too aware that our industry, in particular isn’t going to stand still for very long.

It’s not easy for carriers to be agile. Many are very big organizations with long histories and deep roots. Reinvention is not an easy process when you have millions of subscribers, tens of thousands of employees, and a global reach. But agility can be—and for many carriers, is—not only a survival mechanism, but a significant competitive differentiator.

In this issue of Pipeline, we explore how operators can remain agile in order to embrace the market shifts they encounter in order to survive, or even thrive. We’ll examine the changing revenue streams that are creating opportunities for carriers willing and able to demonstrate flexibility (particularly those who are attempting to refocus their efforts of becoming so-called DSPs).

We’ll evaluate some of the ways that wireless providers are creating more agile networks, and how carriers of all stripes are partnering with satellite providers to reach new subscribers. We’ll discuss virtualization, and how NFV is helping to create more agile networks. In addition, we’ll discuss how a catalog-driven approach can help carriers respond to new service demands more rapidly. We’ll also look at how customer engagement matters more than ever, both through internal coverage and a special feature from Openet, a firm specializing in policy control and charging. And we here from Synchronoss on the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and enabling a personalized cloud offering.

We hope you enjoy, and make sure to drop us a line at editor@pipelinepub.com or find us on Twitter (@pipelinewire) or LinkedIn to let us know how we can serve you better as you confront this ever-changing market.

All the best,

Tim Young
Editor-in-Chief