Coopetition: The New World Order of Communications Services

In fact, as future wholesale models and all-IP networks commoditize connectivity and individual services, the whole notion of a service provider may change. As the owner of Skype and the world's most popular streaming video console/platform (XBOX Live), Microsoft is probably better positioned than anyone to become the service provider of the future based on aggregated ecosystems, provided they don't fumble and their Windows Phone can truly become a “third-force” in mobile.

The Future

The competitive landscape has certainly changed, as has Pipeline's coverage of the issue. What was once a binary argument between cable and telco services providers has morphed into a true oligopoly, an economic Darwinism. The future isn't about video or voice as we know it, it's about combining mobile with video with messaging with applications to create entirely new service experiences. A new service experience that has yet to be defined.

In my estimation, we're still in the first phases of coopetition, the service community aggregation phase. Cablecos, telcos, and OTT players are making commercial agreements right now, some of which have been announced, some of which haven't.

Phase two will be the new service experience phase. This evolution will be relatively immune to commoditization of connectivity or service, because it offers truly unique experiences that only aggregated service communities can deliver. Peek into the future, what can we see? A business woman on the road talking into her car, having a video conversation with her family through their home television at the end of the day; combining mobile video and connected car with telepresence and residential broadband, with perhaps three different providers in the value chain. But if there is one thing we can say almost for certain, it's that the future of the communications landscape and is firmly rooted in coopetition.