even integrated personal cloud access into nicely bundled premium offerings. The vast majority of operators, however, have been slow to embrace their potential to become the personal cloud provider of choice. This is unfortunate, as a solid personal cloud strategy opens the door to stronger subscriber relationships and a strengthened bottom line, an especially important benefit as operators look to recoup significant 5G network investments they’ve made in recent years.

When it comes to enticing individuals to consider an operator personal cloud, telcos already have a lot going in their favor. Take trust, for example. Consumer trust is increasingly a deciding factor when it comes to choosing cloud providers. Consumers want to be confident their precious memories and personal information are safe and that their data is securely and continuously backed up. Many are more than willing to pay a premium for this sort of peace of mind in a time when news headlines routinely expose data breaches as well as the myriad of ways some OTT organizations take advantage of consumer personal data for their own gain. The good news for operators is that they already have well-established reputations for a high level of consumer trust when it comes to protecting subscriber data. This trust will serve as a solid foundation for those operators who choose to transform themselves into the go-to personal cloud providers.

Operators also are uniquely placed when it comes to throwing down the convenience card. An OS-agnostic personal cloud platform accessible from all mobile devices—as well as home computers—gives consumers the ability to consolidate their content in a single location. This eliminates the need to switch among multiple applications to back up, access, share and even restore data should it be required. It also facilitates the easy and fast transfer of data during device upgrades. The one-stop convenience factor is further bolstered by the operator’s capacity to offer reasonably priced bundled deals that can include unlimited personal cloud storage for everyone on a data plan via a single monthly bill.

The transformation of the operator

OTT cloud platform providers who can boast a dominant share of personal cloud users today have virtually failed to fully monetize their users. As they pivot to new business models and begin to charge monthly fees for what was once a free service, they have opened the door for operators to provide an alternative and better personal cloud option to cloud users who feel betrayed by the OTTs.

Remaking itself into a multipoint services provider will give an operator the ability to attract and retain premium cloud users who will help significantly grow operator revenue. Moreover, this shift will further solidify its position as an essential provider of critical services for business customers and individual subscribers. To accomplish this, an operator must do three things.

First, it must shift its mindset from that of a simple storage provider to a partner committed to providing a deeper means for its subscribers to interact with their most important content. It must then launch an operator-branded personal cloud that accommodates all data classes. Lastly, it must ensure that the personal cloud experience is stellar and seamless.

It is no secret that many operators are experiencing flat or falling traditional telecom revenue. They are not doomed, however. Those willing to look beyond the day-to-day challenges of today’s COVID-19 crisis cannot help but see that a huge part of their future relevance will come from remaining agile and continuing to meet the always-evolving needs of their customers. A feature-rich personal cloud offering gives operators the opportunity to create new services, provide more value for subscribers, build brand loyalty and bolster their bottom line.