Letter from the Editor

By: Tim Young

“I take pleasure in my transformations. I look quiet and consistent, but few know how many women there are in me.”
― Anaïs Nin

Fact: in the bustling world of technology, media, and communications, CSPs aren’t the sexy companies.

Device manufacturers, app developers, content producers, and lots of other kinds of companies get the great headlines and the popular booths at MWC and CES. They’re the well-lit actors treading the boards in front of adoring audiences.

CSPs, more often, are the stage managers, the lighting designers, and the guys pulling the ropes to raise and lower the curtains. Their presence is rarely felt unless something goes wrong.

And that’s the way it has been for a long time, but we live in a changing world. Like Anaïs Nin, CSPs have other companies inside of them: other business models and approaches waiting to emerge. And it’s a good thing, because the digital revolution is well upon us. Smart CSPs are learning how to be what they need to be in order to survive and thrive in a new era.

In this issue of Pipeline, we explore digital transformation and what it means for CSPs. We look at the challenges and opportunities for operators as they attempt to move from CSP to DSP. We examine two distinct paths for providers as they move forward with transformation. We look at how artificial intelligence (AI) can help CSPs meet new challenges, discuss the vital nature of strong QoE in a competitive content environment, examine the issues with integrating SDN/NFV, and talk about why transformation itself seems so hard. We also feature Mobileum in our vendor spotlight this month, a company taking an innovative approach to applying AI to new operator use cases, and bring you all the latest in news from the communications industry.

Enjoy!

Tim Young
Editor-in-Chief