CSPs can streamline their journey to virtualization maturity by working with an experienced telecom software solution partner. Most telecom companies don’t realize that the future is closer and more attainable than they think.

Digital transformation has already swept through various industries like a force of nature, and it was only a matter of time until it hit the telecom space. Driven by strained networks and increasing customer expectations, demand for innovative, flexible, agile solutions that improve data speeds, connectivity, availability, and customer experience is through the roof for CSPs.

Where are the opportunities for telecom innovation? These emerging communications technologies may point the way toward better network capabilities, stronger revenue streams, and healthier bottom lines.

Where CSP pain points exist

According to consulting firm Deloitte, one of the main challenges facing the CSP industry in the immediate coming years is maintaining a high quality of service across different offerings. Further complicating matters is the fact that the network upgrades needed to support expanded, advanced services in some cases may be prohibitively expensive.

How can CSPs meet demand for better availability and faster speeds without a significant overhaul of existing infrastructure? The answer lies in taking advantage of emerging communications technologies like Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and SD-WAN and VNFs:

"[O]perators will be moving away from proprietary, hardware-based network equipment to software-based network functions with technologies such as SDN and Network Function Virtualization (NFV)," stated Deloitte Vice Chairman Craig Wigginton. "This shift should allow them to manage their networks more efficiently and effectively and be more responsive to changes in consumer preferences."

SDN and NFV not only promise to empower CSPs to better utilize available bandwidth, but they also will create new services, new streams of revenue, and increased profits. CSPs can offer customers the option to pay an additional premium to scale up network capabilities on-demand to meet their bandwidth needs. As control of networks and associated network services become increasingly centrally managed, CSPs will see more and more opportunities to offer managed services so that enterprises can offload that responsibility.  

Meeting bandwidth demand without investing in network infrastructure will be a challenge—but it's possible.

Putting an end to manual processes with portal-driven customer experience

The CSP industry in general continues to depend on a large number of manual processes and workflows from top to bottom. Software-driven automation will help streamline just about every aspect of CSPs and lay the foundation for more substantial and dynamic service creation. For instance, automation at the OSS/BSS level can pave the way for on-demand, self-service capabilities. Telcos can then create customer-focused portals where users can try out and add on new features as they see fit.

Self-service portals will become key components to cultivating a better all-around customer experience. People want to have more control over their telecom accounts as well as have the ability to make changes, view billing information and contact customer service support when it suits them best. Cloud-based portals provide that opportunity in a single, intuitive platform.

Moving to the edge and beyond

Edge technologies show a lot of promise for the CSP industry as well. SD-WAN has already been a major revenue generator for many companies, and other businesses can follow that lead in providing customers with more flexible company network environments. This technology is especially useful for organizations that struggle to maintain high standards of connectivity at their branch offices.