September 2008 Archives
Earlier this month I gave a weblog preview of Informa's SDP (Service Delivery Platform) Asia conference in Singapore. I'll also be attending Informa's IMS/SDP (IP Multimedia Subsystem) North America conference
(5-7 November) in Dallas TX. This weblog article provides a preview of the North American event. Bringing the discussion on IMS and SDP together is an important step in recognizing that the services layer in the emerging telecommunications network must be integrated and not viewed as separate architecture silos by virtue of whatever standard body created that component. As Sprint, Cox and Verizon are some of the most active operators in the world with respect to IMS and SDP, North America provides right venue for this integrated services layer discussion.
On Day 2 (6th Nov) I'll be chairing an interactive circuit entitled "SDP and IMS: What Type of Services Are Most Likely to Benefit Each Technology? Are SDP/IMS Alternative or Complimentary?" In this session we have a great mix of operators and application developers, see session description below. One of the panelists, Sean O'Sullivan, has aided me on several occasions in helping operators understand application developers' needs. In the introduction to the session I'll review some of the critical trends, such as the 'internet going video,' operators' inability to match this trend in their own video services, and the impact open access has on the 'operator : application developer' relationship. We'll then focus upon 'Where's the Money?' Using real-world service examples to answer the questions covered in the session description, as well as building a rich list of go-to-market services.
On Day 3 (7th Nov) I'll be chairing the day and running the panel sessions; "How is the SDP Bridging Today's Platforms with IMS Applications?" and "Resolving the 'Catch 22 Situation' of IMS Network Rollout and Device Availability: Which Needs to Come First to Enable IMS to Prosper? How Can We Address the Handset Bottleneck?" To kick off the day we'll have two operator presentations from Shoeb Ahmed of Banglalink, Bangladesh; and Jon Sung of SK Telecom, describing their experiences in using IMS/SDP to drive new service revenues.
The panel discussion on "How is the SDP Bridging Today's Platforms with IMS Applications?" See session description below, will focus on the real-world implementation experiences of both operators and suppliers is evolving from what's in the network today. This is a critical point; most operators are not Greenfield, legacy platforms and services can not be ignored. In some cases the legacy OSS platforms provide an easy OPEX (operational expenditure) reduction business case. However, for legacy service platforms its much more complex. This session aims to understand how best to manage the service layer evolution based on real-world operational experience.
The wrap-up panel session on "Resolving the 'Catch 22 Situation' of IMS Network Rollout and Device Availability: Which Needs to Come First to Enable IMS to Prosper? How Can We Address the Handset Bottleneck?" has handset representatives from Samsung and Motorola. Even though this is the last session, its by far the most critical for IMS deployment success. When 3G was launched operators sat there frustrated on underused assets as 3G handset availability severely limited customers access to the new network. How are handset vendors avoiding a repeat of this situation for Sprint and Verizon given their IMS plans?
Overall, this conference provides an important forum for anyone focused upon the North American market with respect to IMS and SDP as it's a 'who's who' in this space, with Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Alltel, Cox, T-Mobile, Orange, Telus, Telefonica, Banglalink, SK Telecom and BT all in attendance.
INTERACTIVE CIRCUIT: A 60 minute discussion on the role of IMS and SDP to enable innovation in service creation and delivery. Contributors will also look at innovative ways to build a product strategy and at how IMS and SDP can help. All delegates and speakers are encouraged to speak up.
Introduction: Alan Quayle, Founder, Alan Quayle Business & Service Development, USA
SDP and IMS: What Type of Services Are Most Likely to Benefit Each Technology? Are SDP/IMS Alternative or Complimentary?
Chris Joul, Principal Engineer, T-Mobile, USA
Simon Persoff, Director Regulatory Affairs, Orange Home, UK
Vikram Karmarkar, VP of Techhnology Strategy and Alliances, Ecrio, USA
Sean O'Sullivan, CTO, Dial2Do, Ireland
Sebastian Kramer, CEO, Quative-Kudelski Group, Germany
Lucia Gradinariu, Senior Advisor, Industry Programs, CA and TeleManagement Forum, USA
PANEL DISCUSSION How is the SDP Bridging Today's Platforms with IMS Applications?
Panelists
Jon Sung, Principal Architect, SK TelecomAmericas, USA
Andre Moskal, Wireless Networks Technology Strategy, TELUS, Canada
Vikram Karmarkar, VP of Techhnology Strategy and Alliances, Ecrio, USA
Steve Lasko, General Manager Americas, jNetX, USA
Sean O'Sullivan, CTO, Dial2Do, Ireland
PANEL DISCUSSION Resolving the 'Catch 22 Situation' of IMS Network Rollout and Device Availability: Which Needs to Come First to Enable IMS to Prosper? How Can We Address the Handset Bottleneck?
Panelists
Sam Ramdenbourg, Director of Product Planning and Technology Strategy, Samsung, USA
Kevin McDunn, Director, Strategy & Business Development, Motorola, USA
On Day 2 (6th Nov) I'll be chairing an interactive circuit entitled "SDP and IMS: What Type of Services Are Most Likely to Benefit Each Technology? Are SDP/IMS Alternative or Complimentary?" In this session we have a great mix of operators and application developers, see session description below. One of the panelists, Sean O'Sullivan, has aided me on several occasions in helping operators understand application developers' needs. In the introduction to the session I'll review some of the critical trends, such as the 'internet going video,' operators' inability to match this trend in their own video services, and the impact open access has on the 'operator : application developer' relationship. We'll then focus upon 'Where's the Money?' Using real-world service examples to answer the questions covered in the session description, as well as building a rich list of go-to-market services.
On Day 3 (7th Nov) I'll be chairing the day and running the panel sessions; "How is the SDP Bridging Today's Platforms with IMS Applications?" and "Resolving the 'Catch 22 Situation' of IMS Network Rollout and Device Availability: Which Needs to Come First to Enable IMS to Prosper? How Can We Address the Handset Bottleneck?" To kick off the day we'll have two operator presentations from Shoeb Ahmed of Banglalink, Bangladesh; and Jon Sung of SK Telecom, describing their experiences in using IMS/SDP to drive new service revenues.
The panel discussion on "How is the SDP Bridging Today's Platforms with IMS Applications?" See session description below, will focus on the real-world implementation experiences of both operators and suppliers is evolving from what's in the network today. This is a critical point; most operators are not Greenfield, legacy platforms and services can not be ignored. In some cases the legacy OSS platforms provide an easy OPEX (operational expenditure) reduction business case. However, for legacy service platforms its much more complex. This session aims to understand how best to manage the service layer evolution based on real-world operational experience.
The wrap-up panel session on "Resolving the 'Catch 22 Situation' of IMS Network Rollout and Device Availability: Which Needs to Come First to Enable IMS to Prosper? How Can We Address the Handset Bottleneck?" has handset representatives from Samsung and Motorola. Even though this is the last session, its by far the most critical for IMS deployment success. When 3G was launched operators sat there frustrated on underused assets as 3G handset availability severely limited customers access to the new network. How are handset vendors avoiding a repeat of this situation for Sprint and Verizon given their IMS plans?
Overall, this conference provides an important forum for anyone focused upon the North American market with respect to IMS and SDP as it's a 'who's who' in this space, with Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Alltel, Cox, T-Mobile, Orange, Telus, Telefonica, Banglalink, SK Telecom and BT all in attendance.
INTERACTIVE CIRCUIT: A 60 minute discussion on the role of IMS and SDP to enable innovation in service creation and delivery. Contributors will also look at innovative ways to build a product strategy and at how IMS and SDP can help. All delegates and speakers are encouraged to speak up.
Introduction: Alan Quayle, Founder, Alan Quayle Business & Service Development, USA
SDP and IMS: What Type of Services Are Most Likely to Benefit Each Technology? Are SDP/IMS Alternative or Complimentary?
- What types of services are more likely to benefit from SDP and what services are more likely to benefit from IMS?
- What can carriers do with IMS/SDP that they cannot do without?
- What type of implementations have we seen in the US?
- Should IMS and SDP simply co-exist or should they be integrated?
- What Technology Strategy Should Be Built Around our Product Strategy?
- How can we use the whole IMS architecture to develop a whole portfolio of services?
- Do carriers use IMS to its full capabilities?
- Some North American carriers are outsourcing services that are outside their domain. Shall we let innovation happen outside?
Chris Joul, Principal Engineer, T-Mobile, USA
Simon Persoff, Director Regulatory Affairs, Orange Home, UK
Vikram Karmarkar, VP of Techhnology Strategy and Alliances, Ecrio, USA
Sean O'Sullivan, CTO, Dial2Do, Ireland
Sebastian Kramer, CEO, Quative-Kudelski Group, Germany
Lucia Gradinariu, Senior Advisor, Industry Programs, CA and TeleManagement Forum, USA
PANEL DISCUSSION How is the SDP Bridging Today's Platforms with IMS Applications?
- Is the Integration with the SDP the way to prevent IMS from becoming another technology silo?
- How can we extend the service platform for the development of cutting edge services?
- Can we achieve cost reduction through improved performance in IMS and service delivery infrastructure?
- Can operators fully leverage the value of the IMS architecture without using the SDP?
Panelists
Jon Sung, Principal Architect, SK TelecomAmericas, USA
Andre Moskal, Wireless Networks Technology Strategy, TELUS, Canada
Vikram Karmarkar, VP of Techhnology Strategy and Alliances, Ecrio, USA
Steve Lasko, General Manager Americas, jNetX, USA
Sean O'Sullivan, CTO, Dial2Do, Ireland
PANEL DISCUSSION Resolving the 'Catch 22 Situation' of IMS Network Rollout and Device Availability: Which Needs to Come First to Enable IMS to Prosper? How Can We Address the Handset Bottleneck?
- What are the carries' requirements of an IMS enabled handset? Must have features and technical imperatives
- How can we integrate the IMS features into the handset?
- Why the delay? What needs to happen to expedite handset development and client availability?
- Addressing the need to have a critical mass of devices enabling choice for the consumer
- IMS /SDP and the open handset: Where do the examples of best practice come from?
Panelists
Sam Ramdenbourg, Director of Product Planning and Technology Strategy, Samsung, USA
Kevin McDunn, Director, Strategy & Business Development, Motorola, USA
The Key Revolution (TKR) has brought together the innovations of cloud computing and 'chip and pin' security technology to create a unique answer to the problem of secure remote working and collaboration with Mobiu. The service backs up data to a secure encrypted online MobiVault; enables collaboration and file sharing in MobiRooms; and uses a SIM (chip used in mobile phones) equipped USB drive for secure two factor authentication and to provide portable applications, e.g. secure anonymous web browsing. Mobiu is based on technology created and patented by Vodafone, with a platform hosted by NTT and powered by Sun Microsystems.
Mobiu uses the secure 'chip and pin' (Personal Identification Number) technology, which banks use to reduce online banking fraud in the UK by 67 percent during the first half of 2007. Single factor authentication of 'username and password' has been proven time and again as inadequate; its not how many bits are devoted to encryption, it's the human link in the security chain that is weakest.
A study by digital communications agency @www, reveals that 61% of web users use the same password for all their online accounts. According to RSA, the need for end-users to memorize passwords results in less secure management, with 25% of respondents storing a password spreadsheet or document on the PC, 22% said they record passwords on a PDA or other handheld device and 15% keeping a paper password record in an office/workspace. People need easy to remember passwords and those passwords often prove easy to guess or are easily found, hence the need for another factor in the authentication process.
Chip and PIN provides two-factor authentication, that is a simple easy to remember PIN and a Chip module (SIM equipped USB), only when you physically have the Chip and you enter the correct PIN can access be granted, which enables Mobiu to provide secure access to your data. Secure and encrypted online storage and back-up with MobiVault provides virtually unlimited storage, and can only be read by the Mobiu owner of that data and those Mobiu customers authorized by the owner of that data. Should the Mobiu be lost, data is easily recovered from the MobiVault and the Mobiu can be immediately deactivated.
The Secure Remote Working Landscape breaks down into three broad technology segments shown in this diagram.
It's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when one of your company's laptop will be stolen. So Mobiu gives companies the option to either avoid carrying laptops yet still work remotely, or if they do carry laptops store company data with a secure two factor authentication USB.
Mobiu uses the secure 'chip and pin' (Personal Identification Number) technology, which banks use to reduce online banking fraud in the UK by 67 percent during the first half of 2007. Single factor authentication of 'username and password' has been proven time and again as inadequate; its not how many bits are devoted to encryption, it's the human link in the security chain that is weakest.
A study by digital communications agency @www, reveals that 61% of web users use the same password for all their online accounts. According to RSA, the need for end-users to memorize passwords results in less secure management, with 25% of respondents storing a password spreadsheet or document on the PC, 22% said they record passwords on a PDA or other handheld device and 15% keeping a paper password record in an office/workspace. People need easy to remember passwords and those passwords often prove easy to guess or are easily found, hence the need for another factor in the authentication process.
Chip and PIN provides two-factor authentication, that is a simple easy to remember PIN and a Chip module (SIM equipped USB), only when you physically have the Chip and you enter the correct PIN can access be granted, which enables Mobiu to provide secure access to your data. Secure and encrypted online storage and back-up with MobiVault provides virtually unlimited storage, and can only be read by the Mobiu owner of that data and those Mobiu customers authorized by the owner of that data. Should the Mobiu be lost, data is easily recovered from the MobiVault and the Mobiu can be immediately deactivated.
The Secure Remote Working Landscape breaks down into three broad technology segments shown in this diagram.
- Browser based. Secure remote access services that use the web browser on any PC, generally taking advantage of the SSL VPN (Secure Socket Layer Virtual Private Network) capability provided by the browser. The main weaknesses are it requires the browser have the latest secure updates, no malware (malicious software) present, and it generally only uses single factor authentication.
- Client based. Secure remote access applications installed on the laptop. The main weaknesses are it requires the user to carry around a laptop, but more importantly the data is stored on the laptop, so when the laptop is stolen the company's data is at risk, and it generally relies upon single factor authentication.
- Secure USB drive based. These are USBs with software and/or hardware modifications to enable them to securely store data, however, most rely upon single factor authentication, rather than the more secure 'chip and PIN' technology, and do not offer the supported remote working and collaboration service package provided by Mobiu.
It's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when one of your company's laptop will be stolen. So Mobiu gives companies the option to either avoid carrying laptops yet still work remotely, or if they do carry laptops store company data with a secure two factor authentication USB.
In the telecom industry Managed Network Services (MNS, aka Outsourced Network Operations) is likely to be a $10B business in '08, with a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of between 13-17%. Europe accounts for 45% of the market. The leading supplier in the market, Ericsson, rips-out other supplier's equipment and installs its own in the networks it manages (e.g. H3G Sweden). So for any supplier in the telecoms industry, if you can not deliver your product as a managed service, you may not be delivering it for much longer. The MNS market breaks down roughly as follows: Ericsson - 32%, ALU -
30%, NSN - 15%, Motorola - 8%, the rest (Nortel, Huawei, ZTE) - 15%.
An Operator's drivers for MNS are:
Examples of Outsourced Network Operations include:
For any supplier in the telecom industry it will soon be a matter of survival to determine how they deliver their product as a managed service or find a way to fit into one of the MSPs' solutions.
An Operator's drivers for MNS are:
- Direct operational cost savings. Cost savings of up to 20% are possible thanks to the scale of the managed service provider (MSP) in aggregating resources over multiple customers. Simply, introducing an MSP provides an opportunity to break down the fiefdoms that lead to underused resources within the operator. The 'Gridlock Economy' by Michael Heller is worth a read on the topic of underused resources.
- Better use of capital and resources. More predictable and balanced operational and capital expenditure, and the substitution of fixed by variable costs to improve cash flow.
- Faster time to market. The ability to focus resources on strategic rather than operational issues; and access to resources and technical competencies in the MSP can improve the operator's ability to deploy new technologies and bring new services to market.
- Business transformation. By focusing management on the core activities of services innovation, marketing and customer service; outsourcing network operations can enable operators to be more market focused and customer oriented.
Examples of Outsourced Network Operations include:
- 3 UK: MSP Ericsson, $3B over 7 year contract, >1000 people, network deployment and operations. Done to enable H3G to achieve profitability and focus on breaking the 5 million customer barrier.
- Bharti Airtel: Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), $2.5B, >600 people, managed capacity/services for deployment and operations. Manage rapid grow on a $ per Erlang model. Removes expense and delays of RFP/Q process
- Brazil Telecom: NSN, $100m over 3 years, operations and maintenance of fixed and mobile core. Done to enable supplier to manage NGN migration.
For any supplier in the telecom industry it will soon be a matter of survival to determine how they deliver their product as a managed service or find a way to fit into one of the MSPs' solutions.
At the end of November I'll be attending Informa's SDP Asia conference in Singapore. I'll be running a post-conference workshop on the 28th November, and a couple of sessions through the conference (26-27 November). Outlines of the sessions are shown below, and the conference brochure can be downloaded here. The purpose of this article is to briefly review what I hope to achieve in those sessions.
For the workshop on the 28th Nov entitled "The Business Case for Service Innovation (New Revenues): The SDP, Telco API and Web/Telco 2.0" the focus is a frank review of what is happening with SDP (Service Delivery Platform), what's working and what is not, the business case for its deployment, and the results over the past year from my work with developers to understand their needs (this is a critical issue for the industry). As an independent worker in the telecom industry I can focus upon the facts, not 'spin' for shareholders, or to make a sale, or maintain the company line; simply "I can say it as it is."
For the session on the 26th Nov entitled "How To Combine IMS and SDP To Effectively Deploy New Products & Services" the focus is to cut through the misinformation and negativity that surrounds IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem), so its core purpose is understood, why SDP functionality is required, and the business justification for its deployment.
On the 27th November I'll be chairing the day, and running the final panel session "Stimulating Service Innovation Through The Application Developer Community." In that session I'm fortunate to have on the panel Thomas Clayton, Varun Arora, and Kenny Mathers. As I mentioned earlier, fulfilling application developer needs is critical to an operator's success. Tom, Varun and Kenny bring a vast wealth of experience on this topic, and I strongly encourage operators to attend this session.
Over the day of the 27th Nov, we'll have operator presentations from Alex Lim (BT), Vincenzo Amorino (Telecom Italia) and Achmad Darmawan (PT Starone Mitra Telekomunikasi), covering their SDP experiences. Other presentations are going to bring world-class thought leadership, practical implementation advice and lots of case studies. My objective for the day is to ensure attendees get as much frank advice as possible to aid in current or planned SDP deployments.
SDP Asia provides a great opportunity to meet with operators creating service innovations throughout the APAC region. I always find it a refreshing and stimulating conference given the market's diversity with quite unique challenges compared to Europe and the Americas. Last year's SDP Asia conference is reviewed in this article. Contact me if you're interested in attending and I'll forward the Speaker Colleague & Client Discount registration form so you can save 15%.
The Business Case for Service Innovation (New Revenues): The SDP, Telco API and Web/Telco 2.0 (28th November)
The SDP (Service Delivery Platform) is now a core strategic asset within an operator's network. Not only is the SDP saving millions of dollars by rationalizing the delivery of multiple services and winning profitable new revenues through simplifying how new services are enabled and launched. The SDP has become core to an operator's service innovation strategy; that is how it will win new revenues, attract new customers and retain existing customers.
The Telco API (Application Program Interface) is one method for operators to foster innovation on their networks. The Telco API (Application Programming Interface) enables operators to expose capabilities from their networks such as location, presence, charging, authentication, etc. Based upon extensive studies performed with operators around the world, the Telco API has the potential to raise ARPU by up to 36%. Just exposing the Telco API is not good enough; operators must implement an application developer community (innovation community). Making it easy for applications to get on the operator's network, easy to be discovered by early adopter customers, and all within an easy to use community tool that enables continuous application development to get the 'recipe right' for each operator's local market. All this is enabled through the SDP.
The workshop's objectives are to enable the attendees to understand:
How To Combine IMS and SDP To Effectively Deploy New Products & Services (26th November)
IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) has had a tough time in the press since it passed over the 'peak of inflated expectations' and entered the 'through of disillusionment' on the classic hype curve. However, IMS is being deployed, with Verizon, Sprint and AT&T aggressively rolling-out and the cable operators following close behind.
Stimulating Service Innovation Through The Application Developer Community (27th November)
Operators around the world are adopting the Web 2.0 paradigm to harness internet service innovations onto their networks, e.g. Verizon's Open Developer Initiative, BT's 21C SDK, O2 Litmus, and Vodafone's Betavine, commonly referred to as Telco 2.0. The SDP is the underlying technology enabler to these initiatives. This session will discuss with some leading '2.0' developers what they need from an operator's application developer community to enable mutual success.
Thomas Clayton, President & CEO of Bubble Motion
Varun Arora, CEO of Pechora
Kenny Mathers, Head of Nokia Forum
For the workshop on the 28th Nov entitled "The Business Case for Service Innovation (New Revenues): The SDP, Telco API and Web/Telco 2.0" the focus is a frank review of what is happening with SDP (Service Delivery Platform), what's working and what is not, the business case for its deployment, and the results over the past year from my work with developers to understand their needs (this is a critical issue for the industry). As an independent worker in the telecom industry I can focus upon the facts, not 'spin' for shareholders, or to make a sale, or maintain the company line; simply "I can say it as it is."
For the session on the 26th Nov entitled "How To Combine IMS and SDP To Effectively Deploy New Products & Services" the focus is to cut through the misinformation and negativity that surrounds IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem), so its core purpose is understood, why SDP functionality is required, and the business justification for its deployment.
On the 27th November I'll be chairing the day, and running the final panel session "Stimulating Service Innovation Through The Application Developer Community." In that session I'm fortunate to have on the panel Thomas Clayton, Varun Arora, and Kenny Mathers. As I mentioned earlier, fulfilling application developer needs is critical to an operator's success. Tom, Varun and Kenny bring a vast wealth of experience on this topic, and I strongly encourage operators to attend this session.
Over the day of the 27th Nov, we'll have operator presentations from Alex Lim (BT), Vincenzo Amorino (Telecom Italia) and Achmad Darmawan (PT Starone Mitra Telekomunikasi), covering their SDP experiences. Other presentations are going to bring world-class thought leadership, practical implementation advice and lots of case studies. My objective for the day is to ensure attendees get as much frank advice as possible to aid in current or planned SDP deployments.
SDP Asia provides a great opportunity to meet with operators creating service innovations throughout the APAC region. I always find it a refreshing and stimulating conference given the market's diversity with quite unique challenges compared to Europe and the Americas. Last year's SDP Asia conference is reviewed in this article. Contact me if you're interested in attending and I'll forward the Speaker Colleague & Client Discount registration form so you can save 15%.
The Business Case for Service Innovation (New Revenues): The SDP, Telco API and Web/Telco 2.0 (28th November)
The SDP (Service Delivery Platform) is now a core strategic asset within an operator's network. Not only is the SDP saving millions of dollars by rationalizing the delivery of multiple services and winning profitable new revenues through simplifying how new services are enabled and launched. The SDP has become core to an operator's service innovation strategy; that is how it will win new revenues, attract new customers and retain existing customers.
The Telco API (Application Program Interface) is one method for operators to foster innovation on their networks. The Telco API (Application Programming Interface) enables operators to expose capabilities from their networks such as location, presence, charging, authentication, etc. Based upon extensive studies performed with operators around the world, the Telco API has the potential to raise ARPU by up to 36%. Just exposing the Telco API is not good enough; operators must implement an application developer community (innovation community). Making it easy for applications to get on the operator's network, easy to be discovered by early adopter customers, and all within an easy to use community tool that enables continuous application development to get the 'recipe right' for each operator's local market. All this is enabled through the SDP.
The workshop's objectives are to enable the attendees to understand:
- The SDP landscape;
- Where and why SDP deployments are working, examining the reality behind the hype;
- The variety of SDP business cases;
- The failures in other operator's ADCs (Application Developer Community), and what are the keys to success based upon extensive application developer discussions;
- What application developers need from a Telco API;
- How the SDP enables an operator's Web / Voice / Telco 2.0 strategy; and
- What an operator needs to do given their specific local market conditions.
How To Combine IMS and SDP To Effectively Deploy New Products & Services (26th November)
IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) has had a tough time in the press since it passed over the 'peak of inflated expectations' and entered the 'through of disillusionment' on the classic hype curve. However, IMS is being deployed, with Verizon, Sprint and AT&T aggressively rolling-out and the cable operators following close behind.
- What are their rationales for deploying IMS?
- How are such operators integrating IMS with their existing service platforms and SDP plans?
- What are the services?
- What is the business case?
Stimulating Service Innovation Through The Application Developer Community (27th November)
Operators around the world are adopting the Web 2.0 paradigm to harness internet service innovations onto their networks, e.g. Verizon's Open Developer Initiative, BT's 21C SDK, O2 Litmus, and Vodafone's Betavine, commonly referred to as Telco 2.0. The SDP is the underlying technology enabler to these initiatives. This session will discuss with some leading '2.0' developers what they need from an operator's application developer community to enable mutual success.
- What is meant by Telco / Web 2.0?
- What is the state of current service provider Telco 2.0 / Web 2.0 activities?
- What capabilities can telcos expose that Web 2.0 companies need?
- What are Web 2.0 companies doing today to bypass the telcos for various service enablers?
- Where is the money to be made by the telcos and application developers in working together?
- What are good and bad application developer communities?
Thomas Clayton, President & CEO of Bubble Motion
Varun Arora, CEO of Pechora
Kenny Mathers, Head of Nokia Forum
Over the past couple of years I've been helping operators understand ways they can harness open innovation. Using a quote from Henry Chesbrough, UC Berkeley, from his book 'Open Innovation' to explain:
Just picking on a few of the critical issues:
Operators provide the ideal channel to market for many applications, with control over their network and devices, a billing relationship with the customer, a nationally recognized and trusted brand, high-street store presence, and a strong position in the industry's ecosystem. However, if an operator is not as effectice as the Web 2.0 models menioned above, developers will ignore then. Which means service innovation is lost to over-the-top services, further pushing operators down the path to become just an ISP (Internet Service Provider).
"Open innovation means that valuable ideas can come from inside or outside the company and can go to market from inside or outside the company as well. This approach places external ideas and external paths to market on the same level of importance as that reserved for internal ideas and paths to market during the Closed Innovation era."There are a number of examples of operators putting in place the programs to enable them to harness Open Innovation such as:
- O2Litmus - covered in this article
- Verizon's Open Developers Initiative - covered in this article
- Telecom Italia NexTIM - covered in this article
- Telenor Content Provider Access (CPA) - covered in this article
- Orange Partner - covered in this article
- And many more such as SingTel Partners Program and Sprint's Business Mobility Framework.
Just picking on a few of the critical issues:
- Capabilities from the network (e.g. location, presence, billing, address book, messaging, single sign-on, age verification, short-code provision, call control etc.) must be exposed by REST (REpresentational State Transfer) and/or SOAP/XML. Simple and stateless, like the popular APIs (Application Program Interface) on the internet. Not ParlayX, which is too complex, does not have credibility with application developers and hence will stifle open innovation.
- Don't nickel and dime application developers, charging for each location dip or presence check will stifle open innovation. Rather the operator should create the conditions to share revenue, open innovation enables an operator to outsource risk and some operational costs.
- To date most operator ADCs (Application Development Communities) have been ineffectual compared to a direct sell into the operator, so there's a significant credibility gap. If an operator launches an ADC, it must used. The ADC must be owned by at least the CMO, ideally the CEO, and processes put in place so it becomes part of 'business as usual.'
Operators provide the ideal channel to market for many applications, with control over their network and devices, a billing relationship with the customer, a nationally recognized and trusted brand, high-street store presence, and a strong position in the industry's ecosystem. However, if an operator is not as effectice as the Web 2.0 models menioned above, developers will ignore then. Which means service innovation is lost to over-the-top services, further pushing operators down the path to become just an ISP (Internet Service Provider).
O2 Litmus, O2's planned co-development community, headed by James Parton is not yet launched, but its unique approach already has the internet chattering about what is coming with articles in Paul Golding's WirelessWanders, Contagious Magazine, MobileNews, and Infibeam to name just a few.
I must disclose that I was fortunate to be asked by James to help him in talking extensively with developers around the world; to listen to what they need; their problems in developing and launching applications on mobile and broadband networks; their problems in working with operators; understanding from them what works and what does not work in the many operator and internet-centric application developer communities; and gaining their frank feedback on the ideas behind O2 litmus. It was the most extensive research project I've seen in this space.
I've helped a number of operators around the world in understanding the potential of harnessing the service innovations coming from the internet. In my opinion, O2 has made the right critical first step in treating developers as customers, listening to their needs, and crafting O2 Litmus to meet those needs. Check out O2 Litmus, and sign-up for when it soon goes Alpha; it has the potential to fundamentally change the application developer community landscape, providing a template for the rest of the telecom industry.
I must disclose that I was fortunate to be asked by James to help him in talking extensively with developers around the world; to listen to what they need; their problems in developing and launching applications on mobile and broadband networks; their problems in working with operators; understanding from them what works and what does not work in the many operator and internet-centric application developer communities; and gaining their frank feedback on the ideas behind O2 litmus. It was the most extensive research project I've seen in this space.
I've helped a number of operators around the world in understanding the potential of harnessing the service innovations coming from the internet. In my opinion, O2 has made the right critical first step in treating developers as customers, listening to their needs, and crafting O2 Litmus to meet those needs. Check out O2 Litmus, and sign-up for when it soon goes Alpha; it has the potential to fundamentally change the application developer community landscape, providing a template for the rest of the telecom industry.
