Market Trend: Telecom-only NGN services are not enough
Operators are continuing to make significant investments in building-out next-generation networks, based on IMS, or in some cases, just SIP.These investments in SDP and NGN are tightly-coupled with operator demand for associated SDP/NGN middleware infrastructures, to allow for rapid service creation and execution, efficient service integration, orchestration and management, and flexible service exposure capabilities.
Based on my customer reactions, one thing is clear. Telecom-only services, whether they are VoIP telephony or conferencing, or whether they are SIP/IMS-based messaging or video telephony services, are not resulting in wide-scale consumer adoption of these services, and thereby the desired increases in ARPU and ROI. Whether the operator is in APAC or EMEA or Americas, the current portfolio of NGN services are focused on IM/presence, video telephony/sharing, VoIP, conferencing, group lists, or a combination of these features. For mobile operators, the lack of SIP/IMS-enabled handsets, or 3G/WiFi handsets, are delaying service launches.
Emergence of "Communi-tainment" devices and services
At the same time, consumer end-users are flocking by the millions to Web 2.0-based Internet social networks and communities, and to user-friendly consumer "communi-tainment" (i.e. communication and entertainment) devices, such as the Apple iPhone. Samsung and LG have recently publicly launched similar touch-based, consumer-friendly devices which provide "communi-tainment" capabilities. What social networking communities and "communi-tainment" devices have in common is the ability to easily create and share multi-media user-created content (MM-UCC), and the ability to communicate and discuss with their social networks about their MM-UCC.
In order for operators and service providers to meet this largely unmet consumer demand, it is clear that offering mobile devices which cannot converge the Web and Telecom experiences into a single application/service is going to be a significant challenge to capturing this next-gen "communi-tainment" end-user. Not only do fixed-mobile devices need to transform, but a fundamental evolution in the SDPs which support NGN-fixed-mobile-broadband access networks is required as well. The key to this evolution towards a next-gen SDP is the integration of Web and SOA middleware together with Telecom middleware, thereby creating a converged Web-Telecom services layer.
Need for Web and Telecom convergence in the "killer Service Delivery Platforms (SDP)"
In other words, operators and service providers must now think of new services, and the associated business models, in the context of Web and Telecom, and not just Telecom and NGN. IMS and NGN services need to integrate fully and comprehensively with Web-based services, thereby embedding Telecom capabilities to Web 2.0-based Internet social networks and communities. Likewise, Internet social networks and communities need to extend their large user bases with high value-add Telecom and NGN features, such as IM, presence, conferencing, group lists, location, etc.
"Communi-tainment" devices, whether they are fixed or mobile, can also better serve their end-users when the device's Internet, Web 2.0 and RIA (Rich Internet Application) capabilities can be tightly integrated and combined with the device's inherent 3G/WiFi communication capabilities. And as the telecom and Internet networks evolve to 4G and WiMax, the benefits of the converged Web and Telecom will become even more pronounced.
Also, mobile communication device manufacturers need to begin realizing that the definition of "mobile" and "communication device" is also transforming. High-end gaming devices, televisions, automobiles, audio/video entertainment devices, and much more, will increasingly be connected to fixed and mobile broadband Internet services, combined with IP communication capabilities. The concept of "communi-tainmennt" is are being realized by many non-telecom "device" manufacturers.
I strongly believe that network operators and service providers have an enormous business and market opportunity to provide the most "killer SDP" to as many "communi-tainment" devices worldwide, where the consumer end-users are not looking for a single killer application, but rather, a collection of killer services and features, which brings together the best of the Web domain with the Telecom domain, into the simplest, most friendly, user experience possible, regardless of whether the access was over fixed, mobile, broadband or satellite networks.
Posted By : SAURABH MITTAL
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2 comments:
a new world in market communi-tainment devices. this post explain very well why N-gage by nokia came and apple is counting for large sales of i-phone. adding to it marketing companies are also trying to use it through in game publicity.
As elucidated, clearly convergence of various media is going to rule the future of telecom technology. Something that seems to be intriguing is how various enterprises will get together to bring the gamut of services together and how the billing and various such human activity systems shall be collaborated across the various organisations involved. I believe this demands either unprecedented cohesion among the interacting organisations or singularity of service provider.
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