The Telco 2.0 Challenge and SAP's vision

Telco 2.0 have reviewed SAP's vision for telcos to 'operate at internet speed' against our Roadmap strategy principles in this white paper, and challenged SAP to build a Proof of Concept implementation of a complex multi-sided business model with a leading European mobile operator within one month. We can't share the confidential details but we were impressed with the results. We're now looking for more operators who'd like to set a new Telco 2.0 challenge - to find out more please email us at contact@telco2.net.

The value of "Smart Pipes" to mobile network operators

Telco 2.0 have reviewed SAP's vision for telcos to 'operate at internet speed' against our Regardless of business strategy, the development of 'Smart Pipes' - more intelligent networks - will be a key driver of shareholder returns from operators. Smarter networks will also benefit network users - upstream service providers and end users, and operators, and their vendors and partners, will need to compete to be the smartest. What are they, why are they needed, and what are the key strategies employed to develop them?. (More)

How to Spot a "Business Model Problem"

What is a 'business model problem'? How can you tell when you've got one? What are the key business model challenges faced by telcos today, and how should they address them? (More)

New Digital Economics Online:
VIDEOS NOW AVAILABLE 'ON-DEMAND'
(Free for service providers)

Produced in collaboration with Ericsson, New Digital Economics Online is a global virtual event focused on some of the latest business model innovation in: Customer Experience, M-Commerce, Cloud, Digital Entertainment, Personal Data. It comprises video presentations based on new analysis from the Telco 2.0 Initiative and Ericsson.

NB: Access is free, but reserved only for telcos, CSPs and content owners.
The event includes access to the Telco 2.0 Video Bank and live Q&A and chat with the speakers and other participants.

More info here

The event will cover:

• Digital Economy 2.0 - Shifting Profit Pools and Strategic Growth Opportunities
• Digital Commerce 2.0 - Harnessing personal data to revolutionize Advertising, Payments and Retail Experiences
• Digital Entertainment 2.0 - New Business Models in a multi-screen, 3D/HD, mobile world
• Digital Things 2.0 - New sources of value in M2M and the 'internet of things'

The detailed agenda's are now live: here. Delegate places are still available - please email us at contact@stlpartners.com or call +44 (0) 20 7247 5003.

Cloud Services are a valuable and growing market area in which there are opportunities to grow both Telco 1.0 and Telco 2.0 business models.

The chart above, from our presentation at New Digital Economics Online (video featured below), shows the potential for telcos to gain share in different parts of the Cloud market.

The following articles and presentations give an outline of what Cloud is, why it matters, and what telcos need to do to win it. This will be explored further in our Silicon Valley and London Brainstorms, and in our ongoing Cloud 2.0 research programme.

Cloud 2.0: what is it, why it matters,
and what's next

As an introduction, here's what we think 'Cloud' should mean to telcos, a good example of cloud marketing from AT&T, and what we're going to be researching over the next few months. (More)

Cloud 2.0: winning the next phase, and why 'PaaS' is important

Telco 2.0's Research Director outlines key projections for the Cloud market, market views on what telcos need to do to succeed, and the importance of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) to Telco 2.0 business models. (More - registration required)

Mobile Cloud and 'Network-as-a-Service' (NaaS)

Ericsson's CMO describes the convergence of mobility and the cloud, the new partnership with Akamai, and how telcos can open up their assets to provide a 'Network-as-a-Service' (NaaS) platform to developers and upstream customers. (More - registration required)

Facebook: what the IPO filing revealed

New figures released in Facebook's S1 filing for its IPO confirm Telco 2.0's previous analysis of Facebook's performance in our report 'Dealing with the Disruptors'. This further strengthens our views that most valuations are overblown, and that Facebook will be forced to move into communications. (More)

Mobile World Congress 2012: seven good reasons to go

The Telco 2.0 team will be at the 2012 GSMA Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in force. Here is our brief preview including the seven good reasons why we'll be there. (More)
NB You can also get a 15% Telco 2.0 discount on event passes by using code CPDSTL22 at the MWC site here.

Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Skype - dealing with the disruptors

Our new 284 page strategy report, launched and previewed at our EMEA event in London, has attracted massive interest. It's our most important report yet, dealing with the players that some leading telcos are now calling their 'real competitors'. It includes a concise executive summary, in-depth analysis of the player's business models, and strategies for dealing with each. Here is an updated extract of the analysis and further details of the report. (More)

The Roadmap to New Telco 2.0 Business Models

This Strategy Report plots the transformational path that telcos need to follow to achieve the $375Bn p.a. 'Telco 2.0' opportunities. It describes the six growth opportunity areas for the Telecoms industry, identifies new categories of operators, benchmarks the primary strategies needed by each to evolve and thrive in the new industry environment, and highlights leading examples of telco business model innovation. It has 284 pages, including a 13 page Executive Summary and a detailed index. (More)

Vodafone CIO: 2012 a big year for customer data, analytics, and M-Commerce

Albert Hitchcock, Vodafone's Group CIO, sees significant changes in the mobile money and advertising industries in 2012, driven by improved use of customer data and analytics. He describes Vodafone's approach and early learning in this video interview. (More)

'Under-the-Floor' Players: threat or opportunity?

The telecoms industry often puts so-called OTT (over-the-top) players like Google and Facebook at the forefront of its concerns, as they pose new competition for services and applications. But what about encroachment of companies "underneath" the telcos, displacing them from their core asset, the network? Telco 2.0 examines the strategic threats and opportunities from wholesale providers, outsourcers and government-run broadband networks. (More)

Your Text is on Fire: OTT's to burn 40% SMS revenue by 2015

In four years' time, Telco SMS revenue will decline on average by around 40% across Europe and the Middle East according to the senior execs at this month's Telco 2.0 brainstorm in London. The main cause is competitive pressure from 'OTT' alternatives (Facebook, Skype, Google, BBM, etc). Mobile voice isn't that far behind, with a 20% decline foreseen. What can be done and what is the role of RCS-e? (More)

News Review: disrupting Cloud; privacy gaffes; UK M-payments & MTRs; LightScrewed?

• M-Commerce 2.0: UK m-payments moves closer, M-PESA wins again
  
• Cloud Computing: Can telcos "disrupt enterprise cloud"? Plus CDN roundup
  
• Personal Data: How Facebook invented and forgot a privacy fix, plus Google row, Target datamining
  
• Voice 2.0: UK MTR cuts coming, Rogers launches One Number
  
• Broadband Connectivity: LightSquared in crisis

More on these stories and other news here.