目次

この調査レポートは、通信会社の今後の事業計画やビジネスモデルについて、調査・分析しています。

Network operators – including telcos, cable MSOs, and others that own and run major networks – are at a crossroads. In the 15 years since the Internet became a commercial phenomenon and the World Wide Web was invented, there has been an explosion in the number of services that customers can access via their telecommunications connections – and the vast majority were created and supplied not by network operators, but by third parties.

Third parties will continue to be the main source of new services provided to end users with broadband connections for the foreseeable future, and network providers have only two choices: settle for being providers of only the connection and perhaps a few major services; or work with third parties to add value to the customer's overall experience of using Internet and Web services – while increasing their own role in creating that experience, and the revenues that go with it.

This has led to a major shift in the attitude of network providers toward third-party application and content providers. Almost all operators are now actively seeking ways to unlock and expose a range of valuable network assets and enablers – including billing systems, subscriber profile information, and application-specific QoS – to third parties.

Whether this effort will ultimately make much difference to the long-term future of telcos is still an open question. To make a really big splash, telcos will need to radically rethink the way they create, market, deliver, and support services, and make partnering a top priority. This will require significant organizational change; new technology platforms that massively accelerate service delivery; and new business models for their service packages.

Operators will also need to create a platform compelling enough to persuade developers to write to their platforms, rather than to device or other platforms. Telcos will need to create the scale, business model, and capabilities that developers really think they need – perhaps through collective and standardized programs, rather than standalone efforts.

Many telcos have already established successful collaborative programs for premium telephony, SMS, and IPTV services, showing that it is possible for network operators to have strong relationships with third parties. Some have gone further and created applications ecosystems specifically designed to encourage third parties to create new applications for telco networks. In some cases, these efforts have morphed into (or been augmented by) telco app stores that mimic those already successfully deployed by device vendors. But network providers will need to do far more if they are to remain relevant in the era of multiplying Web services.

Telco App Stores: A Bridge Too Far? explores service provider plans to work more closely with third-party service providers and developers, examining both the enabling technologies and the business models that telcos and other service providers believe they need. The report is based in part on an online survey of more than 80 individuals working for 62 different service providers, across all regions and types of provider. The survey looked at what assets telcos plan to expose to third parties, and how; at the business models for doing so; and at major catalysts and barriers.

While the survey uncovered considerable confusion and uncertainty about the details of working with third parties, most telcos agree on general principle that they must work more closely with third parties. Respondents cited a wide range of catalysts for moving in this direction, as shown in the excerpt below. There was a strong emphasis on building a wider service portfolio and reaching new types of customers.

The report also draws on an interview program with 14 major vendors that have various kinds of technology propositions that aim to help network operators create better relationships with third parties.

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction & Key Findings
II. Working with Third Parties: Why Now?
III. Technology Choices & Issues
IV. Business Issues
V. What Telcos are Doing
VI. Vendor Profiles
VII. Conclusion: A Question or Control?