EMERGING BUSINESS The Business of Tomorrows Fast evolving technologies and user needs is encouraging operators to identify and gear up for tomorrows opportunties

onsider these global examples. According to Statista, global mobile payment revenue in 2015 was pegged at $450 billion and is expected to surpass $1 trillion in 2019. Likewise, the the mobile content market worldwide is expected to reach C$37.4 billion in 2019. Similarly, while the death knell of mobile messaging has been sounded time and time again, experts have pegged revenues from mobile messaging to reach $1.279 trillion until 2018. Also customer value management is expected to be valued to the tune of $10.77 billion by 2020. In , we are seeing that explosion happening. Mas- sively expanding e-commerce in retail, mobile governance (L to R) Ibrahim Ahmad, Manoranjan Mohapatra, Sazal Hazra, Shyam spreading to villages, mobile banking and wallets becoming Mardikar, Seshgiri Rao, KK Sharma, Vikram Tiwathia, Rupinder Singh commonplace, IRCTCs railway tickets through the phone, Uber and Ola taxis and autos.....are only some of the ex- hunger for data surges, and enterprises digital strategies amples. The smart phone and the service providers involve- get center-stage, this is the best time for the operators ment in a common man’s daily life is increasing day by day. gear up for tomorrow. Platforms that offer shorter time Telecom operators have stopped calling themselves telecom to market, higher ARPU and profitability, smarter network service providers, and prefer to be know as digital service optimization, more flexibility and empower customers will providers for the digital natives of this world. help keep competition at bay. For a rapidly growing telecom industry like in India, and a There are quite a few services and solutions that have technologically galloping telecom sector all over the world, been globally identified and accepted as revenue maximiz- tomorrow is the only reality. The fast paced innovation that is ers and customer experience enhancers. For banking and driving telecom business is unprecedented. As voice revenue telecom sector these are mostly a broad and integrated slows down, data and services jump, what exactly does this range of productized solutions focused on critical business mean for operators and their various lines of businesses? objectives. For instance, in the telecom space these include The question is if and how are operators gearing up to prepaid recharge solutions for mobile, DTH, and broadband handle these challenges and tap ‘tomorrows’ opportunities, operators. For internet and broadband players, solutions for not just to boost revenue and bottom-lines, but to ensure data traffic management, customer experience manage- customer delight. ment, monetization management, security, and regulation compliance are critical. Messaging solutions, not only for Tomorrows Drivers text but for instant updates, notifications, social chat, file Voice&Data, alongwith Mahindra Comviva, organised a transfer, social networking are flying. Beyond that, enter- round-table with some of the tech leaders in the commu- prise messaging, and multi-channel messaging are picking nications space to understand what’s happening in India. up. Similarly, solutions that enhance customer experience Operators of tomorrow are going to leverage data chan- through analytics driven, consumer life-cycle manange- nels and their assets to create rich and contextual digital ment tools. Further, these solutions include digital lifestyle engagements with customers, employees, partners and solutions that meet the diverse service requirements of connected devices. Monetizing data, as it gets increasingly subscribers from infotainment to call management while commoditized, is becoming a big challenge. As consumers enhancing operator revenues. A CyberMedia Publication | voicendata.com | DECEMBER 2016 | VOICE&DATA | 41 EMERGING I N T E R V I E W BUSINESS

Today, transformation is a given. We are working with 130 operators in over 90 markets across the globe for, internet & broadband, messaging, customer value management, managed services, digital lifestyle, and mobile financial solutions.

—Manoranjan Mohapatra CEO, Mahindra Comviva

The billion guys that have got The success of our broadband service connected in India in the last ten years RailWire has lead us to think of many are now looking at digital as a lifestyle, more options including IoT and data they are doing innovation, they want analytics based solutions that will to consume in GBs and TBs. All this not only open new revenue streams will result in a very fuzzy and loosely for us but also enhance passenger coupled yet collaborative network satisfaction. of people and things. Operators are preparing for such a future. —Seshagiri Rao Director (Networks & Marketing), Railtel —Shyam Mardikar Chief - Strategy & Technology, Airtel

If we want 600 broadband users by In India, only a portion of smart 2020, and telcos to be making money phone users use internet. Data by serving them, we need to do a stock internet infrastructure for the masses check of how far is this tomorrow. The is still not there. When MVNOs like us network that is on the towers today, come into the picture, there will be a must come down and merge with big change. furniture and cars on the ground.

—Vikram Tiwathia —Rupinder Singh DDG, COAI Head - India Operations, Datawind

There are high end as well as low end By 2020, smart phone penetration users in India today and we have to will be almost 70 percent in India. To take care of all of them. But we have to survive, all networks will have to be be prepared to embrace the future. ready to support those smartphone users. Big operators are already doing 5G trials. —Sazal Hazra Head of Networks, India —KK Sharma CTO,

42 | VOICE&DATA | DECEMBER 2016 | voicendata.com | A CyberMedia Publication