The OctopOSS is waiting for new business models itself, but also facilitates new business models for CSPs and their customers
“Once you start asking questions, innocence is gone.” Mary Astor. Another cracker of a question from the same subscriber from the Philippines – “should OSS be managed under IT or Networks?” This is an age-old question that has caused many fights over the years. It’s a really tough question to answer because it’s dependent on […]
“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.” Oscar Wilde. As discussed yesterday, I have a dream when it comes to system interfaces. Interfaces will be able to be constructed by mere mortals, not only by […]
“I think complexity is mostly sort of crummy stuff that is there because it’s too expensive to change the interface.” Jaron Lanier. In most cases, OSS projects fail because of complexity. Complexity in any number of layers – service complexity, network complexity, political complexity, operational complexity, etc. Or perhaps a combination of many. One of […]
“I don’t set trends. I just find out what they are and exploit them.” Dick Clark. There is an interesting trend brewing away. Have you noticed it? The hardware in your network is becoming increasingly virtualised, ie the trend is from hardware to software, fixed to customisable. Removing the control plane from a network device […]
“It is my belief that it is not possible to invent truly original ideas if you absorb too much of that that you wish to differentiate yourself from. As I said, don’t overly study the competition. Study instead the behaviours, needs and frustrations belonging to your customers. Build a culture and environment that nurtures creativity […]
“The Ericsson Mobility Report found that mobile data traffic is expected to grow by 12 times between 2012 and 2018.” The quote is a sub-set of yesterday’s but I thought I’d drill down on one important prediction – that mobile data traffic will grow by twelve times in six years. This indicates that as individuals, […]
“One has to passionately believe it is possible to change the industry, to turn it on its head, to make sure that it will never be the same again.” Richard Branson. Have you heard of these two TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) – NFV and SDN? If you haven’t, it might be time to do some […]
“…the greatest shortage in our society is an instinct to produce. To create solutions and hustle them out the door. To touch the humanity inside and connect to the humans in the marketplace.” Seth Godin, in his book “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?” Let’s say that the best in the business, what Seth Godin calls Linchpins, […]
“1. What percentage of your time is spent creating something new, as opposed to working out operational details or protecting the past? 2. List five ways that you can beat your competition. How could they beat you? 3. If you were entering your industry as a startup, how would you break the mold to beat […]
“One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast withers as rapidly; and that which grows slow endures.” J. G. Holland. When it comes to building an OSS team, having a diverse team of linchpins who have specific knowledge of your OSS is essential. It’s definitely helpful to promote from within […]
“I’ve met plenty of egomaniacs who think they have all the answers. Time typically proves them wrong. I’ve never met anyone who’s had more than a few of the answers herself. That’s why we need other leaders to help us. Build a well-rounded team, hopefully one with plenty of misfits, and typically someone in there […]
“You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety.” Abraham Maslow. B/OSS started out servicing only the biggest of telcos, starting with AT&T. Then they migrated to the smaller carriers, then ISPs and the march continues. As electronic business and related digital communications are increasingly built into the business models […]
“The likes of Facebook and Whatsapp are eroding traditional revenue streams and CSPs therefore need to prioritize, looking at alternative streams instead of relying on traditional revenue streams which offer legacy services like voice and SMS.” Timo Ahomäki. OTT players like Whatsapp are definitely a threat to CSP revenue streams and are clearly causing erosion […]
“Research into the decline of creativity has led to some startling conclusions. In a sample of 1500 children aged 3–5, 98 percent ranked as “geniuses” in divergent thinking; in children aged 8–10 the figure fell to just 32 percent; and by age 13–15 it had declined further to a mere 10 percent. In other words, […]
“Get this over with” vs. … “Get something started.” Seth Godin. Another enlightening blog entry from Seth Godin above. Once again the blog has got nothing to do with OSS, but in my (our?) world it has everything to do with the implementation of an OSS. He uses the analogy of a fast food store […]
“An online consumer survey of more than 2,000 smartphone users in the UK and Germany, carried out by billing firm Mach and research agency Opinium in April, found significant demand for direct operator billing, suggesting it could be the preferred payment method of choice for apps and in-app purchases.” James Middleton. Carrier billing is an […]
“Simply providing a voice-and-data pipe out to a customer and collecting a monthly fee no longer is a viable business model. Savvy mobile operators realize this and are deploying OSS/BSS solutions that enable them to analyze how prepaid, postpaid and hybrid customers are using their network and then creating tailored promotions and tariffs tailored to […]
“In 2013, many CSPs will partner with OTT players. For example, a mobile operator could provide a certain amount of bandwidth and prioritization to a video OTT provider that agrees to share revenue because the QoS would help differentiate its service.” Beau Atwater in an article on BillingWorld I like what Beau is proposing here. […]
“The word “simple” has become so cliché that I try not to use it anymore, but ultimately the point is that things are pretty easy and simple until you make them hard and complicated. So we’re always trying to keep them as simple and easy as they naturally are. So if we have a big […]
“Enterprises able to successfully innovate at a breakthrough level are far more likely to dominate and prosper in the new markets they create” From a recent survey conducted by Accenture In the survey discussed above 93% of executive respondents indicated their long-term success relied on innovation. However only one-third felt their organisation were well placed to innovate. […]
