Traditional metrics for measuring success in the telecoms market, such as subscription numbers, ARPU and market share, could be rendered irrelevant as operators' relationships with customers change. Instead, profits and gross margin could prove more reliable indicators as operator services become intertwined with those of third-party brands such as retailers and Internet firms. This view was common among speakers and delegates at last month's Management World 2008 in Nice, the annual conference of the Telemanage-ment Forum, the back-office-systems industry body. Key to the transition will be IP-based networks, which will enable operators to offer calling, messaging, billing and other network capabilities as discrete elements that third parties can knit into their own offerings.
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