INDUSTRY WATCH
Shifting to a modern, digital business support system lifts the anchor holding telcos back. Modern systems come with microservices architecture, cloud-based deployment options, modular implementation capabilities, which is the antithesis of the big, inflexible monolithic legacy systems, and significantly reduce implementation costs. All this adds up to telcos being able to adapt much quicker to market demand says Craig Palmer at VAS-X.
Revamping core business systems in African telecom
The African telecommunications sector is dynamic and full of growth opportunities and potential new revenue streams for operators who can respond to market demands quickly. However, their existing business support systems, which served them well when telecommunications was primarily voice and text based, is holding them back from keeping up with the digital transformation sweeping through the industry. Rather than being an enabler, legacy systems are proving to be an anchor.
On the other hand, a modern digital business support system enables telcos of all sizes to move with more agility and to deploy new products and services quicker for increasingly discerning customers.
The total cost of ownership of traditional monolithic systems is high, while maintenance complexity means operators need specialised skills which are scarce in many markets. Beyond this, any telco will understand the inflexibility that vendor lock-in causes. In this
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