FEATURE: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
potential subscriber base are digital natives.
Expectations have morphed, from ‘that will
do’ to ‘why can’t you?’.
To reach all possible customers with new
products and services, omni-channel brand
engagement and personalised service
must now come as standard. BSS platforms
must be flexible enough to allow sufficient
granulation of offerings, so that providers
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enrich their portfolio and extend their
reach. A BSS platform that supports
an open partnership infrastructure
can eliminate barriers to new products
overnight, broaden a provider’s talent
pool, and enhance customer engagement
where consumers learn that they can find
everything they will ever need under a
single roof. Surges in brand loyalty and
ambassadorship will soon follow.
THE TOP-LINE GOAL SHOULD BE TO
ENSURE THAT BUSINESS SUPPORT
SYSTEMS (BSS) SOLUTIONS CAN
SUPPORT A THREE-PRONGED STRATEGY.
can cover a broad range of use cases. Once
digital-native customers see a richer menu,
from which they can select an option that
meets their unique circumstances, they
will come to see the telco not as a ‘service
provider’ but as a ‘lifestyle enabler’.
Embracing the API economy
By opening their core platform to
integration with many others, DSPs can
Furthermore, open architectures allow
DSPs to diversify business models in true
Digital Transformation fashion, leading to
new revenue streams. The open API is an
important step. The right BSS solution must
deliver this capability, along with dual-
speed architecture that supports migration
from legacy platforms to future-proof,
cloud-based stacks – all without downtime.
Business agility, accelerated integration,
increased value and total cost of ownership
(TCO) optimisation are just some of the
benefits of open architecture.
Future-proof
True DSPs are natives of the cloud. They are
plugged into a suite of AI-based analytics
that allow them to understand customers
and gives them the flexibility to offer
granular services that transcend the market.
These DSPs integrate the IoT in to their
operations, using advanced sensors and
analytics to tweak and enhance service
delivery. They offer business customers
elastic scalability and pricing models
that match. These DSPs are also a one-stop
shop for core and Over-the-top
(OTT) offerings.
In summary, the only way for CSPs to
transition to DSPs is through a digital
powerhouse – a robust BSS solution that
enables network monetisation, centralised
product cataloguing, omni-channel
customer experiences and the creation of
rich partner ecosystems.
And as the Digital Transformation echo
fades, it is these same DSPs – those that have
embraced a powerful, future-proofed BSS
solution – that will emerge even stronger, gain
a decisive competitive advantage and grow
their subscriber base and business. n
Stop following the hype
Digital Transformation is packed with exciting technology and is powered by the latest
in innovation and ground-breaking solutions that can change the face of the business.
However, according to Mandla Mbonamibi, CEO of Africonology, organisations need to
change the way they change the way they approach emerging technologies.
T
here is an appetite for change and
automation, and this is both subtle
and aggressive at the same time
– everyone wants to be first, but nobody
wants to go first until they know the quality
and standards of the products. Decision-
makers are finding ways of accommodating
these technologies into their existing
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INTELLIGENTCIO
infrastructure and investing relentlessly into
Digital Transformation. But if you unpack
this landscape, if you really look at the
motivation that spurs on this momentum,
it is that nobody wants to be left behind.
Everybody wants to be on par with the
market. Unfortunately, many organisations
end up investing in technologies and
solutions that they already have or don’t
need. They aren’t asking the right questions,
the questions that will see them invest in
Digital Transformation solutions that have
sustainable relevance. Instead, they end
up investing in new, and often irrelevant,
technology instead of leveraging what they
already have. What they should be asking
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