Wholesale carriers must create the future and not just protect the past

LONDON, ENGLAND: Carriers must look to the future and transform their business models in order to compete and win in an increasingly competitive business environment, Telstra's Global head of Wholesale, Peter Hobbs, has warned.

Speaking at Carriers World, which is taking place in London, Hobbs described how the wholesale carrier landscape is "heating up" with new entrant customers including start-ups, social networking sites and OTT providers transforming traditional wholesale operating models.

He advised the audience on what to consider when responding to these emerging technologies, evolving customer needs and new entrant customers.

"To succeed, carriers need to continue to support their traditional revenue streams while also embracing new, innovative services and customer types," said Hobbs. "While some may argue that the challenge for carriers is that their traditional operating models are not adapted to the more nimble Internet-orientated service experiences, it's undeniable that telecom wholesalers and technology go hand in hand."

Despite the emergence of OTT video and media services, which triggered the data traffic explosion, Hobbs insisted there is a "success formula" for carriers and that shifting to a "service organisation" focused on the customer should be the number one priority.