With
Management World 2010 still fresh in mind, I’d like to take this opportunity to provide a quick “debrief” from what was undoubtedly our busiest and most exciting show so far this year.
One of the hottest discussion points in Nice this year was the move to 4G networks. Providers have struggled with numerous problems resulting from the mobile data explosion, including spiraling network capacity costs, dwindling profit margins, and an increase in customer complaints. Many expect the impending transition to 4G to address these issues, but operators must be properly prepared before they can successfully make the switch. I enjoyed the
Managing and Monetizing the 4G Environment executive panel on the second day of the show, when as provocateur (I feel like I should be in a spy novel when I use that word) I had the chance to interact with leaders from operators like
BT,
Vodafone and the like about their approach to making that transition successful. I look forward to exploring these specific issues and key panel takeaways in subsequent
Volume posts.
On the first day of the show, my colleague
Ben McCafferty addressed a similar issue in his joint panel discussion with
France Telecom’s Bruno Goes. The panel,
Charging Ahead: New Platforms to Support Pricing-Model Diversification and Traffic Management, looked at the current network capacity crunch and how providers like France Telecom are approaching the ensuing challenges without investing in expensive infrastructure build-outs.
Overall, the show was a great success. We met with leading press and analysts in the telecoms space, heard from industry leaders from around the world, took in a range of keynotes and panels, and of course enjoyed the lovely setting in Nice, France. The
espresso and lattes served up at the stand this year weren’t bad either!
-John Aalbers
Photo courtesy of
Light Reading
