Is infrastructure investment the right choice?

Launching a service is hard work. It’s one thing to have a bright idea, another to build a team to execute a business plan and implement a vision. What’s more, there are many aspects to a successful telco business. Even in the glow from a bright idea, there’s a lot of work to be done to make things work, get to market, promote the offer and ensure it evolves to meet and anticipate changing demands.

In this light, it’s important to focus. A superior product can only succeed if it’s backed by the right team, the right energy, and the right promotional strategy and tactics. The solution itself is just part of the mix. So, a service provider has choices to make. Does it focus on doing everything or does it concentrate its resources where they will have most impact and generate the biggest return? 

This is a key dilemma. Building a platform to deliver a service takes time and money. Traditional models have been both resource intensive and costly, as they have consumed valuable CAPEX, draining budgets even before a service is brought to market – and depleting the coffers for the promotional activities that are essential to ensure sustained success. 

Since resources are not infinite, it makes sense to focus. Today’s service providers are recognising that technical advances mean they don’t need to bring everything in house, building a silo to support their offer. Instead, virtualisation means they can leverage cloud-based, real-time Communications Platform-as-a-Service solutions that provide the capabilities they need, quickly and easily, without the investment required in the past. 

What’s more, such solutions are typically available under OPEX models, ensuring that capital is used more effectively, protecting resources for future investment and contingencies. For example, OPEX models mean that, from the outset, a service provider can invest more in marketing and promoting its solution, both vital activities to ensure success and growth. As a result, choosing a real-time Communications Platform-as-a-Service option can, not only bring operational and technical benefits, but it can also bring significant capital advantages. 

Specifically, the OPEX model reduces the investment requirements in areas such as: 

• Real estate, hosting and power
• Interconnection costs and processes
• Support and maintenance engineering teams
• System resilience Data management and back up
• Operational Support Systems

In short, taking advantage of a real-time Communications Platform-as-a-Service solution effectively outsources significant overheads. In addition, it secures the further benefit of capitalising on the economies of scale offered by the real-time Communications Platform-as-a-Service. The provider of the solution takes the risk of investment and benefits from the combined investment of multiple parallel service provides, while each minimises its own risk and investment requirements.

When it comes to launching new services, time-to-market is critical. All service providers need to generate momentum and grow market share as quickly as they can. That’s why the decision of whether to invest in infrastructure is a critical, strategic choice. By making the right decision, service providers can capitalise on proven assets while ensuring they maintain the right balance for investment in their own resources and growth plans.

The real-time Communications Platform-as-a-Service solution provides the ideal way to leverage technical resources, cost-effectively to support the desired service offer, while ensuring that investments in other critical areas can be maximised. It’s not a dilemma anymore – with the right solution and the right partner, service provider can dramatically increase their chances of success. If you want your ideas to shine, talk to Digitalk.