Enabling the ecosystem: the new role of the vendor

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In order for the digital ecosystem to work, the onus is on us, the software vendor ecosystem. Today the world’s economy is at a critical moment in time. With the impact of the pandemic and as businesses, education and social lives being underpinned with connectivity, the role of the communications service provider (CSP) has never been more important in society as the core fabric of keeping us together and connected. Personally, I don’t see the demand for bandwidth reducing anytime soon which implies that CSPs need to continue to expand what they can offer to their customers. The good news is that investment in 5G has been underway for some time already. Communications service providers in most geographies are either in trials or have already launched with 5G NR. However, in order to realize the promise of network slicing and edge computing, investments in core network will continue for the next 12-18 months. In fact, according to a recent Gartner report, worldwide 5G network infrastructure spending is expected to nearly double by the end of 2020. The anticipation is that with these investments and the promise of virtualization, network slicing and edge computing, CSPs will be able to launch new connected services, enabling the long-hyped true digital lifestyle. The big question CSPs now face is what new services will best monetize their 5G investments? As TM Forum CEO Nik Willetts stated in a recent Hard Talk live debate

“Many service providers are pinning their growth hopes on B2B and B2B2X ecosystems.”

I couldn’t agree more with Nik. For CSPs, the monetization opportunity for 5G will require an interoperable ecosystem of partners that, in turn, lends itself to enabling a strong B2B2X business model. A growth-oriented partner ecosystem will be able to ride on CSPs investments in 5G networks and build a long tail of services that can directly impact ARPU.

In 5G, the killer service is the platform.

To build a platform that can attract a cross industry set of partners to integrate with a CSP, we know that key capabilities around service and product catalog, service and product inventory, order and activation and other network services will need to be exposed.

TM Forum standards directly contribute towards 5G monetization opportunities.

What I appreciate about initiatives like TM Forum’s Open APIs and Open Digital Architecture (ODA) standards is that they encourage the broader vendor ecosystem to deliver platforms that are open and can easily integrate into, or even orchestrate, these digital ecosystems that are so fundamentally critical to the future success of the Telecommunications industry. For CSPs looking for a way to continue to compete, to stay relevant in terms of agility and customer experience, and to go beyond just being a connectivity provider, TM Forum ODA is a critical building block to achieving this.

But more than just standards, TM Forum ODA means choice.

From my own experience, TM Forum ODA provides a reference architecture that uses APIs to decouple front-end and back-end systems, as well as separate party management from offer and product management. As recently described in my interview with TM Forum, ODA describes a plug-and-play architecture in which partners can implement integrations into these services and functions at reduced risk and cost through seamless integration, but more importantly enable the business to substantially reduce time when configuring and launching new services across channels. In order for the digital ecosystem to work, the onus is on us, the software vendor ecosystem. In the digital age, having easy to consume APIs which are based on industry standards is a necessity for interoperability, giving CSPs the ability to focus primarily on business models and policies that make them unique in the marketplace. ServiceNow is proud to have recently become a signatory of TM Forum’s ODA and Open API Manifesto, and we are excited to be launching TM Forum Open API specs in the key areas of service and network management. You can read for yourself how critical the Open APIs are in the two catalysts projects ServiceNow is participating in at Digital Transformation World, catalysts C20.0.16 and C20.0.20. While the outside world may find the concept of connectivity simple, those of us in Telecommunications know it comes with its own unique set of challenges. In my opinion, there are few other global markets that carry such a heavy burden to enable the connected world all while consistently being forced to do more with less. The sooner the ecosystem realizes that by leveraging plug-and-play architectures, the better off our customers will be. At ServiceNow, we are working diligently to ensure our customers get an open, cloud-native platform of platforms that not only accelerates their 5G investments, but also delivers on our commitment to simplicity, scale, and most importantly, choice. I cannot wait to watch this connected ecosystem come alive, and to witness first-hand as our Telecommunications and Media customers transform themselves into the ‘digital’ services enabler they have worked so hard to become. ServiceNow is a silver sponsor of the Digital Transformation World Series. While we can’t meet physically, we’ve reimagined everything you know and love about Digital Transformation World and turned it into a six-week digital event. The Series will offer a varied and engaging content program that will enable our global membership to connect, learn and collaborate, supporting all time zones. Don't miss out on the festival of collaboration! Register today. Note: Communication service providers: you can claim your free pass here.