Telecom in the Downturn: What Will Happen and Who Will Benefit

At a time when other industries are reeling, telecom operators have been holding up relatively well. Because telecom is an essential service, it is resilient during economic downturns. However, the credit conditions that triggered the worldwide financial crisis have persisted and are making it difficult for operators to access new funding. download (495kb, PDF) >

Beyond the Mass Mailing: Next-Generation Campaign Management in an Era of Saturated Markets

The average citizen runs into some 5,000 marketing messages day —from traditional marketing channels as well as from the Internet, iPods, and mobile phones. It has never been more difficult for direct marketers to keep in touch with their existing loyal customers. download (400kb, PDF) >

Digital Spring: MENA Governments Must Speak the Language of Social Media

The private sector in the MENA is making diligent use of social media to reach key audiences. Many governments, however, have only recently started to engage their constituents through social media. New engagement strategies that place social media at the center of their efforts are critical. download (2.0mb, PDF) >

Building the Digital Middle East: 2011 ICT Leaders' Event

A recent ICT industry roundtable identified three imperatives for the sector’s continued advancement in the Middle East: next-generation policies, sector governance that accommodates multiple stakeholders, and regional collaboration. download (4.3mb, PDF) >

Connecting Africa: The Next 10 Years of Mobile Growth

The rapid growth of Africa’s mobile telecommunications market over the past decade has had a huge impact on African consumers, on operators that do business on the continent, and on governments that have benefited from collecting license and service fees. That growth has set the stage for next- mobile broadband networks, which promise to make Internet use pervasive across the continent. But governments, regulators, operators, and even consumers must overcome several impediments to the full and successful development of these networks. download (789kb, PDF) >

Designing the Transcendent Web: The Power of Web 3.0

Web 3.0—what we call the Transcendent Web—will offer an entirely new level of connectivity, communications, and information on customers, including their attitudes and preferences. download (939kb, PDF) >

Building Communities Around Digital Highways

Nationwide high-speed broadband networks, or digital highways, can significantly boost a country's socioeconomic growth. However, such digital highways become truly effective only when "digital communities" spring up beside them, with functions such as e-health, e-government, e-education, and smart grids being developed to take advantage of the connectivity that broadband offers. download (911kb, PDF) >

The Value of Being Global: Finding Synergies within GCC Telecom Operators

As the transformation of the telecom sector has created several operators with footprints in multiple markets, investors have rewarded these global players. GCC operators should follow their lead, but will need to put the right models in place to truly achieve global success. download (2.7mb, PDF) >

The Future of Telecom Operators: Capabilities for Rapid Change

Three major trends—demand for ubiquitous connectivity, the rise of modular technologies, and increasing competition from outside the industry—are transforming the game for all players in the telecom space. In response, operators must move away from the rigid vertical structures that were suited to monopolistic markets, and into business models that cut across traditional operators’ boundaries and are adapted to the shared opportunities of hypercompetitive markets. download (1.1mb, PDF) >

The Era of Next-Generation Access: Building Networks to Meet New Demand

The coming era of next-generation broadband networks is forcing telecommunications operators to adjust their traditional deployment models. download (782kb, PDF) >

Telecom Infrastructure Sharing: Regulatory Enablers And Economic Benefits

The liberalization of a country’s telecom industry can enable economic growth across various sectors, but its success depends on regulatory policies that are conducive to the development of competition. download (299kb, PDF) >

Deregulation 2.0: How Service-Based Competition Can Drive Growth in The MENA Telecom Industry

Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have transitioned from monopolistic to liberalized telecom markets. Fixed-network markets have also begun to be liberalized, albeit at a slower pace. However, the region is starting to see stagnation in the value added to market development by competing facilities-based operators. The next wave of competitive development may be reinforced by service-based operators—i.e., telecom providers that do not operate their own networks. download (326kb, PDF) >

The Mobile Broadband Opportunity in Emerging Markets

Emerging markets have become the new battle ground for mobile operators in pursuit of ambitious and continued growth. Given the different types of emerging markets that exist, success will ultimately be determined by the eco-system that stimulates local innovation. download (627kb, PDF) >

The Rise of Economic Zones In the MENA Region: A Telecommunications Perspective

Booz & Company predicts that economic zones will be a significant driver for telecommunications revenue growth over the next 10 years across the MENA region. To capture this potential, the successful development of telecommunications infrastructure and services in these zones is of great significance. download (324kb, PDF) >

The Content End Game: Capturing the Benefit Of Media and Telecom Convergence In the GCC

As the wave of sector liberalization continues, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) telecom operators are facing increasing competitive pressure. On one hand, the market for traditional telephony, whether fixed or mobile, is saturated. On the other hand, telecom–media convergence has brought about potentially huge opportunities that are also fraught with uncertainty. download (334kb, PDF) >