Farewell To The Traditional Telecom Ecosystem

Until as recently as 2000, it was pretty clear what the telecommunications sector was all about. Customers — consumers at home and firms at work — bought calls and lines from telcos, which in turn purchased the technology components required to create their products from network equipment providers (NEPs). Since the millennium, we have seen this supply chain change rapidly as customer requirements become more complex, interdependence takes hold, and environmental concerns affect how we do business. Thus, the supply chain has become a new, more complex ecosystem, and telecoms vendor strategists need to take heed. We recommend four approaches to do so: 1) Embrace change; don't fight it; 2) think holistically; 3) partner to prosper; and 4) consider ecosystems as part of your company's approach to sustainability.