We are heading towards a world in which communication will predominantly take place over the cloud – via telecom cloud-based services. With the advent of cloud services, and particularly Cloud UC or Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), companies have started moving or are considering moving their equipment based communications solutions (PBXs or Contact Centers) to telecom cloud-based services. Now the question is: Are carriers – the ultimate communications experts – aware of the advantages that make them perfect for capitalizing on this migration?
It seems that this is still not the case as carriers are not always leading the way in the migration of telecom services towards the cloud. It is also apparent that carriers are mainly playing a small role as resellers of some solutions, which only makes the situation worse for them because they end up competing with their own suppliers. In fact, this market is being led by both traditional equipment vendors that have also started providing cloud services over IP and by newcomers that have developed their own cloud solutions.
Of course this has been caused in part by the shift of telecommunications first towards IP and now to the cloud. This shift has not only brought in many other players to the market but also allowed telecom cloud services to be provided without a carrier and via a public-cloud. But what is really holding carriers back as leaders of the telecom cloud based services? Are business customers seeing them as mere voice and transport pipelines or is it that carriers have somehow accepted defeat without putting up a fight? I think it is more the latter than the former.
The carrier cloud is a carrier-grade cloud
The complete infrastructure of carriers (network and data centers) is built using a carrier grade approach. This means they have a highly secure, reliable and available infrastructure. This is the result of the infrastructure being developed under strict governmental regulations and certifications and with built-in geographical redundancy that backs up the “always-on” reliability statement – SLAs tending towards 100% availability – of their services.
The carrier cloud is a communication cloud
The carrier cloud is a communication cloud with features that extend well beyond the data processing and storage features of the IP cloud. Carriers have been molded over time to excel in delivering telecom cloud based services. This is due to the fact that carriers have been at the center of communications over the cloud since the very beginning. Even before IP clouds, carriers were already delivering telco cloud based services via a non-IP carrier cloud.
The advantages of the cloud
The carrier cloud combines the advantages of the cloud into their telecommunication networks. Carriers own the network through which the cloud applications and services are delivered. Therefore, on top of the offered telecom cloud based services, carriers offer their entire network and capabilities. This does not only mean reduced switching costs and minutes for companies, but also the capability of bundling core services and providing omnipresent connectivity over fixed and mobile networks.
It is clear that the future of communications lies in the cloud. At ECT, we believe that the migration of telecom services towards the cloud represents an excellent opportunity for carriers and not at all a threat. In fact, capitalizing on this opportunity could be the very way in which carriers can overcome the declines in their traditional revenue streams such as voice or messaging.
Are you ready to fight your cloud battle and win the cloud war? Contact me and let me tell you about our carrier grade cloud solutions such as Virtual PBX and Network-based Contact Center. Let me also tell you about the new value added services that we are creating for carriers to enhance your product portfolio and take one step closer into the digital service provider transformation.