Mobile Communications Industry Scenarios and Strategic Implications for Network Equipment Vendors

Mobile infrastructure markets have changed dramatically during the past years. The industry is experiencing a shift from traditional large-scale, hardware-driven system roll-outs to software and services -driven business models. Also, the telecommunications and internet worlds are colliding in both mobile infrastructure and services domains requiring established network equipment vendors and mobile operators to transform and adapt to the new business environment. This paper utilizes Schoemaker's scenario planning process to reveal critical uncertain elements shaping the future of the industry. Four possible scenarios representing different value systems between industry's key stakeholders are created. After this, five strategic options with differing risk and cost factors for established network equipment vendors are discussed in order to aid firm's strategic planning process. --

Next Generation Cloud Computing: New Trends and Research Directions

The landscape of cloud computing has significantly changed over the last decade. Not only have more providers and service offerings crowded the space, but also cloud infrastructure that was traditionally limited to single provider data centers is now evolving. In this paper, we firstly discuss the changing cloud infrastructure and consider the use of infrastructure from multiple providers and the benefit of decentralising computing away from data centers. These trends have resulted in the need for a variety of new computing architectures that will be offered by future cloud infrastructure. These architectures are anticipated to impact areas, such as connecting people and devices, data-intensive computing, the service space and self-learning systems. Finally, we lay out a roadmap of challenges that will need to be addressed for realising the potential of next generation cloud systems.Comment: Accepted to Future Generation Computer Systems, 07 September 201

Modularity, Vertical Integration, and Open Access Policies: Towards A Convergence of Antitrust and Regulation In The Internet Age

This article aims to help regulators and commentators incorporate both Chicago School and post-Chicago School arguments in assessing whether regulation should mandate open access to information platforms. The authors outline three alternative models that the FCC could adopt to guide its regulation of information platforms in the future and facilitate a true convergence between antitrust and regulatory policy.

Software-Defined Networks for Future Networks and Services: Main Technical Challenges and Business Implications

In 2013, the IEEE Future Directions Committee (FDC) formed an SDN work group to explore the amount of interest in forming an IEEE Software-Defined Network (SDN) Community. To this end, a Workshop on "SDN for Future Networks and Services" (SDN4FNS'13) was organized in Trento, Italy (Nov. 11th-13th 2013). Following the results of the workshop, in this paper, we have further analyzed scenarios, prior-art, state of standardization, and further discussed the main technical challenges and socio-economic aspects of SDN and virtualization in future networks and services. A number of research and development directions have been identified in this white paper, along with a comprehensive analysis of the technical feasibility and business availability of those fundamental technologies. A radical industry transition towards the "economy of information through softwarization" is expected in the near future

Switches and mortar in the Internet's shadow : a study of the effects of technology on competitive strategy for the Internet's landlords

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2000.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-138).Communications technology has experienced a period of explosive growth, driven by a confluence of legal, political and technical factors including the following: the 1968 Carter Phone and 1980's competitive carrier decisions, the 1984 divestiture of AT&T, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the development and standardization of new technologies, and the proliferation of the Internet and World Wide Web. This thesis asks the fundamental questions: How has the rapid growth of the Internet and other communications technologies changed the competitive strategy of commercial tenants, and how have these changes affected commercial real estate developers? This study proposes that developers and landlords need to use more forward-looking theories of competitive strategy in order to understand the current and future real estate needs of technology-driven commercial tenants. Telecommunications deregulation and the growth of the Internet led to the creation of a new and rapidly growing high technology industry and commercial tenancy. Deregulation and the Internet also transformed the way traditional commercial real estate uses information technology, encouraged the forging of partnerships between commercial real estate professionals and "last mile" information technology contractors, and resulted in the creation of a new commercial real estate product-the telecom hotel.' Current literature suggests traditional commercial tenants might differ from Internet-based business tenants in four general areas of the development process: feasibility, site selection, design and building operations. The proliferation of the Internet as a catalyst for new real estate products, commercial tenants and partnerships, and the observed differences in development practices between traditional and commercial tenants are both clues to fundamental differences between these two tenants' competitive strategies. It is possible to understand these clues to tenant behavior by taking an in-depth look at how these two tenants compete in their respective industries. Traditional commercial business tenants appear to conform to Michael Porter's theories on competitive strategy and advantage. High-tech tenant's competitive strategies seem to be more accurately reflected by Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad's model of competition for the future. These two theories, and the industries they represent, differ in four dimensions: Future versus Past/Present orientation, technology use, rate of growth, and resource use. In comparing three case studies on these four strategic dimensions, this thesis concludes that Porter's more stable, efficiency-oriented model does explain the strategy of Northwestern Mutual, a large insurance organization. Hamel and Prahalad's model better explains the hectic, high growth, future orientation of Akamai and YankeeTek Incubator as well as Teleplace, a telecom hotel service company. Hamel and Prahalad and Porter's frameworks explain significant discrepancies between predicted development practices based on current industry thinking, and observed development practices based on these in depth case studies. This thesis thus verifies a need by real estate developers and landlords to use forward-looking theories of competitive strategy when examining the current and future needs of hightech tenants.by Geoffrey Morgan and Benjamin V.A. Pettigrew.S.M

End-to-end service quality for cloud applications

This paper aims to highlight the importance of End-to-End (E2E) service quality for cloud scenarios, with focus on telecom carrier-grade services. In multi-tenant distributed and virtualized cloud infrastructures, enhanced resource sharing raises issues in terms of performance stability and reliability. Moreover, the heterogeneity of business entities responsible for the cloud service delivery, threatens the possibility of offering precise E2E service levels. Setting up proper Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) among the involved players, may become overly challenging. However, problems may be mitigated by a thoughtful intervention of standardization. The paper reviews some of the most important efforts in research and industry to tackle E2E service quality and concludes with some recommendations for additional research and/or standardization effort required to be able to deploy mission critical or interactive real-time services with high demands on service quality, reliability and predictability on cloud platforms. © 2013 Springer International Publishing

The digital challenge for multinational mobile network operators. More marginalization or rejuvenation?

Multinational mobile network operators (MNOs) rapidly emerged in the early 1990s and for a decade and a half were the dominant actors in their industry. We analyze the development and competitiveness of a typical MNO, Telenor. With the introduction of 4G in 2010, we show that Telenor, like other MNOs largely failed to respond to the opportunity that connectivity provided to develop digital services. Instead, these were developed by technology platform companies such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Telenor became a marginalized supplier of standardized internet connectivity. We argue that the ‘decade of lost opportunity’ (2010-2020) for Telenor was a product of a lack of ‘recombinant firm-specific advantages’ (FSARs). With the launch of 5G, an emerging global digital infrastructure, this sidelining is set to intensify unless Telenor responds to this new opportunity by developing B2B digital services. We analyze the FSARs that are necessary for a successful transition of capturing the value that 5G provides and the degree to which they are present, or potentially present, in Telenor

Enabling the effective open innovation in Business Ecosystem: A case study of Chinese catch-up firm Huawei

Introduction This report evaluates the strategies regarding to how to enable the effective open innovation in the context of business ecosystem and explores what role the open innovation ecosystem plays in the Chinese catch-up ICT firm Huawei. Moreover, this report aims to unveil the risks, challenges and implication for catch-up firms in the eras of globalization. Findings and recommendations First, one interesting finding is that firm shall take a holistic perspective if it wishes to enable the effective open innovation. Thus, firm shall evaluate its business ecosystem stage and identify the relevant players accordingly. Moreover, it’s crucial to implement the strategy corresponding to the business environment and choose and manage the open innovation mode tactically. Specifically, knowledge management and innovative leadership are also key components for success. Second, this research provides some supports for the conceptual premise that benefits of open innovation in reducing cost and risks, adding more value in the commodity chain, creating more market opportunities, creating and sharing knowledge and enhancing its competitive advantage etc. Therefore, it can be assumed that for catch-up firm, it’s strategic to adopt the open innovation if it wishes to enhance the competitive advantage. Nevertheless, this finding has important implication for firms from developing countries, its impractical to imitate the western paths. In essence, It’s crucial to develop its own path according to its particular situation and align with the national goal strategically. What is surprising is that this research also suggests Huawei benefits significantly from Chinese government’s ambition in developing and promoting its national ICT industry in global scale. This raises the intriguing question regarding to the nature and extent of the relationship between government and business. The evidences from this study also implies the importance of establishing cooperative long term relationship with government and indigenous policy makers where firm wishes to expand its business. In addition, it seems to be a definite need for not only catch-up firms as Huawei, but also government and policy makers shall be aware of the risks and challenges and comply with the stipulated rules in the globalization. Furthermore, government and policy maker shall regulate more transparent, open polices which promote effective open innovation in healthy business ecosystem and give market more space and eventually spur the radical innovation. Taken together, those results from this report suggest that its strategic for catching-up firm to adopt the open innovation in business ecosystem if it wishes to enhance its competitive advantage and compete in global market