The Service Provider Imperative

Clearly Communications Service Providers (CSPs) have the right, and in fact, the imperative, to provide valuable services to consumers of all types based on their unique capabilities and assets. Unfortunately, the prevailing industry view that a CSP only has one card to play – bandwidth- and connectivity-oriented services – has lead to a market conversation about commodities, utilities and dumb pipes. I see CSPs as vibrant, sophisticated companies who are, and have been, engines of industrial growth and social benefit for over a hundred years. The services provided by them have ranged from voice, to content, security, video, and the like. 

One class of services is associated with access to the Internet regardless of media: broadband. I agree that for these services, equal treatment of all within the limited terms of consumer use is right and just. No traffic shaping in this pipe. This pipe needs to be highly reliable, available, and secure, and have measurable performance within its terms of use. In some cases, the standard of service is high, and in others, it will fall to best efforts. Let the market determine the content over these services, and let the providers serve this market.

I am advocating that CSPs have a much more rich and valuable role to play as active participants and providers of differentiated, end-user consumer services, as well as basic broadband. Furthermore, for broadband, the CSPs have the right and necessity to offer tiered services; and the consumer has the right to choose the plan they prefer, and should expect performance against the service agreement.

All this said, the magic happens when the CSPs provide true services.  I look at U-verse and am thrilled as a customer. The service is valuable, affordable, differentiated and a pleasure to use. This service is the collaboration of content, access, and third parties working together to do something that alone would not be nearly as compelling. I look to the over-the-top players to continue to find these collaborations, and for the industry to move away from pipe discussions and disintermediation, and instead to move to a value-based market where collaboration is the norm and not the exception.

Adan Pope is the chief strategy officer for Telcordia, a global leader in the development of fixed, mobile and broadband communications software and services. He also serves as CTO for their OSS and service delivery businesses.