If you’re heading off to the Risk Assurance Group One Day Meet this week do come and say hello. It’s a great place to share knowledge and ideas for the telecoms sector with an openness which benefits us all. Yes, there are challenges but there are opportunities too.
Being able to listen first hand to the operators discussing their ideas and the issues they face, helps us all build better partnerships. Working in collaboration means we all benefit. Our history at Roscom is one of learning from the aerospace industry in terms of calibrated test and measurement so we know why sharing ideas is so important.
Exploring new innovations in the telecoms sector has to be of interest to everyone. Let’s face it with competition from OTT players offering apps and streaming content directly through the internet, the core services of operators are being overtaken.
It is a fact of life that time moves on and so do our methods of communication. The number of SMS messages and voice calls by consumers is dropping off and being replaced by services like WhatsApp. However we shouldn’t be too gloomy as businesses and public services are increasingly using text messages to remind us about everything from a due car service through to a doctor’s or dentist’s appointment.
Roscom have a 360 degree integrated approach to ensure nothing gets missed so network operators and customers get accurate bills. However as we move forward as an industry, we all need to look at what more we can do in terms of adjacent verticals and keeping the sector profitable.
A recent article by Price Waterhouse Cooper on trends in the telecoms industry made this very point: “WhatsApp, Viber and Apple’s iMessage already represent more than 80 per cent of all messaging traffic and Skype alone accounts for more than a third of all international voice traffic minutes.”
It makes perfect sense for all of us, vendors like ourselves at Roscom, and operators, to share our knowledge and ideas. What benefits one will benefit all. It is in everyone’s interest to ensure the telecom sector does more than just survive. We want it to thrive.
Among the discussions at the meeting will be new telecoms fraud initiatives, risk assurance, billing, technical support and preparing for a crisis – the question being, can you prepare? By providing free events for communications risk and assurance professionals RAG gives us a platform for thought leadership.
I’m looking forward to openly exchanging ideas, looking at innovative techniques and learning something new. There is no point in each of us holding onto our ideas. They need to be shared so they can grow into something which will help develop new markets and new revenue streams.
The American Bill Nye, who became popular as a TV personality known as “The Science Guy” once said: “ Everyone you ever meet knows something you don’t.” Not only was he a TV presenter but he also developed a hydraulic pressure suppressor which is still used in the Boeing 747 today.
I can’t say that I will be building the next generation of aircraft but I hope to both contribute and learn more about the telecoms to make a difference.
Mandy Blackburn, Operations Director, Roscom
