Building ecosystems to realize the B2B and B2B2X opportunity 

Advanced technologies like 5G, IoT and Edge are helping Communications Service Providers (CSPs) redefine themselves and generate revenue. In fact, 5G will become the first generation of mobile technology to have a bigger ​impact on business than on consumers. There’s huge demand out there from enterprises, in particular SMBs, for solutions to solve simple business problems and drive digital transformation. It’s not surprising, therefore, that 47% of enterprises say they would buy more from CSPs if they could provide offerings which were relevant to their needs.

B2B, B2B2x, beyond connectivity and partner ecosystems are now part of CSPs’ board level discussions, and new business models and new technologies such as digital platforms that orchestrate partner ecosystems are acting as a springboard to drive this change. So far though, CSPs haven't managed to move the needle. In the past 12 months, the number of enterprise 5G projects doubled while the share of CSPs’ deals dropped to 16% (from 21%).

At Digital Transformation World Series (DTW) 2021, I discussed this issue with Ibrahim Gedeon, Chief Technology Officer, TELUS, a world-leading Canadian communications technology company. It appears that CSPs understand the importance of multi-technology solutions and partner ecosystem orchestration, but are still too slow to react to enterprise demands, and decide what role they play in the value chain – solutions provider or ecosystem enabler?

Watch the full presentation video below to learn more about:

• The CSP perspective – Ibrahim Gedeon, CTO of TELUS, explains how they are already embracing this change, transforming from ‘Operator’ to ‘Orchestrator’; reinventing with new business models and co-creating and selling new solutions with new technologies and partners (e.g., OTT, TV, 5G or IoT)
• What unique value can CSPs deliver in a B2B2X ecosystem? And do they build an ecosystem that attracts and retains the right partners and allows them to extend their reach into different vertical markets?
• Identifying and addressing the commercial and technological barriers that CSPs face when confronting ecosystem development
• How are CSPs exploiting technology enablers to build ecosystems?