5 November 2024, Tue |
9:42 AM
Taher Haj-Yousef, Regional Managing Director, Rimini Street FZ LLC
Major pandemic disruption has resulted in the delay and rollout of 5G delivery in many countries. Other effects on the telecommunications industry have been on its infrastructure, staffing, pressures on the network and connectivity with the movement of people from work to home.
While the ripple effects of the pandemic continue to spread, the Middle East’s telecoms sector is really enjoying an upsurge in demand for connectivity – especially higher speed connectivity as people continue to work from home and rely more than ever before on online shopping, streaming services and digital home entertainment.
EXPO 2020 brought more tourism back to the UAE and delivered on a promise of world-class connectivity. Equally, the upcoming Qatar FIFA World Cup comes with high expectations of seamless connectivity, not only among football fans but also from the myriad businesses involved in supporting the event including the global media.
One quick and easy way to achieve this connectivity is to modernise existing enterprise software services and make it lean and crisp.
In this highly competitive sector, we must find new ways to innovate, to free up resources and drive operational efficiencies. Telecom providers need to become more adept in their technology adoption and use, helping meet customers’ ever-growing expectations for quicker, faster and better, while staying ahead of the competition.
Telecom operators must move quickly keeping one step ahead of customer expectations, to build a sustainable strategy and take advantage of what is likely to be a continuing acceleration of digital activity.
Investing in technology and its services can be a lengthy process, fraught with concerns over cost, reliability, security and fears over the valid lifespan and relevance of the technology itself. This is where switching to a third-party enterprise software services provider becomes a highly viable option because you can concentrate on your core business. A reliable third-party enterprise software services provider rapidly becomes your strategic partner, working around the clock for you, and with you, aligned with your goals.
A third-party support and maintenance provider opens up a world of opportunity. It can mean having access to the technology that suits your organisation’s needs, without fear of legacy issues caused by old and dated software and systems. Adopting an open, software-focused approach, built on partnerships and agreed standards is clearly an effective way forward.
Embracing this future-proof service model means telecoms operators have the option to expand on their existing enterprise software portfolio, whether in the cloud or internally deployed, building on their existing investment to develop next generation IT models using Machine Learning and AI.
This allows telecoms operators to focus on creating a data-centric back office or helps drive a better customer experience that surprises and delights audiences. And they don’t need to upgrade or worry about how they maintain their applications because that headache is removed by the third-party service provider.
While every telecom operator must stay abreast of digital transformation, funding such a bold leap can be difficult. Utilising third-party enterprise software services providers can help free up funds to invest in more cutting-edge technologies that might just bring the required competitive advantage.
Of course, adopting a third-party model can enable telecom companies to buy time – strategic planning time if you will – and the opportunity to plan digital transformation strategies more effectively.
T-Mobile is a great example of an organisation that learned the benefits of a new path to ERP modernisation. When the company, one of the top three wireless providers in the US, and the name behind the country’s first and largest nationwide 5G network, realised it wasn’t receiving the support, maintenance and evolution of its company-wide SAP ecosystem it needed, a decision was made to outsource to a third-party capable of providing a higher level of support and management.
Demanding a highly responsive, deeply knowledgeable level of support led T-Mobile to take on the support provided by a third-party enterprise software support service. It’s now possible to support the significant customizations that SAP struggled to handle.
This new avenue to innovation comes at a time when people crave connectivity more than ever. Connectivity is the core premise here – third-party enterprise software services should ensure round-the-clock accessibility, supporting modern telecom operators 24-7 – just as telecom companies must support their clients.
