Edge/Core Collaboration: Navigating the Ocean

by Wedge Greene & Trevor Hayes

It would seem to a disinterested observer that the future of the telecom industry will be decided by the victory of one armed camp or another. There are the Edge service providers offering OTT services who see the Network service providers as mere bit-carriers, and therefore easily replaceable albeit at a cost. And there are the Network service providers who see little value in the Edge providers, who they consider to be dependent on getting a free ride over their networks. Neither of these opposing views is reasonable or accurate. The Edge brings creativity and a plethora of new revenue opportunities; the Network brings an immense asset investment, and a well-managed one. Both sides appear to see strategy as “us or them”, where “them” is actually a potential source of business advantage if only we could find the right symbiotic way to make money together.

Wedge Greene is a consultant for LTC International.