Telco operators have great expectations of 5G. The hype mill has set a very high bar for the value that 5G technologies and new market possibilities promise to bring to the communications industry. Is this excitement justified given the rapidly shifting ICT landscape? We are witnessing a dramatic change in the face of competitors and partners as new entrants into the communications service provider (CSP) space change the OTT (Over-The-Top) dynamic and introduce a new breed of UTB (Under-The Bottom) threat to traditional telco operators. Who will win 5G gold?

neXt Curve is joined by Foong King Yew, ICT industry analyst and former Gartner research VP to explore the following topics:

• What does 5G mean for operators in terms of industry transformation and market opportunity – We delve into the competitive and structural dynamics that are changing the telecom game into something even more unfamiliar to traditional operators that what they have experienced in the past Gs.
• What are the new OTT and the UTB (Under-The-Bottom) threats in the 5G era? – During the last decade of 4G evolution, the term Over-The-Top (OTT) was coined with the likes of Facebook, WeChat, Skype, SnapChat, Google and Apple fundamentally changing the text and voice business of operators. In the era of 5G, the vendor landscape looks very different and there familiar OTT players looking to reinvent the business and infrastructure of connectivity – introducing the UTB player.
• What are adjacent strategies for capturing 5G gold? – Operators agree that they can no longer rely on the business of running a “dumb pipe” to capitalize on the 5G promise. We discuss the various adjacent market opportunities that operators should consider based on Foong’s research on this topic.
• The operator’s dilemma – to reinvent or partner? – What will the role of today’s telco operator be in the 5G era? How will their role change based on their decision to reinvent themselves as a new breed of digital service provider or preserve their core identity while partnering with OTT and UTB partners and vendors?

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