4G and the back-office: Faster, cheaper, better or just different?

On the heels of word of a 155% increase in LTE devices in just six months, Connected Planet talked to Bob Machin, Principal Analyst, Corporate Development at BSS/OSS vendor Comptel about the back-office demands of this emerging network and device landscape.

Connected Planet: Can you define 4G?

Bob Machin: When I first started thinking about this a couple of years ago, my first reaction was that it was just faster 3G but I changed my mind. To me, the main difference is ubiquity and the ability to access the Web anywhere, using a range of devices. Behind the scenes, the networks will be a tapestry of LTE, Wimax, WiFi and others but the result will be fast access for customers, anywhere.

Connected Planet: And that ubiquity changes what?

Bob Machin: Actually it is about trust. As a customer, if I trust that I can access the Internet from anywhere and immediately get onto my virtual desk space that changes things. This is where the cloud and storage on the Web makes great sense. It means that we really won’t have to carry machines around with us. I see it as the point where Larry Ellison’s vision of network computing works.

This ‘thin client’ world means that devices become cheaper, almost disposable. Already we see the trend. We used to have a thing called a ‘home PC’ but that is fading out – I have a netbook, so do other members of my family and you can access the web via an array of games consoles and other devices.

Connected Planet: It will take a while for people to get used to picking up devices and putting them down again, surely.

Bob Machin: Yes, it will but it will happen. We will have multiple windows on the Internet, in our home, office, taxi, airport, plane, hotel – wherever we want to work and we won’t have to worry about our files – they will all be there.

Connected Planet: What does that mean for telcos, what will they need to work on?

Bob Machin: The priority is device independence. Customers must be able to access their work or life through any device, from anywhere and not have to pay multiple times. It is about customer access not device access.

There is a lot of talk about the telcos being pushed aside, but actually I think they are the sleeping giants here. They are not there yet, but they will provide access to a wealth of customer information for OTT players. I do think, though, that they must follow a retail analogy and not get pushed into a utility analogy. They must become the marketplace, not simply the road to market.

Connected Planet: What does this mean for the BSS and OSS requirements?

Bob Machin: To make this work, telcos will need to work in real time, for provisioning and policy management and be able to provide flexible pricing. In terms of the big picture, though, it does not change too dramatically. They will need to support ordering, pricing, third parties, partners, settlements, network usage monitoring, charging, fulfilment, collection – all quite familiar things.

Connected Planet: End of story?

Bob Machin: Not quite. There is a ‘but’. Systems will need to be open, much more open than they are at the moment.