“The Telecom World Is Not Flat…Yet”

Given all of this, ICT players need to make several strategic choices on what their go-to-market strategy should be. What “global” really means, which countries need to be targeted (versus nice to have), the breadth and depth of ICT services and solutions to be offered, which partnerships are critical, and where they need to grow organically in the absence of viable partners. Whatever the ICT player go-to-market strategy is, they need to make sure it is done well!

Mastering Complexity, While Simplifying Partnerships
The first capability ICT players need to master is complexity. Systems integrators are relatively more advanced in terms of being smart and efficient in creating and implementing offers. Telcos could take some lessons from them in integrating different solutions from different sources—specifically, that every project does not need a customized solution. While this approach works for the initial deals when market credibility and logos in the customer portfolio are very important, the costs associated with delivering a “solution no matter what” can make the telco CFO wonder why they ever ventured into such a business.

The second capability is to be effective in partnering and collaborating with other ICT players. As no company can do it all alone, there are many opportunities for pitfalls in handoffs and interfaces. ICT players need to ensure that the end-to-end fulfillment process works on a global scale. There are many speed bumps to be flattened and bulldozed along the way: trade processes, customs, regulations, environment laws, logistics, and the list goes on. No ICT player wants to become the screaming victim in another horror story about a Cisco router stuck in a customs warehouse in some emerging market port of entry.

We are still years away from the utopia that Tom Friedman conceptualized and CIOs demand. However, the best ICT players recognize that gap and are investing heavily in developing their global capability. The companies that get there, in an efficient way, will have an unquestionable competitive advantage in an ultra-competitive sector.

Augusto Morais is a Principal at A.T. Kearney with the firm’s Communications, Media and High Technology practice in North America. Contact author at augusto.morais@atkearney.com

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