Great to be anywhere

As a keynoter at many events, Sanjiv Ahuja, CEO of Orange Group, is usually the guy most attendees come to hear. At CTIA last month, he proved that Keith Richards' quote — “It's great to be anywhere” — is not always true. Turns out, it's not great to be the fourth consecutive big-time exec to stand before a crowd of technofiles eager to get back to the show floor because the back half of the room emptied in a steady stream.

For those who couldn't stomach — or bladder — another speech, Ahuja provided good balance to three executive outsiders — soon to be insiders — who spoke at length about their ability to bring content to the communications industry. John Coghlan, president and CEO of Visa; Philippe Dauman, president and CEO of Viacom; and Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI, captivated the crowd with their hipness — or at least the hipness of their companies — while Ahuja reminded the diminishing crowd that their own business is nothing to sneeze at.

“People may be coming to us for content, but let me tell you,” Ahuja said, “there is still a lot of revenue in voice, [short message service] and [multimedia message service]. We should not ignore our revenue.”

This is true for two reasons. First, it would be folly to do so. (It was mostly a rhetorical comment.) But another good reason for raising the issue is that while these other distinguished gentlemen were highlighting the potential for new business through collaboration, they also hinted at a power struggle ahead.

“Our ability to deliver a mobile offering is a testament to our relationship with you. We rely on each other for success,” Dauman said. More ominously he said, “You want our content. We want the access you provide to 2.3 billion subscribers in our target market.”

Coghlan also expressed the desire to collaborate, saying, “Our doors are open to you. Let us work together to make the most of this incredible opportunity that lies before us.” But Nicoli put it best. He said the industries would have to make reasonably small concessions in order to benefit everyone. He's obviously willing to work at it, given the deal his company brokered with Apple last week to make music more readily available on multiple platforms.

So telecom companies must decide how they want to play this, and they must decide soon. Digital content and commerce are moving ahead regardless. Ahuja said everything we do must be about anticipating demand. With 400,000 people in France regularly watching mobile TV, the time for anticipation is over. It's time to maneuver.