Speaker: ASPs need to take larger role

(Telephony) Application service providers need to be embraced on a much larger scale for carriers to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them, said Rebekah Keating, senior product manager for Illuminet, at Monday’s IN and Carrier IP World Forums presented in Miami by the International Engineering Consortium.

“The ASPs are the computer geeks of the phone industry,” Keating said. “These are the guys who don’t know what it means to think outside the box, because they were never in the box.”

According to Keating, the ASPs are important because they are developing technology that can link domains, a crucial capability because mobility management dictates a need for different networks to talk to each other. Also, databases that support enhanced services will have to be able to talk to multiple IN protocols.

She also said ASPs are changing telecom business models. The traditional model called for revenue to be generated primarily from telecom access, distribution, and value-added services.

In the new model, revenue will be generated from enabling transactions, hosting applications and content.

“The ASPs will be the ones providing these services,” Keating said. “Carriers need to find a way to partner with these guys.”

Assuming ASPs are embraced by the industry, they will face a sizeable challenge, Keating said.

“When all of this comes together, they will have one big worry: Interoperability. It’s an issue that’s not going away or getting any easier.”