Wholesale voice in 2018 will be about adaptability and creating new value from the interaction between new and traditional services. It is still possible to have a voice businesses that can grow, add value for customers and thrive in the long-term. And, there are still massive opportunities in the voice market in 2018 – they just don’t look like they used to.
In fact, in my two decades in the voice industry, I’ve never seen a market that is more dynamic and that is more wide open and full of possibilities. In the old days of voice, there was only so much you could do with a voice minute. Today, it feels like voice can be a part of any application or any service imaginable. This is why I see three big opportunities really defining the market in 2018:
While the word “wholesale” is out of fashion in carrier business, it still underpins global communications, and expertise in wholesale is essential for enabling new services. Expertise in voice is still in demand although business models are changing. In 2018, the voice players who will be successful will need to continually evolve their strategies to adapt to the new business models.
Christian Michaud will be representing both Tata Communications and i3forum at Capacity Asia. He will be moderating the panel “Next Steps for IPX: VoLTE and RCS and Beyond” at i3forum’s conference on 13th December.