IDC dubbed 2016 as the year of platforms as service providers across the Asia Pasific region make investments and focus on building the new platforms and capabilities they need to execute on their digital transformation (DX) visions.
In 2017, IDC predicts that the focus will shift rapidly to Digital Engagement, as service providers begin to deploy new products and services and reinvent the traditional engagement model with their customers, across consumer, enterprise and soon to new target segments.
Digital engagement will not only enhance the customer experience but will also validate the service portfolio and strategic direction of the service provider, said IDC.
Within the context of a Year of Digital Engagement for 2017, some of the key predictions include:
• By 2017, more than 50% of enterprises will engage 3rd party SPs to implement real-time communication APIs.
• By 2018, SD WAN will be adopted by 30% of enterprises as a critical component of remote branch connectivity.
• By 2018, despite hype on the benefits of low power WAN, such as LoRa and Sigfox, unlicensed spectrum and inability to offer QoS causes companies to focus IoT on non-critical business deployments.
• By 2018, OTT linear TV subscriber growth will start to drive traditional pay TV overhaul via cloud migration.
• By 2019, Enterprises will require analytics as a service enabled by intelligence/analytics in the network edge.
Shiv Putcha, Associate Director, Telecom Practice, IDC Asia Pacific
The industry has begun the hard journey towards becoming “digital”. Having built the necessary platforms, service providers are already rolling out new products and services along with significantly enhanced customer experience across the Asia-Pacific region.
Hugh Ujhazy, Associate Vice President, IDC
Asia/Pacific Communication service providers are faced with a new breed of challenges borne out of a fast-evolving and increasingly unfamiliar market environment. To overcome these, the industry must effect operational transformation that delivers complete, bottom up, employee inclusive solutions that position a service provider for a fast, agile and responsive future.
