Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
MeSSaGiNG iN the CLOUD Ground brea k ing operator oppor tunit y or fad ?
www.symsoft.com
e x eCUti v e SU M M a ry
Cloud-based solutions have been a talking point in the telecommunications industry during the past few years with many mobile service providers evaluating the advantages of the new approach to service delivery. One strong reason for an increased interest in the cloud is a focus on finding more efficient and scalable ways to offer messaging services to an existing market. Another reason is a constant drive to identify and address new market opportunities such as Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging services in flexible and cost-efficient ways. To reach full benefit from cloud-based messaging solutions, operators should review the opportunity from five perspectives. eployment model Operators considering cloud-based messaging services must decide whether they D want to own and operate a private cloud or if a third-party cloud provider is a better choice. This decision should be informed by the size of the operator and the amount of traffic to manage. Market selection Operators must choose which traffic to handle using a cloud solution. Through the cloud, resources can be shared between different networks with different traffic patterns. This presents an attractive possibility for operators managing traffic with high peaks or large seasonal variations in one or more markets. nfrastructure architecture To avoid that extreme traffic patterns in one location have a negative impact I on other sites, the solution should also allow for a separation of different markets. Reliability For a successful launch of new cloud-based services, it will be vital for operators to select a cloud provider that has the experience and tools necessary to provide a reliable service. ervice capabilities It is important to ensure that solutions are fit to address the requirements and S demands of different customer groups and market segments, for example enterprise messaging. Properly deployed, cloud solutions can improve time-to-market for new services and decrease capital expenditure and total costs for delivering messaging services. In this way the cloud presents a new paradigm for continued operator business growth.
October 2011
October 2011
Due to increased market saturation and the adoption of smartphones supporting instant messaging, the growth rate for P2P messaging is however assumed to decrease over the period. The A2P segment on the other hand is forecasted to grow at around 20% yearly. This will help compensate for the reduced growth rates for traditional messaging and help maintain the position of SMS as a premier mean of mobile communication and an important source for operator revenues.
437,5
591,9
813,5
Figure 1: Worldwide SMS traffic continues to grow over the coming four years. Source: Portio Research Ltd, 2011. When considering the projected revenue streams over the coming years, the difference between the two business areas becomes even clearer (figure 2). Total revenues from P2P traffic are projected to start decreasing due to increased market competition. A2P revenues will on the other hand continue to grow due to an increased market interest in commercial messaging, in combination with maintained higher revenues per message. For mobile operators, this presents a clear opportunity to compensate for a potential loss in traditional messaging by re-directing some focus to enterprise messaging.
Figure 2: A2P messaging presents new opportunities as P2P revenues begin to decrease. Source: Portio Research Ltd, 2011
October 2011
October 2011
a N i NtrODUCti ON tO CLOU D ba S e D S e rv i Ce
a NeW paraDiGM fOr ServiCe DepLOyMeNt
Cloud-based services represent a new business model for how organizations get access to hardware and software applications and functionality. The idea is to leverage the speed of modern computer networks and give customers access to functionality and applications as services in the network or the cloud rather than physically distributing hardware and software. In a cloud-based solution, a single installation is typically deployed to cater for the needs of a number of different entities such as sites, countries or individual operators. All services are updated and administered centrally rather than being distributed through the geographical organization or across companies. The cloud is attributed a number of benefits such as reduced capital expenditure, lower recurring costs and reduced time-to-market for new services. As a result of this, cloud-based services have gained huge momentum in the IT industry during the past five years and are currently increasing at a yearly rate of 25% on the expense of traditionally sold software and application. As todays mobile operators re-evaluate their current business and delivery models for messaging services, to better capitalize on existing and new market opportunities, cloud-based services are emerging as a qualified alternative also in the operator domain.
October 2011
October 2011
DepLOyMeNt MODeL
Operators looking to deploy cloud-based messaging services must decide whether they want to own and operate a private cloud, or if a third-party cloud provider is a better choice. Operators with significant traffic volumes from a larger number of geographical markets can realize large savings with a private cloud. Smaller players are on the other hand typically better served by third-party clouds. Different infrastructure and solution providers will have different approaches to solutions, sometimes fitting one scenario better than the other.
Market SeLeCtiON
An operator has to choose which traffic to handle using a cloud solution. If not all traffic is managed in the cloud, it is often preferable to move traffic with large peaks into the cloud to share resources between different networks with different traffic patterns. It is also valuable to work with a supplier that has worked with cloudbased messaging before and can assist in this analysis.
reLiabiLity
If a third-party cloud model is preferred, it is important to select a provider that has the experience and tools necessary to provide a reliable service. Even more than with a stand-alone SMSC, it is important to evaluate the support capabilities of the provider and their future plans for their cloud-ready SMS offering.
ServiCe CapabiLitieS
As the market for P2P messaging becomes saturated, most mobile operators will be considering solutions that are fit to address the requirements and demands for enterprise messaging solutions. It is also advisable to work with a player that has a true understanding of the demands of enterprise customers, one that is able to match these new requirements in professional, scalable and cost-efficient ways. As revenues from A2P messaging initially will be relatively low compared to most operators established P2P revenue streams, it is important that a cloud-based service can be designed to address the new opportunities in a manner that does not have a negative impact on current revenue streams.
October 2011
Figure 3: A private messaging cloud revolutionizes the business logic for international mobile operators
The cloud-based messaging solution presents a number of benefits for the international operator: reatly simplified introduction of new services as a single upgrade of the messaging solution is sufficient to G make new functionality available to all markets being served. This has lead to increased agility in the market place with shorter time-to-market for new services and better understanding of service trends. ith only one installation to upgrade when rolling out new upgrades, costs for implementing new W functionality has decreased significantly. he concentration of all traffic to a common solution has enabled the operator to gain a better overview of T service adoption and traffic patterns in different markets. The competence gained leaves the operator better prepared to identify trends that can be exploited commercially. Improved utilization of SMS infrastructure through the sharing of capacity between markets while maintaining service quality. Capacity utilization has improved over SMS-intensive holidays that are specific to a single market. These are handled more efficiently as capacity can be shared from other markets that experience lower traffic at the time.
10
October 2011
October 2011
11
Symsoft is a trusted charging and messaging expert with over twenty years of industry experience. Symsoft provides solutions enabling operators globally to stay ahead of their competitors in an increasingly competitive telecom market. Its innovative products are used by leading operators such as America Mvil, Millicom, Polkomtel, Saudi Telecom, Telefnica, Telenor, Tele2, TeliaSonera and 3 in more than 30 countries, serving over 120 million subscribers. www.symsoft.com
Corporate Headquarters Symsoft AB Kista Science Tower Frgatan 33, PO Box 1219 SE-164 28 Kista, Sweden Tel +46 8 566 166 00
Middle East & Africa Symsoft MEA Dubai Internet City P.O. Box 500649 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel +971 4 36 16 637
Americas Americas Symsoft Inc. 5700 Granite Parkway, Ste 200 Plano, Texas 75024, USA Tel +1 972 731 6708
Asia Pacific Symsoft Asia Pacific 9 Temasek Boulevard #31-02 Suntec Tower Two Singapore 038989 Tel +46 8 566 166 00
21 November 2011