Given the rising wave of enterprise Private 5G networking, there has never been a more important time for leaders in the Mobile Network Operator (MNO) industry to think differently to recoup their investments in 5G infrastructure and spectrum licenses.
Consider the following:
5G is no longer an arcane telecom term; businesses and consumers are aware that 5G offers more robust capabilities and expect them as table stakes. Fierce competition has driven nationwide providers to design and deploy networks they anticipate will win over customers and drive revenue as rapidly as possible with new purpose-built applications.
With unprecedented investment by the wireless industry, providers have spent an estimated $275 billion on network infrastructure to build out 5G and enhance network coverage, security, and capabilities.
MNOs Must Find A Path to Delivering High-Value Wireless Digital Services
To grow, MNOs must become serious about becoming players in digital services and digital experiences. It is one thing to invest in physical infrastructure, from fiber to towers, from radios to multi-functional hubs and more, and another to deliver superior, competitive offerings at the expense of buying and managing physical layers.
Shabodi’s Application Enablement Platform (NetAware) is a software solution that helps MNOs open their network interfaces to developers to create enterprise applications that can request and modify network parameters in real-time. It boosts application performance and optimizes the network infrastructure, ultimately transforming the customer experience.
API software platforms provide the foundation for new vertical solution offerings for MNOs’ enterprise customers and additional revenues through new monetization models such as API-as-a-Service, Network Platform as a Service (NPaaS), or Programmable Networks. They also provide quicker time-to-market of enterprise applications while reducing development and integration risks. This enables MNOs to remain relevant in a world where demands for “always on and always perfect” access to and performance of applications they rely on 24/7.
Revenue Declines For MNOs Are Very Real, And Very Disturbing
According to TMForum’s CEO playbook published in August 2023, global Communications Service Provider (CSP)/Mobile Network Operators (MNO) revenues have dropped precipitously:
- B2C revenues are flattening or falling, given the massive competition in all major markets
- The promise of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) growth has not panned out because FWA business models only work when ample fiber is available locally.
- The growing appetite for digital services and applications (like XR, gaming, and other real-time interactive offerings built Over-The-Top) strains networks, costing the MNOs more.
- The important shift to B2B is still underway and has tremendous promise as IoT and IIoT solutions are being developed as fully manageable vertical solutions. There, the key is the real-time performance of applications.
- MNOs can no longer play the “Proof of Concept” story in their private enterprise 5G deployments to their investors; 2024 will be a breakout year for those leaders who make the right competitive choices.
Here Come The Heroes: Developers Creating The Next Wave Of Applications
Even smartphone sales are decreasing as those phones become even more powerful and popular as “the device” individuals and organizations rely on.
Shabodi is a General Sponsor of CAMARA, contributing to the fast-growing world of telco service APIs and facilitating network-as-a-service (NaaS) offerings developers love.
The completion of network digitalization projects with application awareness, control, and optimization has just begun for most MNOs. The physical and operational 5G infrastructure has been built thanks to the enormous investments by MNOs and supporting physical and digital ecosystem players. Now, they can step up their game on the applications layer and start minting new money to accelerate their ROI.
Game On in 2024!
To learn more about how Shabodi’s NetAware accelerates MNO success in an applications and API era, download our Addressing The 5G Gap white paper or schedule a demo.
