This investigation is a joint research project between Politecnico di Milano and KTH (Stockholm, Sweden) as the final act of a Double Degree program under the patronage of the T.I.M.E. association. The paper investigates the European Mobile Telecommunications industry, looking at strategic challenges for Mobile Operators. Mobile Services platforms represent one of the most important paradigms in the industry, as confirmed by the growing popularity of the application stores. During the last decade Operators have shifted from a closed model (walled garden) in which they were the central focus of the value network (having full control on the network and the services running on top of it) to a situation where they promote the collaboration with external actors giving birth to the Open Mobile era. This trend has allowed companies as Apple, Google and Facebook to enter into the mobile services domain and promote successful platforms (App Store, Android Market, etc.). This has compromised Operators’ position and now they risk seeing their role reduced to mere access providers. Mobile services usage is experiencing a boom but, at the same time, users’ willingness to pay has reduced lowering the mobile ARPU. Moreover Operators have to deal with the important investments to develop and roll out the new 4G networks based on LTE technologies. This scenario highlights the importance to investigate how Operators can adopt successful strategies to keep on playing a meaningful role in the Mobile Services domain. Identifying these strategies is the primary goal of this investigation. To have a systematic approach to the problem, the strategies are detected and modeled by a value network model encompassing the Mobile Telecommunications industry and having mobile services platforms at its focal core. From the model it emerges that Operators´ strategies revolve around two main drivers: defeating networks congestion (investing in network upgrade & spectrum auctions, charging Service Providers for HQ delivery services and elaborating data price plans for mobile customers) and finding new revenue opportunities (working with Service Providers to offer Location-based services, offering charging services to interested parties and developing Mobile Services platforms). The investigation starts with an overview on the European Mobile Telecommunications industry, looking at structural configuration and trends. Then this analytical approach is applied to the Italian market, which is analyzed in detail. The research proceeds exploring the most important academic contributions about value network models for the Mobile Telecommunications industry and mobile services platforms. This theoretical part and is complemented with an empirical analysis. The following Mobile Operators are chosen as case studies: TIM, Vodafone, Wind and Tre (Italy), Telia (Sweden), Telenor (Norway). The Wholesale Application Community is analyzed as well. Much information comes from interviews realized with Operators´ top management. To collect what emerged from the theoretical and empirical analysis, a SWOT analysis has been performed to understand the strategic impact of mobile services platforms on Operators. All the previous parts (theoretical framework, case studies and SWOT analysis) constitute the backbone to develop the value network model.
Questa tesi è nata da una collaborazione tra il Politecnico di Milano e il KTH (Stoccolma, Svezia) come atto conclusivo di un programma di doppia laurea promosso dall´associazione T.I.M.E. Lo studio si focalizza sul settore della telefonia mobile in Europa, identificando le grandi sfide strategiche per i Mobile Operator. Le piattaforme per l’erogazione di servizi di telefonia mobile (mobile services platform) rappresentano uno dei più importanti paradigmi nel settore, come testimoniato dalla crescente popolarità degli application store. Nell’ultimo decennio si è passati da un modello chiuso (walled garden) in cui i Mobile Operator rappresentavano il punto focale del value network (avendo pieno controllo sulla rete e i servizi) ad una situazione in cui gli Operatori promuovono la collaborazione con attori esterni dando origine all´Open Mobile era. Questo trend ha permesso ad aziende come Apple, Google e Facebook di entrare nel mercato dei mobile service promuovendo piattaforme di grande successo (App Store, Android Market, etc.). Ciò ha compromesso la posizione centrale degli Operatori che ora rischiano di vedere il proprio ruolo ridimensionato a fornitori di connettività. Il mercato sta vivendo un boom nell’utilizzo dei mobile service ma, al tempo stesso, la propensione alla spesa sta calando trainando al ribasso il mobile ARPU. Per di più gli Operatori devono fare i conti con gli ingenti investimenti per la progettazione e la realizzazione delle nuove reti 4G basate su tecnologia LTE. Questo scenario evidenzia quanto sia importante per gli Operatori trovare nuove strategie per mantenere un ruolo di primo piano nel mondo dei mobile service. Identificare queste strategie è lo scopo primario della ricerca. Per avere un approccio sistematico al problema, le strategie sono individuate e modellizzate attraverso un modello del value network del settore della telefonia mobile che ha le mobile services platform come punto focale. Dal modello emerge che le strategie hanno due scopi principali: combattere la congestione della rete (investendo per migliorare la rete ed acquisire nuovi slot di banda per le tecnologie LTE, facendo contribuire i Service Provider agli investimenti di rete ed elaborando nuove tariffe per il traffico dati) e trovare nuove opportunità di reddittività (lavorando con i Service Provider per offrire servizi di localizzazione, offrendo servizi di billing e investendo in mobile service platform). L’elaborato è organizzato come segue. Per primo viene analizzato il settore della telefonia mobile in Europa, esaminandone la configurazione strutturale e i trend. Questo schema di analisi è poi applicato al mercato Italiano, analizzato in dettaglio. Lo studio prosegue esplorando i più importanti contributi accademici riguardo il value network per il settore della telefonia mobile e le mobile services platforms. Questa parte teorica è affiancata da un’analisi empirica. I seguenti Mobile Operator sono trattati come case study: TIM, Vodafone, Wind and Tre (Italia), Telia (Svezia) e Telenor (Norvegia). Inoltre viene presa in rassegna la Wholesale Application Community. Un prezioso contributo viene dalle interviste realizzate con il top management degli Operatori. Per sintetizzare quanto emerso dall’analisi della letteratura scientifica e dall’analisi empirica, è stata condotta una SWOT analysis per individuare l’impatto strategico delle mobile services platform sugli Operatori. Tutti gli elementi finora presi in rassegna (framework teorico, case study e SWOT analysis) costituiscono la spina dorsale per sviluppare il modello del value network.
The platformisation of the mobile services domain and its impact on mobile operators´ strategies in the open mobile era : an innovative value network model
PASSONE, FRANCESCO
2010/2011
Abstract
This investigation is a joint research project between Politecnico di Milano and KTH (Stockholm, Sweden) as the final act of a Double Degree program under the patronage of the T.I.M.E. association. The paper investigates the European Mobile Telecommunications industry, looking at strategic challenges for Mobile Operators. Mobile Services platforms represent one of the most important paradigms in the industry, as confirmed by the growing popularity of the application stores. During the last decade Operators have shifted from a closed model (walled garden) in which they were the central focus of the value network (having full control on the network and the services running on top of it) to a situation where they promote the collaboration with external actors giving birth to the Open Mobile era. This trend has allowed companies as Apple, Google and Facebook to enter into the mobile services domain and promote successful platforms (App Store, Android Market, etc.). This has compromised Operators’ position and now they risk seeing their role reduced to mere access providers. Mobile services usage is experiencing a boom but, at the same time, users’ willingness to pay has reduced lowering the mobile ARPU. Moreover Operators have to deal with the important investments to develop and roll out the new 4G networks based on LTE technologies. This scenario highlights the importance to investigate how Operators can adopt successful strategies to keep on playing a meaningful role in the Mobile Services domain. Identifying these strategies is the primary goal of this investigation. To have a systematic approach to the problem, the strategies are detected and modeled by a value network model encompassing the Mobile Telecommunications industry and having mobile services platforms at its focal core. From the model it emerges that Operators´ strategies revolve around two main drivers: defeating networks congestion (investing in network upgrade & spectrum auctions, charging Service Providers for HQ delivery services and elaborating data price plans for mobile customers) and finding new revenue opportunities (working with Service Providers to offer Location-based services, offering charging services to interested parties and developing Mobile Services platforms). The investigation starts with an overview on the European Mobile Telecommunications industry, looking at structural configuration and trends. Then this analytical approach is applied to the Italian market, which is analyzed in detail. The research proceeds exploring the most important academic contributions about value network models for the Mobile Telecommunications industry and mobile services platforms. This theoretical part and is complemented with an empirical analysis. The following Mobile Operators are chosen as case studies: TIM, Vodafone, Wind and Tre (Italy), Telia (Sweden), Telenor (Norway). The Wholesale Application Community is analyzed as well. Much information comes from interviews realized with Operators´ top management. To collect what emerged from the theoretical and empirical analysis, a SWOT analysis has been performed to understand the strategic impact of mobile services platforms on Operators. All the previous parts (theoretical framework, case studies and SWOT analysis) constitute the backbone to develop the value network model.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Francesco Passone - Tesi.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/20521