With the advent of 4G/LTE, mobile operators are facing challenges and opportunities that will shape the future direction of communications for at least the next five to ten years. Faced with the erosion of revenues from the rapid encroachment of the so-called OTT (over the top) players, such as Apple, Google and many others, into their traditional market strongholds, operators are coming to the increasing realisation that data – ‘big data’ – represents their most significant asset in terms of being able to provide added value to their customers in the future. A key aspect of this transformation will be how operators are seen to astutely manage the wealth of user data at their disposal to good effect and position themselves as secure identity brokers and/or identity providers in what is already becoming a highly competitive market. This presentation will highlight the challenges facing operators in this brave new world and give examples of how some operators are already addressing the opportunities.
