Part two of a four part series:
Part one: Communications Without Boundaries
Part three: Embedded Communications
Part four: Digitization to Humanization

INTRODUCTION

Change or lose. Transform and win. Transformation in the real-time communications software industry is all around us - there is software everywhere, in the network, on the edge, on devices and endpoints, in the applications and embedded in applications. Nothing is standing still, and those who develop a score for transformation will orchestrate value creation while the rest will be doomed to cacophony.

While M-Commerce has been all the rage over the last ten years, “M-Customer” is a term I’m coining in this column to describe customer engagement experiences through mobile devices. The innovation here has just begun and is closely linked to M-Commerce but pertains as much to customer retention and loyalty as it does to making the initial sale.

More people with smartphones…

More Internet access points with the growth of Wi-Fi and hot spots…

More developer platforms and the rise of real-time communications APIs…

Over-the-Top (OTT) service providers, like Skype, Google, WhatsApp and Netflix are riding on top of Communications Service Providers (CSPs) capex-intensive infrastructure by delivering Web and mobile competitive offers either directly (pure OTT VoIP applications) or indirectly (embedding voice, video and messaging into social, mobile, or gaming apps).  

We had an incredible run last week when GENBAND launched its Simply Mobile framework – tremendous coverage from the media, and support from industry analysts who recognize the evolution and revolution happening in “mobile” today.

Once again our employees have demonstrated their commitment to GIVING by embodying the true spirit of GENBAND and I could not be more proud. As part of our recent trip to South Africa the team wanted to do something special for the local community. The decision was made to adopt a cause that would benefit those in need. 

The technology and telecommunications industries are littered with cautionary tales of innovative companies surrendering market dominance due to their inability to react quickly enough to new and disruptive competitive forces.

The fate of BlackBerry, the one-time 800 pound gorilla of the mobile device market, currently hangs in the balance, the result of a deer-in-the-headlights response to Apple’s introduction of the consumer-friendly iPhone, or so surmises a consensus of industry observers.