Thomas Vasen is Subscriber Experience Evangelist at Procera
Networks. He will be speaking on strategies to monetize data at AfricaCom
next month. He shares his insights on the market in an interview ahead of the
event.
AfricaCom: What is Procera’sposition in Africa’s market?
Thomas Vasen: Procera is an established player on the continent with deployments
by mobile operators, fixed ISPs and local governments. We offer a wide variety
of platforms to ensure that we have a suitable solution for everyone. Customer
use-cases are primarily focused on controlling traffic on the network, but
peering traffic management and fair-usage policies are gaining popularity. We
have also noticed that emerging market operators are focused on maximizing the
subscriber experience. They take a more proactive approach to improve customer
satisfaction and, as a result, we are seeing increased demand for the solutions
we offer.
A: What do you think will be this
year’s most game-changing development in Africa’s telecoms?
TV: Perhaps
a real attractive internet.org alternative will emerge that will drive users to
become more interested in mobile Internet usage. Operators must start to
develop new skill sets to successfully grow and should focus on value-added
services, such as micro packages for specific value and OTT services.
But the biggest driver for growth will be the availability of
affordable, but rich enough, handsets.
A: What services will enable
telecom operators to generate revenue from data?
TV: Operators
need to stick to a usage-based pricing model and find ways for users to start
using more data. It is important to have sufficient coverage and network
quality in relevant places and remind subscribers of the services that are
available to them.
The key for operators is not to invent services, but to quickly
identify and accelerate adoption of new trends. Operators need tools to monitor
the network and understand traffic to be able to grow. A great strategy is to
launch app specific data packages for those users who cannot afford general
data bundles at an affordable price point. In addition, any services that
facilitate trade of some sort will be attractive for users.
A: What do you estimate as the
most pressing communications needs for customers in Africa?
TV: The
intercontinental cables have always been a scarce resource in Africa. OTT
service providers from North America or Europe will not be able to deliver the
highest of quality services simply because of the long distance between the
continent and their data centers. Local cashing solutions offer a short-term
remedy until more global transit capacity is available at affordable rates.
A: What aspect(s) of the customer
experience should operators make a priority in Africa?
TV: There
is a lot of talk about the experience of the onboarding and the support process
in Europe. I recommend focusing on the quality of services delivered instead. Make
sure that services are fully functional in all locations on the first attempt
enabling customer to immediately benefit. It’s not only about having coverage;
it’s about providing enough bandwidth and high enough quality of experience in
the right locations.
A: What tools should operators use
to enhance customer loyalty in Africa?
Delivering good quality is the foundation to earn loyalty. Even
though there will be fierce price battles to attract the lower classes online, those
consumers will be very sensitive to their quality of experience given the
expense in relation to income levels. Their expectations need to be exceeded before
loyalty can be created.
A: In your opinion what are the
most interesting debates to expect at AfricaCom this year?
TV:
How is NFV helping the region to become more forward thinking,
move to a newer generation network right away, and offer advanced control of
services to maximize new business growth?
I am also interested in any discussions on Net-Neutrality. I admit
that I’m not fully up-to-date across all of the regions, but I’d like to learn
more about the rapid changes I see taking place here and in other emerging
regions like India.
Thomas
Vasen’s presentation will take place in the session on New Revenue Streams on
Wednesday 18th November at AfricaCom. For more information on the
programme click here
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