Your Telecom Software Vendor’s Business Stability Matters—Here’s How Much
You hear about change and uncertainty in the telecommunications industry so often, it seems that change is the only constant. Uncertainty is the only certainty. After all, your telco business continually adapts to shifting market forces, like the explosion of AI and the economics of 5G. The last thing you want is for your telco software vendors to introduce even more uncertainty.
Think about how much your business relies on software functions like roaming quality of service (QoS) testing, network steering, new service launch testing, revenue assurance and billing and settlement. The quality of the software is key to these critical functions, but so is its continuity. Telco software vendors can undergo drastic change themselves—restructuring, litigation, bankruptcies, mergers and acquisitions.
Suppose a critical vendor of yours undergoes restructuring. What considerations would you need to make, and what scenarios should you prepare for? Perhaps more than you think. First, let’s talk about what can happen when your vendor experiences significant disruption.
Disruption to Mission-Critical Functions
Let’s consider software that handles QoS testing, revenue assurance, billing and settlement, steering, signaling and monitoring. These systems include:
An intelligent steering system to optimize network selection for cost efficiency and QoS
Proactive network testing that ensures seamless roaming experiences for subscribers
A roaming settlement system that enables you to negotiate and settle international roaming agreements efficiently
Any disruption to these mission-critical systems could damage your reputation and financial performance. In extreme scenarios, your company’s very survival could be put at risk. There are two types of disruptions to consider:
Lack of network readiness: This could impede your ability to launch new services such as VoLTE and 5G services
Decline in roaming services quality: This can include a decline in voice quality or deteriorating data download speeds, which could then lead to revenue loss, customer churn and reputational damage
Financial disruption: Disruption to critical software services could hurt your business’ bottom line. If your roaming settlement system fails to perform, it could result in:
Lost revenue arising from the incorrect billing of services rendered to partners
Unnecessary outpayments to partners, which could arise from disruptions in the automated reconciliation of incoming partner invoices
