“Yeah, we are a Telco” was the message from BlueVia, the new API program from Telefonica, on their Silicon Valley Tour last year. And, “yes, we know what you are all thinking: telcos suck” they continued. Not the usual marketing message you get from telcos, but necessary to grab the attention of web and app developers who are used to working with the likes of Google, Facebook, and Twitter. You can check out the BlueVia presentation and video here and here. KPN is contemplating the same and recently held a developers meeting as well.
We believe it is necessary for operators to take a leap forward and open up the SMS walled garden and invite social networking vendors to create apps that leverage SMS for a share of the revenue. However, transitioning to new business models will be a painful experience for many. Ultimately, we believe only those telcos that are able to mix and match the six-sided telco business models for maximum competitive value and profitability will win.
