According to a survey conducted by Frost & Sullivan in collaboration with BroadSoft, Inc., 90% of telecom providers believe that integrated, cloud-based platforms speed time to market for the delivery of unified communications offerings to business customers. The survey results indicate that an integrated SaaS cloud-based unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) platform can enable telecom providers to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market through enhanced offerings, reduced sales cycles, and new revenue opportunities.
The findings of the SaaS revolution report conducted by Frost and Sullivan were based upon in-depth interviews with 20 senior executives at major global telecom providers during the fourth quarter of 2016. From the research, it is clear that the business priorities of telecom providers need to change with the rapidly evolving UCaaS market, as 90% of respondents indicate an integrated, cloud-based platform speeds time to market; 63% believe it reduces reliance on scarce resources; and more than half (52%) believe it enables them to transition from a CAPEX to a more profitable SaaS OPEX model.
Key Report Findings:
- Ninety percent of telecom providers said that turn-key cloud-based platforms would speed their time to market
- Forty-five percent plan to deploy a turnkey solution hosted and operated by a third-party to improve their own ability to offer innovative solutions, with the majority expecting to make the switch in the next 12 months
- Eighty percent say theirs is a culture that encourages rapid innovation but only 40% agree that their internal processes make that a reality
- Seventy-five percent want to grow awareness of their solutions, but only 55% currently support online ordering
- Fifty-five percent view the integration of multiple vendor technologies to develop their cloud solution as a significant challenge
“The UCaaS market is witnessing accelerated adoption and intensified competition, and service providers are uniquely positioned to capitalize on and lead this transformation,” said Elka Popova, North American program director, Connected Work, Frost & Sullivan. “This survey afforded us an in-depth view of service provider priorities, challenges and strategies, with the conclusion that a managed platform simplifies and reduces the cost of service delivery while ensuring a comprehensive and continuously updated offering is always available to service provider customers.”
“Telecom providers recognize that rapid and cost effective product innovation is a key business driver in the dynamic and highly competitive UCaaS market, and are increasingly looking to vendors to offer flexible and innovative delivery options,” said Taher Behbehani, chief digital and marketing officer, BroadSoft. “To help telecom providers meet this market challenge, BroadSoft remains focused on developing and offering a complete range of delivery models, including BroadCloud, a PaaS offering and our Powered by BroadSoft go-to-market program.”
The report, “Service Providers: Are You Prepared for the SaaS Revolution?” is available for download here.