Transformation Progress in Telecom

TRI: It's been four years since you left your high profile job as CIO and CTO of AT&T. So I'm curiously to hear your perspective on the transformation progress the telecom industry has made in the past few years?

Eslambolchi: Unfortunately, I see telecoms doing too much technology insertion without solid business strategies to back it up.

Everybody says, "Oh, I want to put IPTV in the network." But what's so unique about IPTV? It's merely using an IP versus a cable industry protocol.

And why worry about building out fiber to the home and IPTV at all unless you've first figured out how you're going to make money with that technology?

How did Apple create a highly successful business ecosystem?

They looked at music content and integrated that with the device. And they single-handedly created a new industry around downloading music to the iPod. That concept made Apple billions of dollars of profit.

Now the interesting thing is that Apple's success wasn't from a technology insertion. It was a splendid business plan enabled by technology.

And frankly, OSS/BSS remains the sweet spot of the telecom business because an agile OSS/BSS is key to enabling capabilities like the personalizing of content and the delivery of advertising.