Telecoms Industry

Chris talks on a TV panel

Chris has been analysing the global telecoms and related industries for 40 years. His strengths lie in his ability to put the industry into context in its entirety, rather than dealing with its constituent elements and to pragmatically advise on the impact of technological and commercial changes.

In addition to his public commentary, Chris also consults with senior industry players behind closed doors, sharing open and frank perspectives on technology, products & services and strategies.

Insights on Telecoms

  • Becoming more agile: What’s stopping you?

    The recent webinar on becoming an agile business, run by Carl Piva, VP Strategic Programs, TM Forum and myself, revealed some interesting findings about what is holding organizations back the most when it comes to becoming more agile. The key finding from the research for the report which the webinar was based on was that…

  • Becoming agile: Have the right building blocks, hide the technology

    We’ve talked about virtual businesses since Ralph Ungermann had his First Virtual Corporation in 1990s. Ralph was ahead of his time, but the building blocks – well virtual blocks – are finally emerging that will allow companies to focus on the business instead of technological complexity. Looking at the different sorts of suppliers whose kit…

  • The Customer is King: The inside-out model moves to outside-in

    As we enter the digital, customer-centric era for business, a shift from the inside-out model to the outside-in is essential. Let me explain. Previously, businesses have typically done their own R&D, built products and eventually offered them to the outside world. Today and tomorrow’s ‘products’ (or should we say services or perhaps ‘apps’?) will come…

  • TM Forum interview with JP Rangashwami June 2014

      I was lucky enough to interview JP Rangaswami at TM Forum Live in Nice. JP now has the role of Chief Scientist at Salesforce having been at BT previously. So, who is better placed to comment on the massive transformation required by the telcos as they shift gears to address the digital reality of…

  • IOT: the disability angle – from air conditioning to the self-drive car

    Disability is most easily defined as ‘a limitation in a basic core activity of daily living’. As an analyst, hearing so much about the Internet of Things (IOT) gets you thinking about how life will change. And as a registered blind person, it also makes me wonder what frustrations will be smoothed out by this…

  • The future Telco CIO: Serving whom & delivering what?

    Whenever discussing telco CIOs I set the following challenge: “Think of a chart with Stalin to the Dali Lama on the X axis; and a Server and a business suit on the Y axis. Where do you plot yourself or your CIO client?” After the initial groans of recognition of the problem, the concensus tends…