Putting people first: Enriching the customer experience

Working together to create openness and an industry ecosystem

On the face of it, mobile broadband has been a huge success story, enjoying rapid take-up in many markets. However, the potential goes way beyond the basic access that many operators have seen so far. To build a sustainable future for mobile broadband we must create new opportunities – and that will take innovation, the like of which we have yet to see in our industry

US operators are forging ahead with plans to be among the first in the world to deploy Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile networks. To support their preparations, Nokia Siemens Networks has established an advanced LTE test and development facility in Dallas, which is already home to a large technical facility that has been working on mobile technologies for many years.

Enriching the customer experience is the route to lower churn and higher profitability. The key is to keep customers happy as their communications needs evolve over the years.

Data is the black gold of the 21st century, claims high-profile consultant Alan Moore. And the data created by people’s online social interactions reveals much about their buying behavior. We find out more about the science of social marketing intelligence.

Mobile operators are engulfed in subscriber data that could be used to boost their gains from the mobile Internet access phenomenon. But investment in data management systems is needed first.

Unified charging and billing systems give customers the freedom to choose the services they want and to pay for them in the most convenient way. It’s one of the most visible ways of enriching the customer experience.

In a world of IP-based convergence, new business models are needed to open up essential new revenue streams. The Telco 2.0TM initiative advocates a two-sided business model with third party businesses on one side and consumers on the other.

When one of the world’s largest communications groups announces new plans, the industry tends to listen. For an insight into Vodafone Group’s aims for carbon emission reductions, unite exclusively interviews Miguel Arranz, Head of 2G Product, who has been instrumental in developing the company’s commitment to energy saving.

Mexico recently joined the mobile broadband party following the launch of Telcel’s 3G network, which, thanks to its excellent customer experience, is proving a hit with subscribers. The success of this leading provider reveals much about the huge potential for mobile broadband.

As businesses of all sizes become increasingly dependent on information to run their operations, the market for Ethernet Services to interconnect business sites and data stores is rising. It’s an opportunity that Orange Business Services is meeting in France with Carrier Ethernet technology.

Softbank Mobile of Japan is raising its operational efficiency and cutting its carbon emissions by deploying Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Base Stations.

Smart in the Philippines is launching mobile broadband based on its newly rolled-out HSPA network. As well as bringing personal Internet access to millions, it’s an important part of the provider’s strategy to raise its presence among higher-spending customers.

In late 2008, an intrepid team set out to discover how mobiles could improve the lives of the poorest rural Brazilians. They found a real need for connectivity and proved the business case for operators.

Nokia Siemens Networks has picked up two top awards for its products and services in China. In December 2008, the fourth annual IT Time Weekly awards gala chose the company as the winner of two categories: ‘Customer Service’ and ‘Most Environmentally-friendly Product’.

Providing highly-specialized communications for industrial applications often calls for the local expertise of a sales partner. unite looks at the work of one such company, WWW NETWORKS in the Middle East, to find out more.

In free markets across the world, no matter what the industry, the top businesses have a common characteristic – satisfied customers. A company’s profitability, sustainability and competitiveness all stem from a solid base of customers who are willing to come back to buy more of its products or services.