Application Enablement Feature Editorial

Changing Market Strategies to Meet User Demand

By Amy Tierney, TMCnet Web Editor

In a world where content is at literally consumers’ fingertips, network providers are often hard pressed to fulfill Internet users’ demand for new Web applications and increased bandwidth. While network operators may be reluctant to cover the costs needed to support such applications, they realize that evolution is inevitable.

 

To generate more revenue and stay top of mind with customers, network providers and application providers are quickly realizing the need to change their approach. Go to market strategies today must leverage business models that accomplish do one thing: improve the end-user experience.

 

Alcatel-Lucent has a solution. The company focus on application enablement offers a new environment that blends the capabilities of the network and the Internet so service providers can transform their own model into something that better meets the needs of end users and drives revenue.

 

According to a company white paper, “Application Enablement: Delivering a Trusted Web Experience to Drive Revenue,” application enablement is designed not only to improve the Web experience for consumer and business end users, it also will yield “new value that end users, advertisers and sponsors are willing to pay for.”

 

Application enablement is a solution from Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert) that combines the capabilities of the network and the innovation of the Web to help players transform to a more stable model for new revenue sources. Application enablement lets end users enjoy a richer experience that they can access anytime and on any device.

 

There’s no debate that billions of people today are using the Internet. Whether for blogs, e-mail, social media or video communications, the one common trait most Internet enthusiasts agree on is that the user experience counts.

 

“To deliver the experience end users are demanding and manage exploding bandwidth requirements, network and application and content providers must become more interoperable and broaden the value they provide to each other,” the white paper said.

 

There is a need. Research from Alcatel-Lucent found that companies would pay more to ensure their brand is presented in a positive light to target audiences. Content owners said they would also pay more to make sure their digital content and customer information is secure and managed, the research found.

 

On the end user side, the research found that end users, too, are willing to pay for specific enhancements and services. For example, respondents said sharp video and instant access to content are the most important enhancements for online video. End users said they would also pay more money for security, privacy, continuity of service across devices and personalized services, the research found.

 

“By investing in a high leverage network and exposing key capabilities in a controlled way, network providers will be able to evolve their business models in line with end-user expectations,” the white paper said. “And they will be ready for the uptake of new services that is expected as the global economy returns to strength.”

 

Using Alcatel-Lucent’s approach, network providers can offer a rich and trusted end-user experience that expands relationships with content and application providers and drives additional revenue, the company said.

 

For more on how user demand for new applications is shifting the way network operators launch go-to-market strategies, read Alcatel-Lucent’s white paper here.

Amy Tierney is a Web editor for TMCnet, covering business communications Her areas of focus include conferencing, SIP, Fax over IP, unified communications and telepresence. Amy also writes about education and healthcare technology, overseeing production of e-Newsletters on those topics as well as communications solutions and UC. To read more of Amy's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Amy Tierney