The (relay) race is on for the CSPs

Communications service providers can learn from the best practices of successful relay race teams to capture a significant piece of 5G market opportunity

- CHANDAN GOVINDARAJULU

The most successful relay race teams don’t just have exceptional individual talents, they also bring out the best in one another, offer complementary skills, and execute as a cohesive group. With 5G, Communications Service Providers (CSPs) need to take a similar “relay race” approach to select the right partners to develop and drive new services leveraging the larger ecosystem. The adage that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts rings true in 5G.

5G opens a world of new possibilities for businesses, whether for replacing current IT, transforming their operating models, or creating new and innovative products and services for their customers. But developing these solutions and being first to market requires a new mindset for CSPs and new ways of fostering collaboration across the ecosystem. According to recent reports, 5G could be a reality in India by this September. CyberMedia Research expects 11 million 5G smartphones to be shipped to India in 2021, and it is estimated to touch Rs 19,053 billion by 2025.

Survey findings from BearingPoint Beyond indicate that 60% of CSPs believe collaboration helps drive costeffective, innovative solutions and that businesses need an average of nine partners to support their 5G use cases. Nine partners – that’s taking the relay team analogy to another new level of coordination and requires new approaches to how CSPs and partners work together.