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TMC, Comverse Hosting Webinar on 'Quad Play as an Enabler of Lifestyle Services'

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TMCnews Featured Article


October 13, 2006

TMC, Comverse Hosting Webinar on 'Quad Play as an Enabler of Lifestyle Services'

By Patrick Barnard, Senior Web Editor, TMCnet


Quadruple play holds tremendous promise for the telecommunications industry not only because it will bring true mobile broadband to consumers, but also because it will enable the major IP telephony, cable and wireless players to combine and co-market their services in a myriad of different ways.

Basically, quadruple play is the bundling of Internet access, IP telephony, digital television and wireless service all into a single, integrated package. When talking about quadruple play, one has to bear in mind that it includes double and triple play – therefore it is really the addition of wireless service that makes it distinct from the other bundled services.

For the consumer, quadruple play not only means your wireless service is bundled with your phone, TV and Internet service (therefore you get one bill for all four services), it also means the ushering in of a whole new era of “convergence,” where the different technologies can be freely combined and used simultaneously. For example, a customer with quadruple play service will be able to send and retrieve emails from his or her home computer remotely, using his or her cell phone or PDA. Another example is the ability to remotely program the DVR on your TV set top box to record a particular program while you are away from your home. Yet another potential application is the ability to transfer music files, video clips and other files from your home computer to your phone or handheld device – no matter where you are. The possibilities are endless. Ultimately, quadruple play mean users will have the ability to access a wide range of next generation services while on the go, without the need to be physically tethered to the network.

For service providers, quadruple play means customers are more likely to stay with them because they have all four services bundled into one package, which means they don’t have to be the customers of other service providers. Offering a range of services in a seamless environment encourages customers to stay with a single provider, thereby reducing churn and opening up new revenue-generation potential.

Some service providers in the US and UK have already rolled out quadruple play services, and there has reportedly been strong consumer uptake of these services in the areas where they are available. In the UK, NTL and Virgin Mobile recently launched quadruple play, and customer satisfaction with the new bundle has reportedly been strong.

Despite the success of some of these initial quad play deployments, there is still much work to be done in order for quad play to become “mainstream.” For service providers, the biggest challenge is to create synergies between the different services and to offer personalized service bundles that match different consumer lifestyles. Furthermore, and perhaps most important, quad play services must be consistent – that is to say, the provider’s wireless service has to be as good as it television, Internet and landline phone services. At the same time, all four services have to be as good, if not better, than those of competing service providers. Whereas before service providers had to deliver phone, TV and Internet services of uniform quality, they will now be greatly challenged to provide wireless service to match (and, needless to say, wireless technology is in a completely different realm than that of all the wireline technologies, therefore we're talking about a huge, fundamental shift in the service provider's business model).

To help service providers and IT professionals learn more about how quad play services can be implemented - and successfully launched - TMC and Comverse are broadcasting a special webinar entitled “Quad Play as an Enabler of Lifestyle Services,” at 11 a.m. (ET), Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006. Hosting the webinar will be Erik Larsson, vice president, marketing, Netcentrex (News - Alert) Converged IP Communications, Comverse, and Erik Linask,
associate editor for TMC.

Topics that will be covered include:
 
--How are service providers going to create new value?
--Combining communication, entertainment and information services
--Lifestyle service segmentation for the consumer market
--Service convergence and evolution toward Quad Play
--Revenue generation and long term profitability
--Key success factors for Quad Play
 
Larsson is responsible for driving the overall marketing activities for converged IP communications within the Comverse group. Before the acquisition by Comverse, he played a significant role in reinforcing Netcentrex’ image and position in the marketplace and developed the company’s reputation as a leader in VoIP applications using his extensive knowledge and experience of the telecoms environment.

Prior to Netcentrex, Larsson held senior marketing positions at Nortel (News - Alert) and Genuity / Level 3, and has a track record of managing successful marketing initiatives both for early-stage and established high-tech companies. He has published a number of articles in specialized media and is a frequent speaker at industry events. He holds a master’s degree in engineering physics from KTH (Sweden) and a master’s degree from the Kelley School of Business.

Linask writes for TMC’s IP Communications publications as well as the company’s Web site, TMCnet. Prior to joining TMC, he was managing editor at Global Custodian, a global securities services publication, where he also managed the magazine’s survey research. Linask began his professional career at management consulting firm Leadership Research Institute.

For more information about this insightful webinar, click here.

For more information about all of TMC’s webinars, visit www.tmcnet.com/webinar.

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Patrick Barnard is Associate Editor for TMCnet and a columnist covering the telecom industry. To see more of his articles, please visit Patrick Barnard’s columnist page.







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