Outsourcing redefines 'network operator'

Outsourcing is one of the new realities of the telecom industry. Enterprises outsource private network management to telcos; vendors outsource manufacturing and increasingly, product development, to third parties. Mobile carriers also have begun outsourcing network management to vendor partners. The latter trend has prompted new questions about what really defines a network operator.

Up to now, incumbent wireline telcos, with their traditional emphasis on control over network reliability, would be least likely to outsource network management. But, perhaps increasing pressure to evolve and compete on the services front is changing that notion.

For More:
- Telecommunications has a story from Current Analysis senior analyst John Marcus that explains the growing potential