Out of the three RBOCs, Qwest continues to hold tight to its contrarian integrated services strategy.
Qwest does not own a wireless network nor does it have any desire to build out a separate network to deliver TV services, but the RBOC thinks it has the right strategy in place to compete. Instead, Qwest has been content to build a three-pronged strategy that leverages Verizon and AT&T (3G wireless and WiFi), satellite TV (DirecTV) and its own global network backbone.
Speaking during the TM Forum Management World Americas event in Orlando, Neil Cox, Qwest's executive vice president of product development and management, said the company will focus on delivering over the top video for consumers and a host of cloud/managed services for enterprise customers.
Leveraging its ongoing Fiber to the Node (FTTN) network build out--one that will eventually reach nine million homes with 40 Mbps VDSL2-based services--Qwest wants to deliver an array of over the top video services via Ethernet-connected DirectTV boxes. "We differ from our peers in the industry," Cox said. "We see walled garden IPTV plays breaking down. We see a tremendous amount of over-the-top services.
On the enterprise business side, Qwest is being no less aggressive. While Cox admitted that at one point "you could play football" in its 13 data centers, they are now 90 percent full and will provide managed services that will incorporate both network and applications.
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