Innovation Quest for Telecom Operators: The heat is on!

Our research 3. October 2016.

The topic of innovation is not new to telecom companies per se. They have been among the first to introduce corporate accelerators, launch corporate venture capital arms, and introduce a variety of corresponding managerial roles. However, realizing value from these innovation efforts have proved elusive. Today, professional investors shy away from start-ups whose business models build on telco collaboration, focusing instead on those disrupting the slow-moving giants.

To gauge the state of affairs, Match-Maker Ventures, Arthur D. Little and the Telecom Council of Silicon Valley launched a truly global study including views from ecosystem influencers drawn from corporates, start-ups and investors, with telco industry respondents covering about 82% of global telecom revenues.

The results expose the increasing divide across stakeholders: Telecom operators have furthered their open innovation efforts but face headwinds to achieve meaningful scale or realize value. On the other hand, start-ups and start-up-like entities continue to shun telecom operators as partners of choice.

We trust this study will bring you up to speed on the innovation quest for telecom operators and spurs you to revisit current efforts within your organization.

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