January 8, 2013

What You Need To Know Now...

Making The AT&T/Ericsson Connection
Because connected devices are proliferating and providing new services in all areas of life, Ericsson will provide AT&T with testing and verification for devices within its Global SIM Program, helping to ensure that the performance of each manufacturer's device using the program is compatible with international regulatory and carrier requirements and networks. AT&T's global SIM devices will be verified and tested by Ericsson’s labs prior to launch. Such pre-planning could prevent some headaches at the deployment stage, when the last thing customers want is to have a new phone not work at the time of purchase.

The Top IP Director Priorities
The Legal Exchange Network just released what it believes are the top IP director challenges and priorities for the coming  six to 12 months. Right now, more than half of the IP directors surveyed are focused on IP monetization, and 24 percent plan to invest in new IP valuation services relatively quickly. And pressure from the board is pushing IP heads to help ensure they add value to the business. As such, nearly 30 percent are looking to invest in training tools to educate the wider business on IP, and more than 60 percent have identified cost control and reduced spending as being part of that value-add.

Changing The ‘Free Internet’ Mindset
Amdocs recently probed the current state of service-provider Wi-Fi deployments, control and monetization, finding that new and innovative ways to make money with the technology is becoming a top priority with service providers. What’s needed now are billing models that go beyond directly charging customers (who typically equate Wi-Fi with free Internet access). For one thing, first-mover advantage is critical: Capturing key strategic locations for Wi-Fi hot spots ahead of competitors is key. And real-time policy control could open up new Wi-Fi revenue streams by allowing operators to offer such differentiated services over Wi-Fi as tiered and/or premium services.