Christian Michaud explains how platforms, online trading and blockchain will shape the wholesale communications industry. The next three years will be a test of strength...
Can wholesale communications be redefined in digital era?
2 mins read
Tata Communications' Christian Michaud, discusses the importance of redefining wholesale communications in the face of digital advancements.

A large proportion of this decline can be attributed to the rapid rise of over-the-top (OTT) services and VoIP services such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype among consumers and businesses as well as the adoption of UC by enterprises. In fact, according to Telegeography, OTTs delivered 40% more international voice traffic in 2017 than all the global telecoms companies combined. Yet, the challenges around declining voice revenues have been discussed for nearly a decade. The truth is, some wholesale carriers have been extremely slow to act and today they find themselves at a crossroads: innovate or face extinction."After ten years of negative to zero growth, revenues from voice are predicted to fall to $50 billion by 2022 – nearly half of the market’s total worth in 2012."
Wholesale voice is not dead
While wholesale carriers may well be servicing a market that is half the size it was 10 years earlier, this does not mean that voice revenue opportunities no longer exist. There will always be a need for wholesale carriers to provide capacity and manage international communications, serving the needs of mobile network operators and multinational enterprises. In fact, for the industry survivors there is a significant amount of revenue to be won, but this will only go to those wholesale carriers that are willing to embrace disruption.
"For longer-term success, wholesale carriers must be continually refining their solutions and services to solve challenges and anticipate the future needs of customers."
What do Uber and wholesale voice carriers have in common?

Read a blog about why advancing connectivity is a crucial part of the business."Rather than offering services product-by-product, wholesale carriers should innovate by focusing on experience - delivering value creation, sourcing the best solutions and identifying the best partners to serve their customers’ needs."
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