Convergence and Technological Innovations in ICT Industry: Trends and Strategies for Operators

Technological innovations and market demands are radically changing the structure of the ICT industry. The convergence of devices, services and networks is resulting in the convergence of the industries. This paper describes the impact of technological innovations on the structure of ICT industry and discusses new trends and strategies for operators to face the challenges of the converged world by examining the layer model of the ICT industry. The IP-based new generation networks (NGN), wireless technologies, and broadband access is rapidly becoming the choices for the operators and making it possible for them to enter the other domains. The incumbent operators and other big giants are adopting the strategy of vertical integration while new entrants are mainly focusing on some particular segments of the industry. The future horizontal networks are demanding re-evaluation of strategies and business models from the operators.