In-home experience and complexity management will shape NSP strategies

However, technological developments and the implementation of innovative business practices have actually generated deeper relationships between consumers and network service providers (NSPs) in the region, according to Mercedes Pastor, senior vice president for the Eurasia customer equipment business unit of Technicolor Connected Home.

“Despite, or perhaps because of, the constantly changing situation with COVID restrictions and supply chain challenges across the region, 2021 has turned out to be a year of great transformation and innovation for the customer premises equipment (CPE) sector,” said Pastor.

As NSPs respond to new consumer demands for enhanced connectivity and new entertainment applications the industry will have to further embrace open strategies that absorb the products and services offered by a growing number of technology developers. This is creating new technical requirements for next-generation CPE.

“Two big revelations have come out of 2021. The first is the emergence and acceptance of Wi-Fi 6. As people spend more time at home accessing network resources from a wider variety of devices, in-home wireless network performance must be elevated,” said Pastor.

“The second is the imperative to provide excellent consumer experiences in which NSPs manage the growing complexity faced by consumers while introducing new compelling services demanded by a very sophisticated customer base. NSPs that have adjusted to this reality have been rewarded with customer loyalty and low churn. Looking ahead to 2022, we expect this trend to continue,” she added.

Trends for 2022

The ability of NSPs to incorporate new applications by leveraging new technologies to improve home video and sound experiences will require a significant improvement in the ability to harness analytics. This is another reason that open technology strategies are so critical. It is the best way for an ecosystem made up of many different providers to constructively use data captured on intelligent CPE platforms. It allows NSPs to have greater control over the services and experiences offered to consumers and provides more flexibility on how they design and develop a mix of experiences that support the digital lives of subscribers.

“That is why Technicolor Connected Home is establishing deep relationships with the most innovative players in the market that can sit on top of our CPE platforms to help our NSP customers execute their business transformation strategies,” said Pastor.

It is also why it is so important for the entire ecosystem to develop a common understanding of how to capture, analyse, and protect customer data to help NSPs achieve their business objectives throughout 2022.

“The rapidly shifting nature of customer expectations will make it necessary for operators to carefully monitor customer experiences in real-time and take proactive actions in advance of these shifts - as opposed to waiting for customer feedback and taking action after the fact,” added Pastor.

Technicolor Connected Home is working with its technology partners and NSP customers to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to meet the constantly changing needs of connected home customers across Eurasia.

“Working with emerging technologies to develop sophisticated applications is the only way that NSPs will be able to adjust business practices to meet evolving customer expectations,” said Pastor. 

Among the expectations held by consumers is that their providers are working constructively to protect the planet - and their communities - by embracing sustainable business and technology development practices. Sustainability is an additional trend that is coming to the fore for the NSP community.

“It is the reason Technicolor Connected Home continues to put ecologically sensitive sustainability practices at the centre of all our design, development and distribution operations. We have integrated these principles into all aspects of our supply chain activities, from sourcing to customer delivery. It is a critical element of our strategic plan for 2022 and beyond,” said Pastor.