Mobile Companies Now "Disruptors," Not the "Disrupted"

If you ask just about any executive in the telecom or cable industries what "disruption" means in the business, and what it looks like, you will undoubtedly find that people talk about competition from new contestants. "Disruption" normally is seen as something that "happens to" telecom or cable providers.

But that's only half the story, and probably not the more-interesting part of the story. In recent days, we have seen some significant potential changes in the wireless part of the business that illustrate a whole new aspect of "disruption." And that difference is that some initiatives in the communications business now are aimed at disruption of another existing business.

True, one might argue that telcos getting into the IPTV or video entertainment, or cable companies getting into voice and data services, also were disruptions.

But there's something more than that going on now, in some other parts of the business. The best examples so far are mobile banking and mobile payments. In both cases, mobile operators are not simply seeking incremental, "line extension" sorts of growth, but seeking to establish leading positions in new businesses that means mobile service providers are the "disruptors," not the "disrupted."

That's a huge change.

Mobile Companies Now "Disruptors," Not the "Disrupted" - Thoughts on Carrier Evolution - Carrier Evolution: