Many connectivity service providers now talk about becoming a techco. That assertion can have several plausible meanings.
“What we do” could change. Among the most-sweeping possible interpretations is that “telcos” provide “connectivity” but “techcos” supply platforms or applications. In an advanced version, techcos are themselves owners of apps and services running on their networks.
“How we do it” is an alternative. An arguably less-challenging understanding is that “techcos” are firms that are innovative and agile or customer-focused; embracing risk-taking and experimentation.
A related shift might have telcos becoming “ecosystem orchestrators” that assemble partners and functions to create a “one stop shop” for customers. In this vein, perhaps techcos are noted for an embrace of open systems.
What all such understandings arguably include, though, is a shift from basic connectivity to “additional services, apps or value” beyond the core connectivity function.
Some will remain skeptical about whether telcos really can become techcos in that sense. And some might argue that, though laudable, the “techco” emphasis is really only the latest in a long series of marketing-related efforts to change perceptions about “telcos.”
If you have been in the “telecom” industry long enough, you have seen many efforts to shift language from a “traditional” to a “new” term.
“Telco to techco” is merely the latest iteration.
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