Everything-as-a-Service: The next step in the evolution of the telco

A quick flick through the agenda for next week's Carriers World event in London, will show you that telcos are desperately searching for ways to boost their bottom line, increase ARPUs and stop being just… well… telcos. The days of merely flogging voice, text and data bundles to the world and his wife are long gone, as service providers look to leverage their existing infrastructure to deliver a huge range of "Everything-as-a-Service" type products. New consumer research released this week, suggests that telcos are well placed to build on high levels of brand trust, as well as a genuine desire for digital services among their client base, to transform their business models. A new survey released by Openet this week, shows that 70 per cent of consumers believe that their mobile network provider is a "digital first" company, while 73 per cent said that they would be receptive to greater digital service offerings from their provider. Surprisingly, respondents to the survey held their mobile operator in higher regard than a host of digital native companies, including Spotify, eBay and Uber. In light of these findings, I met with Openet's CEO…