At the recent Chetan Sharma Consulting Mobile Future Forward (MFF) event, Synchronoss Technology CEO Glenn Lurie said the wireless industry is starting to go through a very unorganized period and that growth curve is exactly what they like.
New technologies, new competitive threats, new opportunities and a changing industry that is rapidly moving to 5G creates lots of chaos. And according to Lurie, chaos is the problem Synchronoss helps wireless networks solve.
Lurie has been in the wireless world for decades as President and CEO at AT&T Mobility as well as running other parts of their business. If I recall correctly, we met in the green room a couple decades ago when we were both keynote speakers at an industry conference and I have followed his career ever since.
Wave of chaos is transforming wireless
He is one of the people in wireless who seem to get it. He understands the change wave that is re-writing the entire wireless industry. Both the industry and every competitor are struggling with rapid and ongoing transformation. Every company must jump on this change wave if they want to continue to grow.
I think that’s one of the reasons he decided to build Synchronoss. He worked with them when he was on the carrier side. He knows the challenges carriers face. He also saw the big opportunities as wireless networks are forced to transform going forward.
At the MFF event Lurie said things are getting messy in the wireless industry. The way I look at it, that is both a challenge and an opportunity.
He says this mess is what Synchronoss focuses on. They manage the user cloud experience for wireless customers. They offer a top-level, private-label cloud service to wireless carriers like Verizon Wireless and others.
The company not only helps US based wireless carriers, but they are a global provider, so they help networks around the world.
He says today, content is more important than the iPhone or Android smartphones themselves. And helping carriers and their customers manage content is what Synchronoss focuses on. It helps wireless networks provide an easy to use, cloud-based content delivery system, among other things.
Wireless transforming with private cloud, IoT, 5G, messaging and more
The wireless industry is starting to go through its next, major transformation with 5G on everyone’s mind. Ten to 15 years ago, the iPhone and Android were introduced. That’s when there were only a few hundred apps. Today the app marketplace has exploded to hundreds of millions so far.
That explosive growth was an industry filled with chaos, just like todays shift to 5G and the cloud, IoT, messaging, OTT and more. This is the area where networks are struggling to both manage services and offerings and also to make money.
Every wireless carrier globally faces the same challenges and opportunities. Many large carriers are sorting through this on their own. Others are welcoming assistance from experts, so they don’t miss this next opportunity.
Mid-size and smaller wireless carriers simply do not have the in-house expertise and must work with outside experts to help them reach these same goals.
In fact, every wireless carrier world-wide has this need. This is an important next trend the industry is preparing for.
Wireless network leaders, followers and others
Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, C Spire Wireless, all of the resellers like Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, Altice Mobile and countless others should all be creating their strategy for this next important challenge and opportunity.
There are always leaders, followers and then the rest. The leaders are first. They capture the imagination of the marketplace. They pave the new roads. Followers come next. They also can do well, but they don’t steer the path of change. Others will be the clear losers if they don’t jump to catch this next change wave.
All the different networks worldwide are struggling with the same issues and in the next few years, as things continue to get messier and more chaotic, only a few carriers will rise to the top. Carriers who can crack the code, offer great services to customers and make money.
So, expect lots of trials and errors with services and pricing as carriers struggle to create this next growth wave over the next few years. I think the companies who secure expert outside help from industry experts with the expertise they need have the best chance to lead this next, new growth wave.
