There is no going back when telecom operators move to become integrators of information and communication technology (ICT) , since carriers are seeking ways to avoid becoming just dumb pipe. “They aim to increase revenue through ICT by adding services to their business-to-business (B2B) portfolio.
Focusing on corporate customers, the Brazilian telecom operator Oi announced during this week’s Ciab event (check all stories) the launch of two managed service offerings: a mobile device management system named Oi Gestão Mobilidade and a WAN management service dubbed Oi Gestão WAN. While embracing more managed services, Oi forecasted this segment will generate revenues of U.S.$98.58 million (R$200 million) annually by 2015.
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Oi plans to have managed services represent about 10% of its corporate business. B2B services account for about 30% of the carrier’s total revenues. “In the value chain, IT and telecommunications are integrated, which is an advantage for us,” said Ronaldo Motta, Oi’s marketing director. Motta also explained that as a telecom operator, Oi can be ahead of its IT integrator competitors.
Both services complement its B2B portfolio, which also includes cloud services dubbed SmartCloud, which was launched earlier this year. Oi’s corporate roadmap includes services and solutions such as machine-to-machine platform, LAN and WLAN management, mobile applications, perimeter security and clean pipe, as well as unified communications and collaboration offerings.
“We aim to provide IT and telecommunications management solutions, so CIOs can be more focused on their company’s core business,” said Motta. It is part of Oi’s newest approach to the corporate market. Motta noted the carrier invested U.S.$9.86 million (R$20 million) to launch both services and forecasts U.S.$49.34 million (R$100 million) in additional investments by 2015 to complement its managed services portfolio.
For both offerings, Oi has teamed up with partners: Juniper and Navita for mobile device management and security, and CA Technologies for WAN management. The carrier will integrate the partners’ tools with its own solutions and sell them bundled together as “value added services.”
Under Oi Gestão Mobilidade, the carrier provides device management and monitoring in compliance with IT security rules. As for Oi Gestão WAN, the telecom operator manages the capacity and performance of the network, evaluating and anticipating issues.
