Decoding Cable MSO’s Digitalization Journey..

As per Gartner recent research, “Lack of digital business competence will cause 25 percent of businesses to lose competitive ranking by 2017.” 

The above research finding was not made exclusive to MSO Cable Industry in India, but it has relevance for it as well.

GOI has paved the way for growth for Cable /MSO players by putting Regulation on Digitization of Cable TV services in India in 2012.While policy makers are refining the ground rules regularly, it has given an opportunity for Indian MSO to embark into the journey of providing services likes of leading service providers in the world, and bench marking their service like Industry leaders across the world-Comcast, Time Warner, Dish TV etc.

Though India being the late entrant in the journey of digitization, in last three years MSO Industry has seen many hurdles in putting the processes, laying uniform policies, strengthening the Cable TV value chain (MSO-LCO), defining tax regime and so on, but the core objective remain unlocking the potential of industry to lead and build better customer services.

Phase-1 and Phase-2 of Digitization saw few leaders from MSO industry being the early movers in putting system in place through modernization of IT systems. However the larger benefits goes to STB suppliers and manufactures in cashing the digitization opportunity, which saw many analyst and investors putting their money into the market. I would term this phase as Digitization 1.0, which would be attributed to STB supplier or manufactures, thus enabling MSO to put STB at homes. This phase did not see much changes in service differentiation to end consumers, which is eminent from even after phase-1/phase-2 completion, end users are yet to get personalized services and many MSO/LCO hasn't started giving monthly subscription bills/invoices to end consumers.

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With the extended Digitization deadline across India now, Digitization 2.0 seems to be shaping the MSO Industry for next leg of digitization. This would largely be focused toward completion of pending digitization for phase-3 and phase-4.These phases cover majorly rural and small town/cities across India. Phase-3/Phase-4 consumers are more cost sensitive than the consumers of Phase-1/Phase-2. With the “Digital India” or “Make in India” initiative now by GOI, Digitization 2.0 should see more focus of local STB manufacturing, this curbing the cost of STB’s, with “made in India” stamp on STBs put in Indian houses now.This should also lowers the burdun on end customer while transitioning into digital system.

Digitization 3.0 would foresee many MSO realizing the next generation services,  Industry consolidation and higher business value for MSO. This phase would pertain to the real transformation for MSO Industry in India. This seems to be a distinct possibility in near future, however the foundation has been laid and early steps has been taken by all stakeholders( Government, Industry Players, Investors etc.), a focused and sustained effort might see this happening in three to five years time!!   

Future for Telecom Industry: Going back to Basics!

900+mn subs for Indian Telecom Industry, one of the fastest developed Industry in last ten years. Business Model envisaged ten years back now need relook. Ten years back when telecom business leaders chalked out plan to penetrate Indian Market, voice was the obvious answer, with slew of Value added services (VAS) got added over the years, but voice remain the key focus area and all business models revolved around it.Voice services are in the verge of saturations, data services are picking, which is going the shape the future of this Industry for next decade. One may call it tough time for Telecom business leaders I would rather say the transition period for Telecom Industry. This (transition) call operators to build right business model, develop right infrastructure to tap the untapped data market. However the real challenge to estimate the market size of data revenue. If you ask someone about the market of this, one would respond saying by 2017, 8bn devices would be connected. Or one would say e 15bn internet users or data market would be $ 200bn by 2017 so on and so forth. However the real question is to find out the numbers, which make shape the future of this Industry, question is to find the specific opportunities which will solve problems and help operators to build the right business model.  Data revenue is loose word, when I say specific opportunities; the real question is from where these numbers will come. What would be product or services which enable to achieve these numbers?  Some of the buzz words you might have heard are M2M, analytics, telematics, m-health, cloud so on so forth. Are we really able to see the big picture from all perspective?

Few days back in an interview with leading magazine in telematics, one of the executive said.

“Thus, one can imagine what shall be the growth potential of Telemetric Industry in India. Thus market survey reports shows growth potential but in reality it is not there. The fact is if we want the telemetric industry to grow in this country, the mobile operator must come forward. If one thinks, we the people, who only deals with the hardware part, will take this industry forward alone – then it’s a big mistake. It is the recurring revenue earning source for the mobile operators. The mobile operators must share the initiative for the growth of this business too.”

This clearly say the answer is omnipresent, our operators, are not geared enough to tap these opportunities. Industry as whole might seems lucrative, however this calls for looking into basics and develop business model for each and every opportunity. Let me try to realize the right technique and steps to develop business model and to see big picture.

Let me first try to size telematics markets and then try to see big picture from all perspective.

Figure: Inverted funnel of creating business Model

Our leader can use various tool to envisage big picture, and most commonly tool to use is PEST analysis.

Figure: PEST Analysis on Telematic

Conclusion: Data services are unfolding thus the future of Indian Telecom Industry, it is time to go back to drawing room and work into basics. This industry has immense potential and size to tap, there is need for creating business model, which reap the infrastructure of data services to solve common problems and improve life of millions of people. 

Health: Let’s give it little bit cycling!

It was 5:30 in the morning on 3^rd Jan this year, I got SMS from one of colleague, saying Mr. Gupta was died last night due to heart attack. He was on deputation in Uganda and away from his family. He was survived with one son and wife. He was just 43.

Twenty days  back, there was an internal obituary communication, saying that Mr. Panickar was died last night due to hearth attack. He left behind two sons and a wife. He was just 34 and of my age.

These two incidents shaken me and took me aback, I started pondering what made these two incident to take place.

Mahatma Gandhi said “It  is the health that is the real wealth, and gold and silver”. In the fast paced metro cities, like Delhi, we hardly think about health, we always think about wealth and always run behind money. We make excuse of lack of time for exercising. We prefer to commute by car even for getting daily needs from near by shops to save time.

Friends, It is the time to take the decision, the best decision of your life,whatever age you are on today and remember the words of Billy Grahan,"When wealth is lost ,nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, every thing is lost.”

Whether it is to boost your fitness, heath or bank balance or an save your environmental, taking up cycling could be one of the best decision you can ever made. Not convinced? Let me tell few startling facts of taking to two wheels.

1.       Studies from Purdue University in US has shown that regular cycling can cut your risk of heart disease by 50%. According to one of the heart foundation, around 10,000 fatal heart attack could be avoided each year if people kept them fitter.

2.       One long term study carried out by Finnish researcher found that men who exercised at moderate level at least 30 min a day were half as likely to develop cancer as those who don’t. Other studies have found that women who cycle frequently reduce their risk of breast cancer by 34%.

3.       The best gift/benefit you can give to other by cycling is to avoid pollution and build the healthy environment  for your future generation. On an average, cars passenger were exposed to more then ,100,000 ultrafine particle , which can settle in lungs and damage cells. Every car that is off the road saves 5.1 metric tones of CO2 a year, and just 5% increase in cycle commutation across the world would cumulatively save 100 million tones of CO2 emission annually.

4.       There are many cities in the world where cycle runs faster then the cars in choked roads and you get to your destination  faster then the cars.

Friends, you may feel these are just numbers or an epilogue of  good quality research paper, but remember the words of Denis Waitly, the famous writer “Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted."

Beat the Heat in this Summer!!

Beat the Heat!!

What is the most important ingredient of human body!! Scientist says ..70 % of our body fluid is Water ….

Water the…..Most sought things in Summer!!

Many of us use water thoughtlessly and think it is as abundant as the air we breathe and a free swig is available almost anywhere. But my dear friends …. fresh, potable water is already a precious commodity in many drier parts of the world, and as it grows rarer—and thus, dearer—in developed countries, the true value of H2O is beginning to seep in.

Think can we ensure uninterrupted access and preserve  this precious commodity to our future generation????

In 2008 it was found that only 88% of population has access to improved waster supply and only 31% has improved sanitation in urban cities India. This is worse even in Ural parts of India.

None of the Indian cities with more than million population has continous supply of water.. Chandigarh is the only city which has 12 hrs of supply Rajkot has 0.3 hrs… and we have few hrs of water supply in Delhi… thank to Delhi Jal Board??

Until water shortages impact more of us directly it is likely that this liquid resource will continue to be poorly managed. Whether it's the inefficient flooding of farm fields or hosing down our cars every weekend, people find many ways to waste water….

The recent story of a found in US , a person named,  Chris G. Carlos consumed 440,000 gallons (1.67 million liters) in September 2007 alone.

We would definitely have many such cases in India..if we start measuring this commodity …

Here I will tell you the three most innocent ways of water wastage-

Doing the Dishes:

A lot depends on your dishwashing style: As per the study , in a typical session that includes turning the water on and off will go through about 20 gallons (75 liters) or so in month. But if you leave the water running while scraping at those last grisly bits on your fine china, you may use more than twice that amount. Modern electric dishwashers, in contrast, need less than 10 gallons (38 liters) per average load, says a survey by the American Water Works Association.

Next time when you dishwash …think …how can you contribute ..to save this precious commodity for your future generation…

2. Washing the Car

Wear that bathing suit at the pool or the beach, but not for posing in the driveway while sluicing the suds off your auto with hose water. According to Kaady Car Washes, a west coast chain, a home car wash can go through 80 to 140 gallons (300 to 530 liters) of water, whereas a wash at one of its garages will take about 30 to 45 gallons (115 to 170 liters). In many developed countries in the world like U.S.it is the mandate to channelise the waste water to treatment plants to avoid polluting the environment; contaminated water from your home car cleansing just flows into street drains or leaches into the soil.

Next time think..when you  pull the hose to wash your car at home…

3. Wasting Water by Getting "Wasted"

The most innocent, ignorant and egregious ways, by which we squander this precious commodity …. for those sitting here who love taking  beer…

Are you a person who face hangover in the morning after the hard last night…..

As refreshing and cooling as that beer may taste, it is likely to leave you less hydrated than you were before you started. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it increases the frequency of urination (but you knew that already). Alcohol suppresses an antidiuretic hormone called vasopressin that tells our kidneys to reabsorb and conserve water. The more you drink beer, the more the hormone level falls, and thus the more water you lose. Severe dehydration is a big reason why after a hard night out, you end up with a hangover the next day.

So while taking the sip of beer next time … think …are you the one who hangover s a lot…

So we can save this… for our future generation…. If we take little extra care .from  next time onward.. and save enough water for our next generation to say.. Let’s beat the heat…. 

Future Trend in IT...

There is no doubt that the IT Indutry is going through turbulence in recent past. Companies has shrinked thier IT budget, and there is lot more expectation from the CIO to really add value.To revitalize the IT industry, onus is not only on CIO but with every IT Manager. Today's business surely need new ways rather i would say innovative ways of doing business.Contributing to continous growth is utmost. The average life of company has significately gone down in last 30 years from 25 years to 5 years, which is alarming for today's CEO, so company need to be competitative rather i would say to be innovative.There are three ways in which CIO can contribute and help their CEO and business to look for more meaningful support-

1. Cloud 
2. Mobility
3. Analytics

With desire of continous growth,and increasing the botton line, oraganisatio need to look for reducing the cost incurred setting up the IT infrasture, IT Product & Service, IT Operation and Manitenance.  Cloud  provide road for looking these objective achieved through relentless focus on current oraganiation needs.

There is no doubt, the way we communicate,share,learn has changed over the past years thanks to social media. Now this opens door for looking new ways of doing business, helping fleet on street staff to work and perform better in organisation growth.

There are plethora of data being generated in any organisation- structured data or unstructured data.Some time we call it Big Data. Analytics has played instrumental role in decision making, monitoring , forecasting  and helping CXOs to take better decision. Now the real challenge to manage this big data and develop analytic to help CEO to march for future actions.

There is lot to come in these three space in future. Stay tuned....