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Featured Telecommunications, Strategy & Analysis Article, prepaid mobile
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Getting more from prepaid mobile services

February 2008

As the industry matures, mobile operators won’t be able to count on a flood of new customers to fuel growth, so they must create more value from those they already have—including prepaid ones.

Featured Telecommunications, Strategy & Analysis Article, customer queries
Premium Content
Anticipating customer queries in call centers

November 2007

An effort to determine the value of specific kinds of customer inquiries shows how companies should decide which channels are best for dealing with each of them.

Featured Telecommunications, Strategy & Analysis Article, business management strategy
Confronting proliferation ... in mobile communications: An interview with Nokia's senior marketer

May 2007

Keith Pardy discusses the challenges of maintaining a strong global presence while keeping pace with the explosion of products and marketing channels.

The Archive

2007
Gulf telcos: Managing expansion better Premium Content

March 2007

Profitable businesses at home have led Gulf telcos to expand nearby regions. But success abroad will require a whole new set of skills.

The true value of mobile phones to developing markets

February 2007

An estimate of the economic benefits of wireless activity must include not only wireless operators but also auxiliary players and end users.

2006
How telecoms can get more from Internet Protocol Premium Content

December 2006

As telecommunications carriers invest heavily in new IP technologies, the path to profitability is uncertain—but the migration effort yields the best results when carriers get the basics right.

2005
Leading change: An interview with the executive chairman of Telefónica de España Premium Content

August 2005

Julio Linares explains the design of the company's big turnaround program. Third in a series of interviews with leading executives on change management.

Automated self-service comes to telcos

February 2005

Telecom companies play a key role in automating the sales and service processes of other sectors. Now they must automate their own.

IT's role in media convergence: An interview with Verizon's CIO

February 2005

Shaygan Kheradpir talks about where IT fits into convergence, innovation, and cost cutting.

2004
Meeting the no-frills mobile challenge Premium Content

October 2004

Many people shopping for mobile-telephone services don’t want expensive features. Low-cost providers are stepping in to garner a sizable chunk of this growing market.

A new route for telecom deregulation

August 2004

Regulation and technology have loosened the incumbents’ grip on the ‘last mile’ in telecommunications, but weakening these companies further could make them abandon their vital investments in infrastructure.

China's market for mobile phones

May 2004

Original-design manufacturers in South Korea and Taiwan are key allies for global telecom companies that wish to compete in China.

When efficient capital and operations go hand in hand Premium Content

March 2004

Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia’s head of mobile phones and a former CFO, discusses strategic organization, performance measurement, and the value of financial transparency.

2003
Telecom: Advantage, France and Germany Premium Content

February 2003

The United States still leads the pack in fixed-line services. But France and Germany have the advantage in mobile ones.

Why European ISPs need partners Premium Content

February 2003

Subscription services promise huge revenues for Europe’s Internet service providers. But even the biggest will have to share resources.

2002
Baby Bells on hold Premium Content

December 2002

The Baby Bells have survived the worst of the telecom downturn, but the growth of their call-management services is now faltering.

What's next for Eastern European telcos? Premium Content

December 2002

To survive in the European Union, telecom incumbents in Eastern Europe must streamline their operations on all levels.

Wi-Fi goes to Washington Premium Content

November 2002

A new technology could not only restart economic growth but also help connect everyone, everywhere to the Internet—at low cost.

2001
Making money where it's scarce

December 2001

Far from widening the income gap between rich and poor countries, digital information technology might some day close it.

Weathering telecom's dark and stormy night Premium Content

November 2001

Reed Hundt, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, explains why the future still looks good for the telecommunications industry.

Mobile portals mobilize for scale Premium Content

May 2001

Most of today's mobile portals are likely to fail. The winners will build the right partnerships and alliances.

DSL will win where it matters Premium Content

February 2001

Most of the money in broadband access will be made serving midsize and small businesses, and in this segment DSL wins hands down.

Profit in wireless B2B Premium Content

February 2001

Wireless business services are changing the way companies work. The biggest slices of the pie will probably go to system integrators and to developers of platforms and applications.

2000
Asia’s wireless future Premium Content

December 2000

McKinsey undertook detailed interviews with mobile-phone users in Asia. Half of all respondents—and even more of the high-value ones—said they would switch operators to get access to wireless data services.

From e-commerce to Euro-commerce Premium Content

June 2000

Europe is now playing catch-up to the United States in electronic business, but the European game may well have a different outcome.

M-commerce: Advantage, Europe Premium Content

June 2000

Surprise! Europe will almost certainly take the lead in mobile commerce.

Value on the line Premium Content

June 2000

Europe’s telecom companies are hard-pressed to grow fast enough to satisfy their shareholders. Scale and focus should be their mantra.

1999
What kind of telco is the fairest of them all? Premium Content

November 1999

A McKinsey study shows that while older companies in the telecom industry have done well, new ones have done better: more than half the value created since the breakup of AT&T comes from companies not spawned by the Bell monopoly.

Dial "M" for merger Premium Content

August 1999

With the day of the $1 trillion telco at hand, regulatory supervision is needed to solve the problems created by the European industry’s accelerating wave of consolidation.

1998
Who will connect you? Premium Content

November 1998

The bottleneck in local networks is opening up. That puts 90 percent of service revenues up for grabs. What consumers get will depend on where they are.

Full telecom competition in Europe is years away Premium Content

May 1998

The EU’s five-year-old dream of a uniformly wired and regulated Europe is still just a gleam in Eurocrats’ eyes.

1997
Attackers versus incumbents: The battle for value in an IP-networked world Premium Content

November 1997

The datacom market is booming—and new entrants could grab two-thirds share. Next up: using the Internet for phone calls. “It’s the packets, stupid.”

1995
Getting telecoms privatization right Premium Content

February 1995

Governments have no choice, but will they get it right? How not to wipe out 10 to 50 percent of value. Not ownership, but the trade-offs among availability, costs, and quality.

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