Integration of Rich Communication Services Sebastian Schumann Slovak Telekom

7. November 2012. Berlin, Germany

Slovak Telekom, a.s.

§  Slovak Telekom Group is the telecommunication market leader in Slovakia §  T-Com, T-Mobile (merger in 2010), Zoznam, Posam

§  We provide fixed network services, mobile communications, Internet access + content, data services, CPE, ICT services (data center + cloud), radio and TV broadcasting as well as commercial call center services

§  The major shareholder is Deutsche Telekom AG, one of the largest telecommunications operators worldwide

§  Successful deployments in SEE as well as in DT group §  One of the biggest national-wide deployment of NGN technology in Europe in 2004,

whole city migrated to all-IP NGN in 2007 §  Fixed network IMS migration started in 2011 (class 5 replacement) §  Leader in IPTV (since 2006) and providing also hybrid sat TV (since 2009) §  Extensive FTTx deployments (370.000 households) §  First Flash-OFDM deployment for mobile data in 2005

Scope

§  Integration of Rich Communication Services §  Converged (fixed/mobile) operator requirements §  Integration of rich communications as an enabler for advanced IPTV services §  Use cases and business perspectives of selected scenarios

Textbox Headline

§  What are rich communication services in scope of this presentation? §  How can integration help to improve the perception of the “uncool” Telco? Can it? §  Where do I see price tags to be placed in future network architectures?

Share my vision how and where “former Telco’s” can gain some ground in the ever-changing service landscape

Ideas from an operator for other operators.

Our environment changes! Calling from the fixed phone.

§  (Younger) people barely use fixed phones anymore. §  Telephone use per se is going done, however, only

legacy telephony use! §  People talk even more, but through different channels

§  Mobile phone §  Skype §  Viber, Facetime

§  Still used in the corporate environment, but for how long? §  Mobile phone §  Lync

§  The demand for talking to a distant person remains, but is satisfied differently.

Image: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2047625/Half-people-30-admit-using-home-phone.html

Our environment changes! Family/friends in front of the TV

Image: http://theotherjournal.com/filmwell/2009/10/28/made-for-tv-filmwells-resident-telephobe-launches-new-series/

§  Households have multiple TV

§  “TV” is not watched on the TV anymore (shift to iPads etc.)

§  People are not gathering in one location anymore

§  The demand for watching movies, even “together”, remains, but is satisfied differently.

Our environment changes! Choice of television program

§  In the past, people had printed TV guides (and even paid for it) §  Set of channels §  Movie information §  Rating

§  EPG is a first step forward, but demand still not satisfied §  Several ratings, discussion, link

to actors’ other movies, etc. §  Differing per TV vendor,

per program supplier

§  The demand to know what currently runs remains, but is satisfied differently.

Image: http://vintagedisneylandtickets.blogspot.com/2008/11/disneyland-album-tv-guide-january-1955_14.html, http://telekom.sk

Our environment changes! TV watching behavior

§  People used to meet in front of TV at a certain time

§  Evenings where scheduled acc. TV program

§  If people were not able to watch something, it had been explicitly recorded

§  People still watch content they want, but differently §  On the place of their choice §  At the time of their choice

Image: http://www.netflix.com. http://videoload.de, http://telekom.sk

Why is there so much about TV?

§  Slovak Telekom launched TV apps and OTT TV a while ago §  Television from Slovak Telekom marketed under the brand name “Magio” §  Magio IPTV & SAT apps on ST’s own web based framework with non NGN IPTV -

including Hybrid TV interactive applications §  Facebook §  Video portal free.sk, sports app

§  Magio Go includes device- and access-independent access to many local channels §  Web access §  Mobile web access §  Mobile app access

§  Includes access to control the set-top-box at home (e.g. for recordings)

ST Magio Go – Operator OTT for multiscreen

§  OTT multiscreen service over any network §  PC, mobile, iPhone

§  Profile detected based on IP access network §  Additional service to Magio TV §  10 live TV channels §  HLS adaptive streaming §  PC browser, Android, iOS §  Limited to Slovakia

§  (GeoIP)

Images: http://www.magio.tv

Benefits of TV OTT

§  Customer has access to content he pays for – independently of the current location §  Ideally also to TV archive/recordings

§  Extend reach of customers – IPTV not limited anymore to own access infrastructure §  The inclusion of delivering TV off-net means also finding ways to deal with others

delivering TV on-net §  Reduce amount of set top boxes (one of the most important cost factors for IPTV) §  Local operators can use the local presence and country as specific advantages

§  Local content §  Language

How can we apply our experience to communications – the current core business?

Think user centric and redefine our terms

§  It is not telephony anymore, voice is only one of the communications means §  It is not text messaging between phones anymore, it is multi-device on multi-net

multimedia messaging §  Decoupling of network and service is now technically possible – since it is all IP

§  Service is accessible no matter how the user is connected §  “Just add voice” to own apps is now an option

§  We started well off with taking TV to an OTT level, it has to continue with voice/messaging §  Customer should not be limited by access or device to access operator services

§  Why can I not send SMS from my WiFi iPad? §  Why can I not do phone calls incl. in my mobile phone bundle using my PC? §  …

§  All of this could generate revenues for the service operator!

Is RCS-e/joyn the way to go?

§  Maybe. §  joyn as “chat for mobile phones” is – in fact – most likely not going to convince alone

§  Messages have different values and are exchanged differently than legacy SMS §  Picture sharing is not done during a call but using Instagram

§  RCS-e as a platform may enable interesting use cases, if the concept is done right §  Provide interfaces to extend basic service offers seamlessly §  Messaging on the TV, interop with SMS, carrier billing

§  Phonebook, messaging integration on IPTV missing – why? §  Presence ( ) is nothing scary anymore for the users, but not delivered – why?

§  Commonplace in communications applications, web sites, mobile phones for years

§  many applications can be enhanced with communications, joyn as platform/enabler is not a bad idea as such, but it is not the new SMS!

Ideas

IPTV – a disregarded communications opportunity

§  Seamless integration of IPTV services with regard to communications offer §  Phonebook integration

§  Call initiation §  CLIP on TV §  Recommend via joyn

§  Use benefit of not requiring particular TV (not “smart”, not new, not connected) but offer this “smart” experience through set-top-box (“valuable” end device)

§  Make first integration experience of joyn communications enabler platform locally, to offer its capability later on to third parties

§  Example §  Magio integration with Facebook §  Telekom Deutschland Entertain integrations

§  Mediencenter, Shair

IPTV – a disregarded communications opportunity ctd.

Sean Connery

Roger Moore

Pierce Brosnan

Daniel Craig

Phonebook

PSTN IMS

TelekomCloud

Refurbishing Telco services for today’s world

§  New “former legacy” telecommunications services are currently just build acc. the previous requirements

§  When “rebuilding the PSTN”, Telco’s should at least “mash up services” using web services or consider integration with today’s services §  Voicemail extension

§  Speech to text, SMS to mail §  WAV file delivery via mail, web front-end

§  Call Forwarding or Do Not Disturb based on calendar information §  Conferencing enhancement with web portal, mail invite, secure data store etc. §  Televoting integration to IPTV

Refurbishing Telco services for today’s world ctd.

Televoting

PSTN

Full service experience packaged by Telekom

§  All services that are now only integrated using “bundled sales” can be fully integrated to offer device independent experience §  Fixed/mobile converged communications §  TV communications central §  PC + tablet extension

§  Example §  1st step: Hometalk – use the “fixed line” on the mobile phone §  Future possibilities

§  Provide convergence network-wise w/o separate app §  Use “mobile services”, e.g. MyPhonebook, through TV at the “fixed line” or on WiFi §  Permit seamless access to commodities like voice, messaging

through non-classical access/devices (e.g. tablet on WiFi, PC)

What else can we do?

§  Permit integration as features in third party products using APIs §  Do not only start integrating capabilities provided by Internet services, but also offer

own capabilities to be integrated §  Sample:

§  Elaborate new possibilities that may bring §  Support break-out to PSTN §  Add joyn communications features – enabled by the platform, not a particular client. §  Offer simple APIs to integrate what is missing on the app side

§  Stop thinking in legacy patters, evolve communications + services.

§  Don’t try to be “like OTT” without benefits users know from their proposition!

The IMS and RCS does not change anything per se

§  Migration of legacy platforms is currently mainly cost driven §  IMS is seen as the best alternative at the moment – following the legacy view of telephony!

§  What can Telco’s do once they have IMS or RCS infrastructure (for whatever reason) §  Wrong: Look at what we can do with it. Create need or technical motivation.

§  joyn??? §  Right: Check what we need! And what our customers need.

à Look how the IMS and transitioned Telco infrastructure can help. §  Optimize processes and infrastructure §  Find new business models §  Consider the web (also with regard to payment options, feature activation, etc.) §  Integrate, but offer also means to be integrated (messaging, voice)

Technology driven services and features are wrong!

Summary

§  Motivation to rather act now than wait for the perfect standard §  Utilize existing infrastructure §  Integrate on the back-end/blend services

§  Development should happen for the future (with legacy support) and NOT to keep legacy logic and integrate it somehow with future systems

§  Northbound integration of IMS service layer should not be an option, but a must! §  … and should be done with Web 2.0 technologies/protocols

§  The Web 2.0 is user centric and open to be extended with 3rd party applications – the Telco 2.0 should follow this approach

§  Integration on back-end (e.g. with IPTV, IMS services) is cheap and helps transition of the customer feeling of “Telco as single home communications provider”

§  Not only keep QoS on IP (“assure it’s not worse”) but increase QoE (“make it better”) §  Integration is important (internally as well as opening for external access)

Thank you. Sebastian Schumann Senior Designer Slovak Telekom, a.s. Sebastian.Schumann@telekom.sk +421 903 419 345

@s_schumann

sschumann

References

§  http://newsroom.sprint.com/news/sprint-offers-personalized-names-as-alternatives-to-phone-numbers.htm

§  Thanks to Juraj Matejka, Eugen Mikoczy, and Tomas Sustr for contributing to preparing this presentation!