“The gap between telcos’ dreams for 5G and the reality of delivering and monetizing them is simply too big.” – Francis Haysom

There is a constant call for greater innovation from telcos, in pursuit of goals for growth – and to prove to shareholders that the investment in 5G has been worth it. But all too often, the sort of innovation put forward has been bordering on science fiction, or at least fantastical, and missing functional (and revenue) opportunities closer to home. In the current telecom market climate, the issue constitutes something of an emergency.
But the problem is much less about technology than poorly-structured thinking about the nature of innovation in telecom.
In this Research Note, Francis Haysom applies Appledore’s Innovation Framework to show how it can uncover significant new value even from telecom’s longest-established service – Emergency Contact (999/911/112).