Telecoms analysts and other industry experts are positioning 2005 as a year of increased ‘triple play’ rollout, highlighting opportunities for telecoms operators and service providers to develop integrated voice (telephone), data (Internet), and video offerings.
In its 2005 forecast, Taiwan-based research firm Market Intelligence Center predicted that, “As broadband penetration rates increase and with ever rising transmission speeds, in 2005 service providers are expected to more aggressively roll out triple play data, voice, and video services to raise ARPU (Average Revenue Per User).”
For customers in the Middle East, triple play offerings can be a bundled package of services intended to return more benefits to customers by offering more affordable rates than the aggregation of charges for individual services, ensuring greater convenience and integrating customer help desks.
Regionally, telecoms solutions providers such as INTRACOM are introducing triple play systems to meet anticipated growth around the Middle East. Because the region’s triple play sector is still in its infancy, market experts believe that triple play options that enable operators to test and evaluate market demand before deploying full-scale systems will be the first choice for Middle East-based operators.
“In the Gulf, Levant, and some African markets, telecoms operators are realizing that offering basic connectivity services is not adequate to retain their customer base and compete effectively in the broadband era, especially as these markets become more liberalized. They plan to evolve into value-added service providers in order to revamp the declining average revenue per user (ARPU),” commented Stavros Vougas, managing director, INTRACOM Middle East FZE.
“By bundling video and high-speed data with voice services, regional operators can compete more effectively and offer an alternative to the satellite-dominated home entertainment market. Triple play services can not only be deployed in a cost-efficient way – they are also aimed at enhancing an operator’s profitability, reducing customer churn and accelerating the recovery of network investments,” he added.
