BARCELONA, Spain -- (Business Wire)
The rapid growth in consumer demand for intelligent devices positions
communications service providers (CSPs) to play a key role in the
digital ecosystem, according to the Accenture (NYSE:ACN) report titled Engaging
the Digital Customer in the New Connected World.
In Accenture’s annual global consumer survey, the respondents named
telecom operators among the top three providers from which they would
purchase a wide variety of intelligent devices today or in the future.
For, example, when purchasing smart thermostats, consumers view
device-makers (52 percent), telecom operators (40 percent) and handset
or PC manufacturers (39 percent) as their top providers. Consumers named
device-makers (55 percent), handset or PC manufacturers (39 percent) and
telecom operators (38 percent) as their leading choices for home
surveillance systems. For in-vehicle entertainment systems, consumers
view handset or PC manufacturers (53 percent), device-makers (52
percent) and telecom operators (47 percent) as the top three providers.
In addition, 79 percent of respondents indicated they would prefer a
single provider to manage all of their communications and entertainment
products and services.
“It’s clear that consumers are considering CSPs as their facilitators
for the digital goals they want to achieve,” said Tom Loozen, managing
director and global Communications Industry lead, Accenture. “A few
years ago, it was thought that CSPs could succeed by expanding more
aggressively to provide a broader range of digital offerings. Now, the
complexity of the digital ecosystem is creating opportunities for CSPs
to claim a holistic role as customer-centric digital facilitators,
backed by their inherent strengths in local distribution channels and
building and running high-performance networks.”
Challenges in navigating the digital ecosystem are also reflected in
consumers’ experience with intelligent devices. As highlighted in the
report, most consumers – 83 percent -- already using intelligent devices
are finding it difficult to set them up, connect to the Internet, and
manage their complexity. “Steering one’s way through the digital
ecosystem can be a daunting task for consumers,” Loozen said. “CSPs who
establish themselves as ‘trusted providers,’ enabling customers’
products to function effectively within this ecosystem are not only
providing a valuable service, but helping drive digital for mass
adoption.”
The survey results indicate that CSPs are still the top choice in voice
and data services and are making progress as a trusted choice among
consumers.
Thirty-three percent named CSPs as their first choice – along with banks
-- to handle and protect their personal data. Sixty percent prefer CSPs
for wireline voice services, and 54 percent prefer CSPs for wireline
data. For wireless services, 53 percent prefer CSPs for wireless voice
and 50 percent prefer CSPs for wireless data. In entertainment services,
CSPs nearly match consumers’ rankings of TV broadcasters as providers of
pay TV; 37 percent named TV broadcasters as their top choice, followed
by CSPs at 35 percent. For video-on-demand, 31 percent of consumers
picked CSPs as their top provider, with handset and PC makers at 25
percent, and TV broadcasters at 24 percent.
“Consumers’ preferences for a single, trusted provider also place CSP
networks in the spotlight,” Loozen said. “That can be a distinct
advantage for CSPs, because they can combine their expertise in building
and managing IP networks with their increased capabilities to develop
and deliver new, customer-focused services that incorporate data
analytics for highly personalized services. As a result, CSPs are
positioned to do well in the digital ecosystem.”
Loozen suggested that CSPs develop and operate a modular “stack” that
incorporates devices, wireless networks and mobile services from which
potential business partners can choose, using them to compete with
technology giants progressively moving into wireless. He also
recommended that CSPs accelerate the transition to software-defined
networking for programmable networks that facilitate network
flexibility, easier global connectivity and improved content delivery
over mobile devices.
Methodology
The survey was conducted online in October and November 2014, with
24,000 consumers in 24 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico,
Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea,
Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the
United States.
The sample size in each country was representative of the online
population, with respondents ranging in age from 14 to 55 and over. The
survey polled respondents about their usage, attitudes and expectations
related to digital device ownership, content consumption, broadband
constraints, digital trust and the Internet of Things.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and
outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients
in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience,
comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions,
and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies,
Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance
businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of
US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page
is www.accenture.com.
Contacts:
Accenture
Barbara Burgess, 973-452-0694
barbara.burgess@accenture.com
Source: Accenture
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