Today’s user doesn’t only decide where and when to buy and access support for their mobile services, phones and internet, but also a new provider is just a click away if they aren’t satisfied with their current experience.

Essentially, clients no longer have to simply settle for the service they pay for, but they also expect customised experiences based on their preferences, on their daily activities and on the searches they are making.

For this reason, telecommunications operators need to start rethinking the range of services they make available and reprogramming the so-called customer journey.

More complex infrastructures, increased competition

The telecommunications sector has always been a driver of technological development and innovation, especially as regards infrastructure.

This however brings with it huge costs, from which it takes years to recover.

For example the 5G network; as we have mentioned in other articles, it is a revolutionary technology which will allow telco businesses (and not just them) to expand, continually offering more services.

However, creating a widespread and stable 5G network is very costly in economic terms, and it won’t be easy to convince all clients that a more efficient service requires, at least in the initial instance, retails costs that are high.

To sum up, in order to have an improved network, the phone plans are going to be more expensive.

Unfortunately the industry is characterised by high price competition from new competitors and this is in fact eroding margins, reducing the client life cycle as users are ready to step away towards more economically attractive plans.

Not just voice or internet functions: the true battle is over content

Any device connected to the internet, be it mobile or a fixed installation, offers clients a user experience which is very different to those of just a few years ago.

If we consider, for example, life before smartphones, when using our mobile phones meant in most cases either making a call or sending a text.

Today, text messages are obsolete, and telephone calls have mostly been substituted by video calls, audio calls on instant messaging apps, and voice messages. Smartphones are predominantly used to surf the internet, use apps and browse content of various types and formats.

And this is where the true battle takes place today.

Telephone operators now have to tackle the big players of the web, the likes of Google, Facebook, Netflix and Amazon, which all offer online content for connected devices, thus winning over a large slice of the market, and (not to be underrated), user trust.

In a twist of fate, these colossals have been able to grow their businesses thanks to the infrastructures and technologies actually developed by the telcos.

Reinventing the user experience according to a digital model is the greatest opportunity for operators to once again recapture profit growth.

In conclusion, a fast and quality network will be increasingly important and this requires high-level technologies.

Once again, FAIST is at the forefront in supporting the world's leading manufacturers with its services and expertise.