IBM unveils SMAC solutions for telcos

Technology giant IBM on Wednesday unveiled a slew of Social, Mobile, Cloud and Analytics (SMAC) solutions, targeting telecom operators in India.

These innovations are aimed at helping telcos derive more value from enhanced customer engagement, the US-based firm said in a release.

The solutions offer operational and business model transformation and promise a rich digital experience for consumers, it said.

According to IBM's Digital Reinvention Study 2013, 63 per cent of 1,100 surveyed executives said they expect consumers to gain more power and influence over their businesses.

Looking five years out, 58 per cent of these business leaders expect new technologies to reduce barriers to entry and 69 per cent expect more cross-industry competition.

"As the uber-connected, empowered individuals demand a 24X7 consumer experience and are exerting greater influence by participating in more digital activities, telcos should turn to the latest technologies and draw on their capabilities to capitalise on emergence of everyone-to-everyone economy," IBM ISA Director (Telecom Industry) Vikas Sehgal said.

Digital technologies will ultimately drive drastic changes in the economy, value chains will fragment, industries will converge and new ecosystems will emerge, he added.

As social is fast becoming a revenue-generating business model, IBM Research has introduced Vibes, an enterprise social software solution that will enable telcos narrow down target audiences from communities to individuals, he said.

"The future of interactivity will be symbiotic, in which virtually everyone and everything are mutually interdependent. IBM researchers realise this and offers Async, a solution to help telcos gain operational excellence with an alternate content delivery paradigm for heavy content such as videos," Sehgal said.

IBM's Contextual Content Communication (C3) will help telcos enable contextual communication of content in diverse business scenarios for an enhanced and better targeted user experience, he said.

Sehgal added that firms can then offer a consumer walking into a stadium to watch a cricket match with appropriate content related to the match or players.

IBM also showcased the Watson Engagement Advisor (WEA), which was announced globally last year.

WEA can assist the firm's customer service agents or sit directly in the hands of consumers through mobile devices, with cloud-delivered services and online chat sessions.

"In one simple click, the solution's 'Ask Watson' feature will quickly address customers' questions, offer references to guide their purchase decisions and troubleshoot their problems," he added.