However, what’s not always clear is what constitutes value. We have long argued that value isn’t to be found in the obvious things such as subscriber location, messaging and so on. We have promoted the idea that value is more likely to be found in more arcane areas such as QoS, security and so on.

At the recent BBTM conference in London, we heard much to confirm our contention. For example, a presentation from Telecom Italia – which seems to be quietly driving considerable innovation in this area – identified six key assets that possessed by operators and which have value:

• QoS / QoE
• Content storage
• Caching / adaptation
• Status
• Identity
• Billing / provisioning

Now, not all of these are unique to operators, but some certainly are – only operators can deliver and guarantee end-to-end QoS, for example. But collectively, they form a clear set of values on which operators should be focusing. While voice is still relevant, other players have emerged to offer OTT solutions (Twilio, Callfire and Voxeo to name but three). This means that operators must increasingly turn their attention to that which is unique, differentiated and different.

While not all operators may have thought this through, it’s clear that doing so is essential to understanding the role they can play in the future for developers. Early recognition of the value of these assets will help accelerate their ability to monetise hidden assets. Instead of thinking about assets that have only legacy value, operators should pay close attention to what really matters and this list from TI is a good place to start.