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The Telecommunications Carriers' Dilemma: Innovation vs. Network Operation

As the telecommunications industry moves out of its traditional monopolistic environment to a highly competitive one, incumbent service carriers struggle with legacy networks, outdated regulations, and technology silos that don't easily integrate with each other. Additionally, many new equipment and software vendors as well as new competitors (that use incumbents' networks to offer their services) threaten incumbent firms. The objective of this study is to understand what is viewed as sources of competitive advantage in this industry, specifically for carriers. The key question in particular is how operational competencies and innovation competencies are perceived in influencing future performance. While managers state that innovation is critical to the success of the carrier business, the firms' business objectives and metrics tell a different story. The study shows that the respondents, while commenting on the importance of innovation to stay competitive, really emphasize the network operations. This result exemplifies a dilemma carriers are facing to stay competitive: maintaining operational excellence while pursuing an innovation-driven strategy.