Is the mobile telecom sector ready for open source?

I have often been asked "Is there a place for open source in the Mobile Telecoms industry". My ready made answer is always "YES".

Now let's take a closure look, in the consumer electronics market, open source software is widely used while in the handset market we now see open source operating systems being implemented in the latest "multi-media" handsets... think of Google's Android OS. So that easily answers the question, doesn't it?

How about the all important infrastructure side of mobile telecoms, the holy grail of most network operators and system vendors? The answer is again yes, however, today the usage of open source software in most of system vendor's equipment is not promoted. To find check the components of a network infrastructure and most likely you will find a hardware using an open source software. The use of open source software makes most of the software-dependent hardware to be sold at lower prices compared to when using a proprietary software.

The planning, management and optimisation parts of a mobile network are the areas where there is no open source presence or little penetration if any. Proprietary software makers dominate this sphere where software and applications are priced sky-high and in most cases more expensive than the hardware infrastructure needed to run them, justifiably so. The question then is why is that no open source solution exist? Actually you will be surprised that there are. For example the use of Linux OS and mySQL in several software application. What is missing is a complete solution or tool that is truly open source.

This is changing with the introduction of network management and due diligence applications that are truly open source. Further more decision support systems and analysis software covering planning, management and optimisation tasks that are truly open source are on its way to the market. A new era has begun, the age of free software :-)

Do we need 4G?

The hottest topic today in the telecoms world is 4G. Several operators have publicly announce their plans to roll-out LTE in the next years while most are now implementing HSPA. On another side there's WiMAX, claimed by some quarters as real 4G. Both have their pros and cons but let's not be a party to that debate. Instead let's ask ourselves do we need 4G and its benefits of high speed data?

Look at at this way in some parts of the world they are just starting to implement 3G (UMTS) networks. Moving to 4G is being driven by the need to have something new, something better. Is it consumer driven? Absolutely not! So what is it then? I believe it is vendor driven. Any system vendor out there today will always go out their way to find the next big thing, the product that will bring in more revenue. It doesn't matter that consumer adaptation is slow, it just needs the right services, further marketing and promotion.

So going back to the question do we really need 4G. For the sake of the world's financial health, yes we do! Implementing 4G requires new talents, new developments and new investment.. this mean an additional driver to boost the world's economy... Its good for you an me :-)

Responsible Mobile Network Operations. Is there such a phrase?

A study on usage of mobile phones recently reported that more than 4.1B subscription exist with the highest growth seen in less developed economies, compared to 1B subscriptions in 2002. This proves the point that people in general values mobility and freedom, at least in communications. Compared to fix network where there are around 1.2B subscription, mobile usage have increased dramatically in the last 6 years. On this increase wealth is created by both mobile network operators and vendors (maybe not Nortel who recently filed for bankruptcy).

Mobile operators and vendors are cashing in this current boom and there's no let down in the foreseeable future. The real winner of course are the rural and poorer areas of the world where for generations have never experienced the benefits of technology. Suddenly all this areas can access mobile telecommunications, just imagine how much their lives have change. The question is it a change for the better or is it a change to that loses their cultural identity.

Progress is a good thing and with the help of mobile telecommunications the advancement is accelerated to a very fast pace. However do mobile operators or system vendors contribute their share to improve the way of life in this poorer parts of the world? Or do they explore the money making opportunities and exploit it? Each mobile operator has their own corporate culture, the challenge is who would provide more help to poor communities compared to the financial benefits they reap.

I understand that business is business however business can also be socially responsible. Who is up to the challenge?