Blockchain and the Mobile Industry

With almost no industry untouched by blockchain-mania, what opportunities does the technology hold for the mobile industry? Recognizing the issue, the GSMA has begun to explore the applicability of its Mobile Connect, identity management proposition. And, at this year's Mobile World Congress, several mobile network operators (MNOs) bandied together to launch a collaborative approach [1].

Launch Strategies for Digital Business Units

Among the many announcements and presentations from Mobile World Congress 2013, one that caught my attention came from Matthew Key, the CEO of Telefónica Digital.

In a post-event blog post Key highlighted how the mobile industry is moving beyond the realm of “phone calls and pure connectivity” with particular reference to M2M and mCommerce opportunities. He observed that “Despite the realization by all telcos of the need to become digital to leverage these opportunities, there is a lack of consensus on how to get there. What then is the way forward?” His own position involves “driving open partnerships and using mobile and digital technology to address pressing social needs”. Partnerships, in a variety of forms, is something I have previously described as a key aspect of business model innovation.

Stepping back, however, what are the key characteristics of other mobile operator ‘digital’ initiatives? And, what does this imply as the way forward as other operators strive to become Digital?