Which Web 2.0 Services End Users Want and Are Willing to Pay For

Next Generation Communications Blog

Which Web 2.0 Services End Users Want and Are Willing to Pay For

The primary difference, from a user perspective, between the Web of a decade ago and today's Web 2.0 is the conversion of the Internet from a one-way information portal into a two-way communications tool - both for business and consumer users. It's the interactive nature of today's Web applications that presents an opportunity for providers to create highly attractive, personalized, and customizable applications for end users, increasing subscriber loyalty and creating new revenue streams.
 
The key for service providers is being able to identify the services that will be most attractive, and for which users will be able to pay.
 
Operators' ability to deliver these services to their subscribers is a part of Alcatel-Lucent's application enablement vision, which combines what it calls a high leverage network with application enablers - the capabilities that allow the creation and deployment of these new services and, importantly, their monetization. It combines a true next generation communications network with high-value applications.
 
This approach allows network operators to deliver a rich user experience through the use of various subscriber data that allows the personalization and customization users demand. Today's application environment is not a "one-size fits all" world, and providers that are able to deliver on these new customer demands will quickly differentiate themselves in the market.
 
Any application development and delivery strategy must be founded on a new and more compelling user experience. Perhaps most importantly, providers must be able to accommodate user preferences for specific services and their preferred means of delivery. Ultimately, and understanding of these factors will allow providers to determine which services users will be willing to pay for, which directly correlates to their willingness to provide information that allows providers to develop even more effective applications and business models.
 
To help its customers better understand which types of applications users are likely to respond to most positively, particularly from a pay-for-play perspective, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs Business Modeling team used research from 15 developed markets to develop a five-year roadmap of services to target.
 
Though there are a number of services and applications that will ultimately be desirable, those that Alcatel-Lucent believes are most likely to become the most effective for revenue generation through the end user include: multi-screen video, integrating messengers, user-generated TV, multi-player mobile gaming, mobile social networking, and mobile video.
 
These are all services that are already in development and, in fact, already available from select providers to an even more select group of subscribers. But, as next generation networks continue to be built out, and new devices are developed that are capable of accessing these services, and, perhaps the biggest unknown, as subscribers migrate from legacy, limited functionality devices to new high-speed multimedia capable devices, these services will proliferate and present a real revenue generation opportunity for providers that have prepared for it.
 
Because, for end users, the critical factor is the experience, application enablement, including identification and development of the right service and building the right partnerships, represents the level of success providers will find in the future. Users don't want to think about the technology; they just want it to work - and they want it to work the way they want it to - so they are able to connect to the people and brands they care about.
 
For more, read Alcatel-Lucent's Application Enablement white paper.


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