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THIS is an era of rapidly changing market conditions, shaped by new, often-disruptive technologies and business models, according to Peter Kaliaropoulos, chief executive of Batelco, Bahrain’s leading integrated telecommunications provider, with operations across the Middle East.
He believes that the region’s telecoms providers must embrace such change across their organisation if they are to keep customer loyalty and sustain profitability.
“The hard facts are that companies of all capabilities and sizes must embrace the strategic opportunities that change offers to ensure sustainable success.
“The newly-deregulated telecoms sector (in Bahrain, Jordan, UAE and Qatar) will continue to undergo fundamental changes.
“We must understand the potentially disruptive impact to existing operators, the new competitive landscape, the opportunity for growth through new scale and scope strategies, and take a long hard look at revenue steams and cost management.”
Mr Kaliaropoulos said that telco-management must shift from ‘pushing products’ to ‘marketing benefits’ across different customer segments to ensure that customers remain loyal in a competitive market place.
“We need to re-invent our operating models to deliver to the demands of the ‘new era’ customer while ensuring that we maintain market leadership in the face of economic shifts and changes.
“In the telecommunications sector across the Middle East, the current key change influencers – and opportunity drivers – include deregulation, technology convergence, entrepreneurial competition and customer lifestyle expectations,” he suggested.
Batelco recently announced a half year net profit of BD52.3 million, a 10.2 per cent increase over the first six months of last year.
