Telecommunications

Amid rapid digital transformation, we help our clients get up to speed by building distinct capabilities to accelerate growth.

New technologies bring new opportunities

As digital giants and startups change business models in the Middle East and around the world, telecommunications companies must develop strategies that focus on lasting growth. At the same time, policymakers and regulators must devise ways to evolve the telecom market and ensure its sustainability. Emerging technologies are creating opportunities for a wide variety of players to reach more people, and the thirst to consume content via the internet is greater than ever before. Telecom operators are investing more than 50% of their M&A budget outside of core competencies.

At Strategy&, the longest-serving consulting firm in the Middle East, we bring unparalleled regional expertise in sector policy and regulations, growth strategies, digital transformation, financial planning and management, B2C commercial strategies, B2B/B2G commercial strategies, wholesale commercial strategies, technology and operations, and operating models. By uniting strategy, design, and execution, we deliver immediate impact and lasting value for policymakers, regulators, and corporate clients in the Middle East. We advise government entities, companies and leadership teams of all sizes on business decisions related to cutting-edge trends and ongoing issues such as:

Policy and regulation
New growth areas
Media and entertainment adjacency
B2B and IT adjacency
Next-generation networks
Cost transformation
Digital customer experience
Data monetization
Operating model and people

Differentiating capabilities

Smart diversification

We support telecom operators in pursuing value-creating diversification to new cores. We extract lessons learnt from FAANGs and lay out the principles and framework for “smart” diversification, including comprehensive understanding of FinTech, InsurTech, Telemedicine, and ICT.

Digital telco transformation

We support telecom operators in retaining relevance to customers, reducing cost to serve, and increasing revenues with digital transformation. We provide a framework for anchoring the telecom way to play and designing holistic digital transformation through mobile-first, omni-channel customer journeys, product simplification, and big-data-enabled personalization.

Fit For Growth* in a digital world

We demonstrate how digitization of channels and technology promises to transform cost structure. We provide a detailed assessment of impact of new digital levers, the target-state business model for cost leadership in the digital age, and a tool set enabling deep cost diagnostics and rapid identification of cost efficiencies.

^{*Fit for Growth is a registered service mark of PwC Strategy& LLC in the United States.}

The path toward 5G

We conduct an economic analysis to determine how 5G spectrum options, use cases, and business models impact the viable 5G coverage, and what is the macroeconomic impact of wide 5G roll-outs to derive implications for telecom operators and regulators.

Media and entertainment – A growth path for telecom operators

We identify attractive media opportunities for telecom operators (e.g., digital advertising, OTT), the conditions under which telcos invest in them, the ways to play that can be adopted in each, and the key factors for successful execution.

ICT service providers transformation for the digital age

We support telecom operators with mature B2B as they make the leap to become digital services and solution innovators that enable the digital transformation of verticals, elaborating on key success factors.

How we can help

Our telecom expertise covers the entire business construct.

Sector development

Sector governance
ICT sector strategy
National digitization
National broadband

Strategic direction

Corporate strategy
Market entry strategy
Growth strategy/adjacencies
Investment strategy
Digital transformation
Performance turnaround
Regulatory strategy/lobbying plan
Post-merger integration

Financial planning and management

Cost optimization
Performance management
Capital planning
Working capital management
Balance sheet optimization
Regulatory strategy/lobbying plan
Post-merger integration

Commercial – B2C

Marketing strategy
Customer segmentation
Product design and pricing
Data monetization
Devices strategy
Content strategy
Customer value management
Loyalty management
Channels strategy
Retail footprint optimization
Distribution model
Supply chain management
Incentive scheme
Customer experience
Contact center optimization

Commercial – B2B/B2G

ICT growth strategy and go-to-market
Telecom product design and launch
Digital solutions
Design and business development
SME sales strategy
Customer experience
Managed accts. sales strategy
Account planning and profiling
Customer segmentation
Marketing communications strategy
Customer operations

Wholesale

Product development
Sales plan
Pricing
International expansion
Infrastructure sharing
National roaming
MVNO hosting

Technology and operations

Technology strategy and plan
Vendor strategy and management
Digital technology architecture design
IT transformations
Asset life-cycle management and governance
Spectrum management
Field service optimization
Agile operating model

Operating models

Organization restructuring
Workforce planning
Capability-led transformation
Governance alignment
Group-opco interplays
Culture and change management

Select your topics of interest and get the latest insights from the Middle East

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Explore further

Media clips

Jad El Mir on how telecom operators can win with gaming

CNBC Arabia interviews Jad El Mir, Principal with Strategy& Middle East, to discuss the firm’s study entitled "Skin in the game: How telecom operators can win with gaming".

Watch all clips

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