BICS: “We are enabling operators to integrate connected devices into their businesses”

Mobile World Congress 2017 Preview: TelecomDrive.com

Brussels, Belgium based BICS is a global voice carrier and a provider of mobile data services. The company is aiming towards bridging telecom world with new unconventional communication providers worldwide.

Zia Askari from TelecomDrive.com interacts with Luc Vidal-Madjar, Head of Mobility Innovation at BICS about the company’s plans for Mobile World Congress 2017.

What innovative product or solution are being showcased by BICS at MWC 2017?

At MWC 2017, we will be showcasing how we enable operators to provide reliable and secure mobile experiences anytime, anywhere. Our solutions – whether it’s our IPX platform for faster 4G and VoLTE, our hubbing service for international roaming, or our SMART Webvision tool for real-time subscriber insights – are essential for supporting the modern lifestyle of today’s data-hungry consumers. This encompasses global mobile connectivity, seamless roaming, fraud prevention, authentication and global messaging.

With IoT being one of today’s hot topics, we will also be showcasing our global IoT connectivity solution. With an estimated 11.6 billion mobile connected devices in the world by 2020, we’re helping businesses to capitalise on a huge opportunity.

We’re enabling our operator customers to integrate connected devices into their own businesses, as well as control and monetise them, through an API-based pay-as-you-grow model.

How does your innovation help operators in terms of realizing better profitability propositions?

Our global network contains more than 330,000 kilometres of cable, which is enough to circle the Earth 26 times. We process the equivalent of 140 years of calls every minute and we’ve also blocked 550 million fraudulent call attempts, which is equal to the total number of Big Macs sold in the United States each year.

BICS sits at the hub of all mobile connectivity globally, and as a result we’re in a position to provide companies with the insights and tools to generate new revenue streams, streamline existing ones and launch their propositions at scale.

Through our ‘SIM for Things’ solution, we can help businesses cost-effectively launch IoT projects across multiple countries. One single technical integration can be used with any device, on any network and allows for global connectivity, with multi-network access in each country.

Our connectivity tools enable MNOs and MVNOs to become global connectivity providers for the next-generation of devices. We empower them with a M2M white-label solution, powered by a virtualised network in the cloud, in order to manage SIMs and integrate new services with existing systems.

What are your key geographical markets to achieve growth?

BICS is a global business with 1,100 customers and presence in 172 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. In 2017, we will be focusing more of our efforts on the Asian and African regions, as well as the Americas, where there is latent potential and increased appetite for more connectivity services.

We’ve already invested heavily in the African region. At the end of last year, we announced our latest PoP in Nairobi, Kenya, which extended our reach on the continent with existing PoPs in Johannesburg, Djibouti and Mauritius. This was in response to an incredible uptick in demand and the potential for future growth of connectivity and telecoms infrastructure in the region.

We will continue to invest in these regions with network developments and new PoPs enabling us to be closer to our customers across the globe.

What according are the most important and disruptive trends likely to shape the business landscape in 2017?

2016 was a remarkable year for the telecoms industry. While mobile was previously synonymous with the core voice services provided by operators, and remained one of the biggest revenue generators, the digital revolution sparked change. Mobile branched out into new branded digital experiences – messaging apps, chat bots and even the Internet of Things pervaded mobile devices globally in response to consumers’ appetite for instant, anytime, anywhere connectivity.

As operators make great headway in providing subscribers with the fastest, most cost-effective communications services, 2017 will pose both challenges and opportunities.

The imminent abolition of roaming charges will create a period of upheaval in the industry as new measures come into place. Wholesalers will be forced to reduce their own fees as carriers will be banned from charging fees to consumers accessing data services abroad.

This year will also bear witness to more collaboration and convergence in the telecoms industry, as service providers develop cross-platform propositions to diversify and support the Internet of Things. An increasing number of industries will recognise the potential of IoT, but will need the support of telcos and mobile players to create the required connectivity and infrastructure to bring new applications to life.

The collaboration required to propel IoT forward will stem from increased M&A activity. We saw a lot of high-profile M&As last year, with major operators like Verizon and AT&T teaming up with content and media service providers like Yahoo! and Time Warner to enhance their mobile experiences.

We’ll see similar activity again this year, with wholesalers at the heart, as mobile operators and pure-play telecoms businesses partner to share insights and create new services for the always-on consumer.