TM Forum’s Management World Asia C-Level keynotes from Axiata Digital, DST Communications, Groupon, Hong Kong Broadband Network, Indosat, Mobilink, MTS India, PT XL Axiata, QNET, Robi Axiata, Research in Motion and Starhub offer strategies for survival

MORRISTOWN, NJ and SINGAPORE — March 11, 2013: Service providers across the Asia Pacific region are facing the same issue: rapidly maturing mobile sectors resulting in declining top and bottom lines. While mobile data services are key to many operators’ longer term strategies, simply building out more capacity and competing on price alone is not a sustainable approach in the digital world, they must better understand their customers, reduce churn and drive digital service delivery. TM Forum, a global, non-profit industry association with over 130 members across Asia, and nearly 1,000 members worldwide, opens the doors tomorrow to its Management World Asia conference and expo in Singapore, where 60 speakers from across the globe will address these issues and more.

TM Forum’s Management World Asia, which runs from March 12-13 at the Marina Bay Sands, features 19 keynotes from leading regional service providers taking a hard look at overcoming the challenges of delivering innovative products and services. Keynotes include: Celcom Axiata Berhad, DST Communications, Groupon Travel Asia Pacific, Hong Kong Broadband Network Ltd., Indosat, Mobilink, MTS India, PT XL Axiata, QNET, Robi Axiata, Research in Motion and Starhub, plus 40 additional speakers from the communications industry and beyond.

According to TM Forum’s most recent Asia Insights report, which will be released at Management World Asia, top-line service revenues grew by just 8 percent across the region in 2012; only China and Indonesia saw double-digit growth. In order to stay one step ahead of the fierce competition, Asian operators need to put customers at the heart of their business through the use of customer experience management (CEM) tools, which enable service providers to implement, manage and measure CEM programs. For example, TM Forum’s Customer Experience Guidebook outlines key principles in implementing CEM programs in service providers. Its new CEM Index defines the KPIs that service providers should be constantly evaluating to understand if their investments in CEM are paying off. And a new CEM Maturity Model helps service providers understand and evaluate their programs.

Karan Henrik Ponnudurai, chief innovation officer for Axiata Digital, and one of Management World Asia’s keynote speakers, stresses the importance of CEM, especially with the proliferation of smartphones in the Asia Pac region. “A number of emerging markets in Asia have five or more operators, leading to fierce competition. As the markets mature, there is a smaller pool of potential new users, while much of the population has little disposable income,” he said. “Competing on price alone is a race to the bottom so better segmentation is a key aim for many during 2013, and operators should focus on improving customer experience to succeed in the current marketplace.”

Martin Creaner, president of TM Forum, will open Management World Asia on Tues., March 12 at 9am, with a keynote stressing the importance of CEM and analytics for operators as digital services present opportunities and drive the need for radical change in all aspects of business operations.

According to Creaner, “Yesterday’s market dynamics rewarded aggressive infrastructure rollout and subscriber acquisition at any price. These strategies were based on increasing voice and SMS traffic, which is easy to scale; broadband access is not,” he said. “The rise of mobile broadband has necessitated a rethink around customer data and analytics, specifically around how legacy systems can be integrated. Transformation brings the need for unified views of the customer across networks, products, finance and other business units. TM Forum’s goal is to help service providers transform their businesses to meet the demands of the digital world and help to build an open, vibrant digital economy.”

TM Forum’s Management World conferences and expos stand apart by offering expert keynotes, sessions, unrivaled networking opportunities, and TM Forum’s renowned Training and Certification programs. Upcoming Management Worlds include:

Management World, Nice, France, May 13-16

Management World Americas, San Jose, Calif., Oct. 28-31

Please contact TM Forum’s event sales team at [email protected]; Carine Vandevelde (+44 207 193 8678); or Vanessa Lefebvre (+34 605 165 449) to discuss Management World sponsorship packages that are right for your company and your budget.

About TM Forum

TM Forum is a global, non-profit association focused on enabling service provider agility and innovation. As an established thought-leader in complex service management, the Forum serves as a unifying force across industries, enabling more than 950 member companies to solve critical business issues through access to a wealth of knowledge, practical tools, best practices and standards.

The Forum provides a fair and safe environment for collaboration across the value-chain to overcome the barriers to a vibrant, open digital economy. We help member companies of all sizes gain a competitive edge by enabling efficiency and agility in their IT and operations while protecting competitive differentiation.

Global TM Forum Media Contact
Elizabeth Coyne
Senior Director Marketing, Corporate Communications and PR
+1 973 641 3247
[email protected]

Asia Pacific Media Contact
Grace Cuenca
Rice Communications
+65 6221 8322
[email protected]