"We’re a disruptor. We as carriers are by no means obsolete. We are at the epicenter of all that is happening. This (the Mobile World Congress) is no longer only an event for operators such as myself, and vendors, as it was 15 years ago. Today it is a complete ecosystem: you have OTT (Internet) players, Visa, Cars," Mats Granryd, President & CEO of Swedish telecom operators Tele2 said at the Mobile World Congress yesterday, talking about how he sees the role of telecom operators in a world that is being disrupted. "We said that we’re not going to focus on voice and text. We’re building this company on data. If WhatsApp is going to give free voice – no problem. They’ll have to use my pipe. In a voice centric world, you just had to redial in case of a dropped call. In the world of data, when you’re doing money transfer or buying at ticket, you cannot afford a drop. The networks have to be better." "The second (factor that works for telecom operators) is customer intimacy. I am going to fight for that privilege till end of day. OTT players have tried to eat my lunch. We from Tele2 view them as our best friends. We try and build a force for good partnership with them because they drive consumption. People will use my pipe and I’ll make more money. Quarter-on-quarter, we’ve proved that growth with data is possible. You can’t come with the old redundant mentality. The focus…
