Telcos, Google & academia -- the plot thickens!

Next-generation services will take shape according to social trends, emerging technologies and regulatory pressures. No doubt, one of the more important issues being debated right now is the ability of service providers to innovate and create dynamic, personalized services that not only give consumers what they want and need, but also reasonably afford them the chance to recoup their investment in infrastructure -- the foundation over which not only their services travel, but those of over-the-top players, as well.

With advances in technologies like policy control and charging solutions, among other advances, operators are at last beginning to be able to dynamically manage the broadband experience for their users while also ensuring very fine-grained quality of service (QOS) levels. But just how much they can innovate and personalize -- not to mention monetize -- will depend on what continues to be a raging debate among service providers, academicians and OTT players like Google. All are fervently trying to influence the Federal Communications Commission's decisions around network neutrality and impact the ability of network operators to enforce policies and shape traffic to relieve pressures on their networks during times of congestion.