The article discusses the impact of OTT services on telecom operators and the options to collaborate with them. Four types of OTT services are highlighted: consumer messaging & voice, mobile gaming, video, and music streaming. The article suggests that telecom operators cannot successfully fight OTTs but can participate in their monetization efforts. Local mobile gaming is nascent, but there is potential for telecoms to partner with gaming companies or invest in them. In video and music streaming, global OTT players have scale and top Western content, while local providers can capitalize on local tastes and market knowledge. Telecoms should partner with video and music OTTs to reduce churn, and equity investments could be undertaken for financial and strategic reasons.
