The exposure of network assets also empowers innovation, but in order for developers and innovators to do what they do best, they’ll need more than just raw connectivity. “Providers need to provide access to more than just the network,” says Verizon’s Praveen Atreya, “and open up the expertise to let [innovative] products on-ramp more quickly.”

Redefining CSPs

As the industry moves from OSS/BSS to COMET, it may eventually retire another familiar three-letter acronym: CSP.

The convergence of IT and telecom was a hot topic in nearly every keynote at 4G World last year. That’s because the dawn of COMET will require not only a fundamental change in systems but an evolution of the organizations that use them. This is essential, says Phil Bull of Amdocs, who envisions a “whole kind of change in the organizational structure.” At the same time, the role of IT is changing, according to Gartner, “from centralized planner to market manager providing governance and brokerage services to users—potentially even an ecosystem to support ‘apptrepreneurs.’”

To describe corporations like AT&T, BT, DT, Sprint, NTT docomo, or Verizon as solely as communications service providers doesn’t come close to capturing the breadth of their respective businesses, which extend beyond communications to enablement and experience. As the new digital economy unfolds, “CSP” will likely undergo a transformation as well. As for how the future will unfold, it’s still unclear, of course, but the COMET revolution has obviously begun. Hold on to your smartphones!  Or, should I say "COMET devices?"