market with network infrastructure is riddled with inefficiencies and broken processes, and unfortunately, the increasing number of cooks in the kitchen simply exacerbates the problem. It is precisely this point that creates arguably the biggest challenge—and opportunity.

To achieve an effective edge ecosystem and the best customer experience for the end user, two components are necessary.

Know your place

Each player must embrace location truth and know their place within the entire ecosystem. Due to the global nature and therefore the sheer size of the connectivity puzzle, these companies are in the middle of a dance with large-scale and immediate financial ramifications. All involved need a clear view of their place on the playing board, who they can most effectively collaborate with, where to build and which infrastructure is already built, among other data. Explicit in the very definition of “the edge,” location is at the core of this entire ecosystem and critical to each provider’s strategy—but it’s deeper than location alone. All four entities also must have seamless communication flow among each other to make the ecosystem function.

Enable the ecosystem

Now, take it a step further: enable the ecosystem to work in real-time via APIs and streamlined workflows. If providers have a laser focus on their own assets (fiber, data center, cable, and towers) with blinders up to the details around competitors and prospects within their footprint and enablement of their assets, they’re missing critical opportunities to position for success. In addition to understanding all location-centric components of their footprint, providers must digitize and automate the go-to-market process to enable seamless, real-time use. With all the back and forth between players in this ecosystem, from hyperscalers to service providers to network operators, each party has a responsibility to either keep up the necessary location- and API-centric network or become obsolete. In addition to understanding their place in the bigger picture with location intelligence, it’s equally important to have seamless communication with the other parts of the ecosystem, to ensure they’re collectively providing the customer with a holistic, best-in-class service. Therefore, the reach and accessibility of the API stack—with a modern, foolproof, automated process for network planning, identification, prioritization, and pricing—is key.

APIs have many practical applications. For instance, if an MSP wants to know where all the network providers are within its footprint, that company needs to be able to leverage an API-enabled platform to pull up a list of available buildings quickly and seamlessly. That MSP can bulk query in real time, and network providers can send building list data among each other and then effectively advertise their lists to partners. Network provider APIs can ensure optimal network buying decisions based on product availability and cost, and APIs also help customers price their products to win while maximizing profit margin.

Today, this system is broken, from both angles. Location data is scattered, siloed and incomplete, and network buying and selling is far from streamlined. When it comes to network planning, providers don’t understand market potential, the competitive landscape, and other critical factors. They’re also failing to identify their total addressable market and communicate with partners to participate in as many opportunities as possible. Many sales teams don’t have the ability to quickly prioritize opportunities, and CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) is all over the board, so to speak.

However, the well-orchestrated chess match is possible—and necessary to build out the edge ecosystem. For all players who can visualize the ecosystem in real time, understand their place in it and effectively monetize it, it’s checkmate.