International Carrier Sales & Solutions (ICSS), the international
wholesale arm of Deutsche Telekom Group, is one of the biggest
voice traders worldwide and an increasingly important IP player
across a growing European market with excellent interregional
connections and business partner relations between Europe and
the Americas and Asia. Mr. Carsten Schindler and Andres Jordan
of ICSS's Innovation Projects business unit highlight their new
content services.
Deutsche Telekom created ICSS in 1996.
ICSS now is a leading player in the
European market in both the voice
and IP trade. In recent years, says Mr.
Schindler, they have been looking at
opportunities to diversify their portfolio.
"We've still got our traditional services
but as our customers have new
demands and new technologies emerge,
we also look at new market trends and
new business models. The wholesale
business is changing so we also need
to change." ICSS customers include
broadband operators (ISPs, WISPs, and
VoIP SPs), mobile operators and MVNOs,
content, application, and media
providers, corporate service providers
and VNOs, fixed voice carriers, and
carriers' carriers and their customers.
Since 2007, the content distribution,
broadband, cable, and mobile customer
segments have become increasingly
important.
Content has indeed also been a priority
for ICSS's Head of Innovation Projects,
Mr. Schindler: "In January 2009 we
launched a new innovative content
delivery solution (CDS) in a partnership
with EdgeCast Networks, Inc., a leading
global content delivery network (CDN).
In late 2009, we added value to that
solution with the launch of Content
eXchange (CONX), a new sales platform
for content. We've done this because
we hear from our customers that they
are experiencing increased competition in the content delivery space." Mr.
Schindler emphasises that Deutsche
Telekom does not produce content itself.
"We're a facilitator and are offering the
platform as a service to our customers,
both existing and new. CONX is a
business to business market place where
they can negotiate content contracts.
Giving them access to sophisticated
content delivery technology makes the
process much easier for them." Deutsche
Telekom, says Mr. Schindler, has been one
of the first in wholesale business to offer
a CDN service. "Other wholesalers
invested in own solution to offer CDN
services; but we were the first to partner
with a specialist to reduce time-tomarket."
 Mr. Jordan says they have been getting
good feedback on CONX from content
providers already. German public
broadcaster ZDF notably is already making good use of the platform:
"They love the technology, the fact that
they can upload trailers and out-takes
for example." The platform currently
features more than 47,000 titles in more
than 50 languages. The majority of titles
are recent and were produced within the
last three years, and they cover all types
of genres and programmes, catering to
all age groups. Mr. Schindler does not
expect, however, that content providers
will be doing big deals on the platform.
"It's suitable for the most content
contracts. Essentially it's a cost saving
tool. It shortens the process as it
reduces the time the parties have to
spend at mid TV negotiators."
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