The nature and extent of the relentless change in telecommunications makes it a domain of high specialisation – not just technologically, but also at a business and regulatory level.

However, because of the breadth and depth of skills needed to understand the full spectrum of telecoms options and the ramifications of these for customers` current and future business models, very few service providers have an end-to-end view of which technologies are most appropriate in which circumstances. Even fewer are able to implement the full range of products and services needed to underpin any given solution.

Why? Because delivering an end-to-end service requires genuine depth of expertise, best-of-breed equipment, a next-generation service provider, and crucially, the ability to build the necessary infrastructure, says Howard Earley, COO of Plessey.