A senior SingTel exec has called for regulatory support for the right spectrum frequency to be allocated to operators implementing LTE, in order for the technology to take off.

Hurdles in the form of spectrum fragmentation and the lack of voice over LTE are significant challenges that have to be overcome, said SingTel’s VP for consumer products Chan Yim Leng at Unwired 2011, held in Singapore.

“Having different countries use different frequency bands has proven to be a key problem for operators in Asia when dealing with device manufacturers,” said Chan. “With the US and Europe having already decided on their frequency bands for LTE, manufacturers will tend to produce devices for those markets, and Asia gets left out in the process.”

SingTel is currently conducting LTE trials and intends to launch a commercial service by year-end. “LTE provides good results in terms of cell capacity and improved latency over 3G, if deployed correctly, the technology should give customers a better experience.”

However, operators require support from regulators to leverage existing LTE devices tailored to particular frequency bands, said Chan. “The US has decided on 700MHz and 1900MHz, while Europe has decided on 800MHz and 2600MHz; and devices have been produced for those bands.”

Chan told Telecom Asia the operator would likely be banking on the 2600MHz band for LTE, as devices produced for some European markets could readily be used with the frequency band.

“Spectrum is a key concern that operators have to contend with,” said Chan, citing M1’s recent $17.2 million purchase for spectrum rights in the 1800MHz band. SingTel’s license in the 2600MHz band is set to expire in 2015, and Chan added license expiry dates also have to be taken into consideration before deployment, due to the amount of investment involved.

The lack of voice over LTE devices is also a hindrance to its proliferation, said Chan. “With voice over LTE not yet available on smartphones, operators have doubts as to whether customers will be happy with just dongles.”

“It’s ultimately a chicken and egg story,” Chan told TelecomAsia. “Operators are waiting for device manufacturers to take the leap, and vice versa. We’ll need a large operator to make a decision in order for LTE to gain momentum.”

Source:- telecomasia.net

Solution Selling- As I see it

I am a Solution Seller. Just thought of drilling down the definition of Solution Selling. What it really is and how is it different from the traditional Selling approach.

As per Wikipedia, "Solution selling is a special approach to sales. Rather than just promoting an existing product, the salesperson focuses on the customer's pain(s) and addresses the issue with his or her offerings (product and services). The resolution of the pain is what constitutes a true "solution". A limitation of this approach is that not all customers buy to address a "pain", not every need is a problem needing a solution."

Personally I say Solution Selling is nothing but helping businesses develop innovative business processes to deliver innovative products and services to their customers. At the end its your customer's customer matters.

Keith M. Eades, author of The New Solution Selling, defines a solution as:

"So what is the definition of the word solution? The typical response is, "An answer to a problem." I agree with this response but feel it's important to expand the definition. Not only does the problem need to be acknowledged by the buyer, but both the buyer and working woman must also agree on the answer. So a solution is a mutually agreed-upon answer to a recognized problem. In addition, a solution must also provide some measurable improvement. By measurable improvement, I mean there is a before and might be after. Now we have a more complete definition of a solution; It's a mutually shared answer to a recognized problem, and the answer provides measurable improvement."

I Would be writing more on this as my journey continues as solution seller.