The Research On Business Models Of Mobile Operators In The Process Of Transformation

At the crossroads of the rapid developing mobile communications industry, mobile operators are sensitive to seize the trend of transformation in order to achieve its long-term sustainable development. In the process of transformation, mobile operators have upgraded from mobile communications service providers to the mobile information service providers and further towards mobile integrated application providers. The transformation of the mobile operators calls for its own suitable business models. Management scientists Drucker once said: "Today's competition among the enterprises, is not the competition between products, but between the business models." This shows the importance of business model, which is crucial to the transformation of the mobile operators.Therefore, we propose to analyze the mobile operators' business model in the process of transformation. Based on Business Model and Value Chain theory, the thesis offers an innovative way to sort the mobile operators' business models—a two dimensions way considering both the elements of value chain and the customer demands. According to this method, the business models of mobile operators can be sorted as three kinds: the basic communication model corresponding to mobile communications service provider, and the information service model corresponding to mobile information service provider, and the business application model corresponding to the mobile integrated application provider.Following this step, the thesis carries out a further and detailed analysis on such three kinds of business models. Targeted at the future direction of mobile operators' transformation, we bring forward other four sub-business models: mobile consumption model, mobile search model, mobile video model and mobile advertising model. Mobile consumption model embodies the characteristic of combination between mobile communications and commercial activities. Mobile Search model brings the advantages by incorporating of the mobile communications and Internet. Mobile Video model reflects the integration between the mobile communications and traditional media. Mobile advertising model is expected to make the mobile communication a new advertising media. Wish all these can benefit the choice and innovation of the business models in the process of the mobile operators' transformation.