The elementary and rudimentary answer is to radicallybinnovate (beyond) whatsapp.

Create whatsapp 2. Define whatsapp 2.

Important to remember whatsapp likely did not get everything handed to them on a silver plate.

To overtake whatsapp the way you want to requires offering radically more value than whatsapp, not just add ons here and there.

The elementary and rudimentary answer is to radicallybinnovate (beyond) whatsapp.

Create whatsapp 2. Define whatsapp 2.

Important to remember whatsapp likely did not get everything handed to them on a silver plate.

To overtake whatsapp the way you want to requires offering radically more value than whatsapp, not just add ons here and there.

Brian Barnard Thank you Sir for your valuable answer. What are your views on monitization? WhatsApp is ad free, as per whatsApp blog it shares data with some Facebook apps, which helps advertisers in surgical targeting.

VEON tried to be whatsApp 2 as they added more features, started given coupons. I agree with you that add ons here and there cannot help.

I think whatsApp business model is it core edge which is very difficult t compete, unless until companies come-up with "radically more value than whatsapp"

See my paper on benefits entrepreneurs build into new products, and see if this helps your thinking.

Whatsapp was not initially free. It was made free for the benefit this entail - data or information.

Veon is not whatsapp 2 because their changes are merely incremental in my mind.

You need to think radical innovation. Like 3G or 4G to 16G. (I have heard that 16G is in the lab.)

People are always willing to pay for value. They will pay for 16G even if 3G is free.

To define whatsapp 2 you probably need to define what the next generation communication/ chatting or whatever you want to call what whatsapp is, looks like.

define what the shortcomings, limitations of whatsapp are, and how whatsapp is not ideal. This would be part of working towards a solution.

Eg whatsapp is social based. you need to know the other person. Whatsapp 2 might be universal like phones are/ used to be. you dont need to know the other person. That will again revolutionize telecoms.

The problem too may be thinking in terms of whatsapp - having whatsapp as a reference.

Rather think what would revolutionize telecomms.

whatsapp 2 is not necessarily/ really whatsapp x 2.

Follow answer

I am sure you know this: a bank exec once told me it competes with google, because it is about (big) data.

Similarly i would say telecomms have converged to data, even to the extent that it is possible to say telecomms compete with google etc too.

I dont even see this as whatsapp 2, but whatsapp 1.5, namely:

- An electronic phone directory for whatsapp, or

- whatsapp grabbing incoming calls, converting them to temporary contacts, let you choose to answer, and then relaying the call through whatsapp. It deletes the contact afterwards.

Whatsapp is also fighting old telecomms.

A country blocking or banning something like whatsapp etc may also be strategic and in natural interest, also from an economic sense, because big data and convergence have also redefined international competition and power.

Similarly then, Whatsapp for landlines (smart/ IP/ network based)

Brian Barnard yes this big data and government strategy to block OTT, i have explained it in my below article.

Article Impact of Over-the-Top (OTT) Services on the Telecom Compani...

The point is for big data, telecom companies need infrastructure. yes in some countries in europe OTTs were blocked when they started behaving like Telecom companies.

How to monitize data , or get maximum out of Internet of Things is an opportunity for telecos. However, in my experience, as i worked in ETISALAT, Telenor & China Mobile, Innovation in these companies is very difficult ( At least in pakistan) where I worked.

For instance, in Pakistan there were security concerns back in 2015. We thought this is an opportynity, let us introduce once smart whatch where partents will be able to see & track there kids any time . We had perfect loation data, customer profile, connections everything. But we could not create demand of it, all four companies (JAZZ (Vimplecom), Telenor, ZONG (China Mobile ), Ufone (Etisalat) in pakistan tried their best.

In mobile banking all four companies also tried their mobile banking option. As state bank of Pakistan banking policy does not allow any teleco to run financial services, two telecom companies telenor & Jazz brought microfinace banks. These two e-banking services are although working but both are not profitable.

In my paper, i have also written another thing which is the global economy of scale which whatsapp can afford. No teleco in the world has its subsidries across the globe. Infrastructure is again a problem.

I think telecom companies are bowing down to whatsapp. Most of them are partnering with whats-app, this is the only solution left, usless they introduce something like Whatsapp-2

Yes, policy and gov can stand in the way of innovation.

I thibk one should be able to outsource innovation too, to some extent, if you just manage it properly. Seems like you considered this.

In the end, gov standing in its own way is a sad story. Solution then is perhaps lobbying.

South korean gov supported what they wanted to be multinationals - companies that could compete globally. LG may be an example.

I think taking on something whatsapp may require such an approach. Thus great opoortunity, but also a massive undertaking. Would be interesting whether chinese gov would consider this. They might be able to pull it off. I think of the economic returns should a country's backed multinational succeed. In that sense it may be worth it. Again sketches an interesting picture regarding international competition and the stakes and price money we are talking about.

Do you know why or did you research, investigate etc why the tracking failed?

Are there opportunity for innovation (management) services or lobbying services for some of these companies?

I think one should also consider policy of entirely switching to voip by year x, because i think (that aspect of) telecomms need to die sooner. I think that can inpact a country's innovativeness and competitiveness on a whole. Talk of externalities and indirect costs of data and telecomms.

Also see strategic foresight/ futures studies. See my paper on entrepreneurs and the future for an introduction. See the journal of futures studies, and see if a futures study has not been done for telecomms or international business/ competition. And consider doing a futures study yourself. Futures studies are an excellent avenue to radical innovation. It is a way to outline the industry of tomorrow, which gives you competitive advantage.

Hi Muhammad Faroo

Do you think that telegram is an application that can compete with whatsapp? Its use is growing exponentially in several countries.

Susana Armesto prior to wahtsapp business version, compared to telegram whatsapp had some limitations. Like whatsapp was allowing (Still allows in personal version) addition of 250 memebers in a group, but in telegram groups even 10,000 members can be added. Whatspp had some other technical limittions like it could not play YouTube/Facebook videos internally. But now whatsapp has covered most of the issues.

Being part of Facebook, gives an advantage to whatsapp. However, there are certain restrictions in telegram if removed, it can complete with whatsapp.

I have compared telegram & whats-app in my this article.

Article Impact of Over-the-Top (OTT) Services on the Telecom Compani...

Brian Barnard recently springer has also published one complete book on Future of telecos. The possible strategies, they listed which telecos can have' i have explained in my article.

Article Impact of Over-the-Top (OTT) Services on the Telecom Compani...

Thank you for your suggestion regarding future studies. I will go through the journal. For future the real problem beyond the innovation , telecom and OTT can also be thought in context of business ethics.

Should we do anything for innovation? I remember saying Jef Bezos, we are living in an era of technology where the questions "Should we do it" matters more than "Can we do it"

Whats-app & OTTs are operating free (providing telecom related services) using Million dollar infrastructure built by telecom companies.

Telecom companies contribute more than 2% in GDP of Pakistan, same goes for other countries. In taxes, licences, bandwidth purchase and regulatory fees governments are charging millions from telecom companies. making whatsapp free despite of the fact that it has started operating like telecos must be an ethical concern?

Secondly most of the OTTs like Whats app are owned by developed world companies like Whasapp being of Facebook is owned by USA, Telegram is UK company . All the revenues and profits of OTTs are going to developed world (what is benifit of this to other asian countries?

Now once can arugu that telecom companies (Top groups) are also from developed world, but these companies before serving other markets paid the licence for 2G/3G/4G and these companies are investing in developing world.

Voip is going to die in any case, but telecom companies are fighting their survival game. In this situation, i think, its almost impossible for telecoms to innovate when have to keep billion dollar infrastructure up & running for OTT, which even does pay them for the infrastructure.

Telecomms and legacy systems. In my country, there is still a big divide between telecomm and data. You generally buy telecom and data from separate companies, especially business landline. In a way, this is 'incredible'.

I think telecomm is an outdated term. The more appropriate term is mobile data or data transfer.

I think data itself or conventional "telecom" is approaching commodity status, and being virtually free. This makes differentiation and profit difficult. It is a mature and crowded market.

I have not seen the springer future take, but i might be sceptical. Many attempt futures studies, but you have to be a true futurist to do it right. Few are. Many shy away from long terms like 10 years, and look at 3 years max. The true power and technique of futures studies are in these longer timelines. Many want to look at certain futures, that is why they look at relatively short time periods. It is of course counter intuitive.

I think you should also or rather look at the future of data or data services, rather than the future of telecom. Much more of a future for the former than the latter. Dont know to what extent springer did so. So there is that shift in perspective and vision.

Your question is also much about how to compete with Facebook and google etc really. In a sense, whatsapp is simply mobile comm or cheap(er) comm. And it is more the arm than the body. In that sense, it is about data and data services. Much more room to compete in data and data services, even with google and facebook, because there is much more room for value add and differentiation. I think it possible to develop better algorithms than and counter philosophies to google etc. In this regard, google has taken definite positions, and other or counter positions are possible.

In India for example, My telecom network is Airtel. But in order to communicate with pictures and videos I need to install another app .. Like whatsapp.

If Airtel could provide all of this, then there would be no need for another app.SO unless telecom companies step up and fill in that gap, they may continue to loose out.