Catalysts are proof-of-concept projects developed collaboratively by TM Forum members. Catalysts were centre stage at DTW in Nice this month, including a number that were already close to commercial deployment. In visiting these “commercial” catalysts, the challenge for “traditional” technical catalysts was very clear, the lack clear business cases and routes to new markets. With their focus on proving technology and integration they miss the opportunity to prioritise what is commercially important. After DTW 2018 we blogged, on this need, which we still believe needs to be better addressed. I’ll be back Amongst the catalysts was the hugely enjoyable Skynet, which built on last year’s Bladerunner catalyst and won the Outstanding Catalyst Depicting Business Assurance Awareness. This focused on the management of roaming 5G network slices to support remote healthcare. On show was a powerful story, based around an Ebola like medical emergency, including powerful vendor capabilities like inter-carrier QoS assurance and real-time settlement. Skynet could improve upon its already strong story by better defining the business case that underpins it. By putting more emphasis on understanding the potential customer, and their willingness to pay, catalysts can better direct immediate technical steps and provide a future roadmap beyond just another […]