BCG's Value Optimized Network Deployment

After finding the customer Segments that mattered and determining what those segments needed from a wireless network, BCG helped a major telecommunications provider take the following steps to optimize its network in a target footprint:

  1. Determine the most important geographic region(s) to be served: Call data records can reveal where current usage hot spots are and what QOS is required for those areas. Combined with census and client data (such as demographic distribution, high-volume traffic corridors, and areas of dense commercial activity), the information can identify the areas where it is most important to invest to serve our target customers.
  2. Create a strategy for investment: Analytics can help identify investment priority areas, right down to a micro-market of just a few blocks, based on revenue and expected investment levels. This information can then be used to create a city-level strategy.
  3. Optimize the network: Make a plan for which specific investments should be targeted on a tower-by-tower basis. For example, you might choose to maintain current tower status, invest to improve performance (e.g. full single-band 4G deployment), or invest to deliver the highest performance levels (e.g. through carrier aggregation and potentially small cells).
  4. Determine the retail/go-to-market strategy: Map the current retail footprint of your company as well as your competitors. Retail footprint should be closely tied to the physical tower expansion plan.