After nearly 20 years working in the service provider space, I’ve come to realize that one of the most powerful things we can do as vendors and partners is also the simplest: listen. My career has been dedicated to helping communications service providers (CSPs) design solutions, craft commercial offers, and build technology strategies that are not only innovative but sustainable and full of long-term value. Yet, in today’s cloud-centric world, I worry we’ve stopped listening.
Cloud has become the default answer to every challenge and, specifically, vendor-hosted cloud communications solutions. They’re often pitched as a magic bullet—faster time to market, reduced infrastructure burden, endless scalability. And these solutions cloud absolutely have its place, I’ve seen firsthand how it’s often applied without a real understanding of what service providers actually need. The result? Solutions are shoehorned into environments where they don’t quite fit, and CSPs are left to manage the disconnect.
Today, many CSPs are still relying on legacy assets that are now in maintenance mode with little to no roadmap for future innovation. And, to make things even more challenging, some of this architecture, like on-premises infrastructure, remains essential. Whether for performance, compliance, cost, or sovereignty reasons, these assets matter, and they aren’t going away any time soon. It’s a tough spot to be in – balancing innovation and agility with control and localization, all while trying to differentiate in a crowded, competitive market.
And, on a global scale, especially outside North America, service providers are navigating complex market dynamics: geo-political regulations, staffing mandates, and voice media sovereignty are just a few. These aren’t optional considerations, they’re foundational. Yet, too often, they’re overlooked in favor of a cloud-first narrative that simply doesn’t reflect operational reality.
Based on my experience, only about 20–30% of CSPs are truly ready for a full vendor-hosted cloud model. That leaves the vast majority—70–80%—needing deeply integrated, highly customizable solutions that fit into broader, often legacy, core networks. For these providers, vendor cloud offerings as they exist today just don’t deliver the flexibility or control they require.
This is where we need to do better. Not by pushing more product, but by truly partnering. That means engaging in real conversations, building tailored solutions, and making long-term commitments.
At Alianza, we’re investing deeply in our Network Function Voice Core products—especially those acquired from Metaswitch. Our mission is to provide CSPs with sustainable, forward-looking tools that integrate AI efficiencies, offer innovation paths, and support the unique needs of each provider. We want to be the partner that helps CSPs modernize on their terms. Because at the end of the day, real value doesn’t come from the cloud alone—it comes from understanding, from adaptability, and from listening.
Ready to be heard? We are ready to listen and help you build a solution that meets your needs wherever you are on you network transformation journey. Reach out to us to discuss more.
