In the world of mobile communications, competition isn’t what it used to be. Historically, the greatest threat to regional carriers’ profitability came from national operators providing the latest handsets, aggressive marketing campaigns, and wide reach. Regional carriers have competed with these large, established players through superior customer service, a strong local presence, better networks, and more personal relationships with subscribers.

Network Operators Face growing pressure to maintain average revenue per user (ARPU) in the face of increased data demands and competition from new, “over-the-top” (OTT) service providers such as Skype ad WhatsApp…

Much has been written about whether "over-the-top" services, such as Skype, WhatsApp, and iMessage represent a threat to mobile network operators, potentially relegating their role to that of a dumb pipe. 

Though mobile users have embraced traditional messaging services, today’s converging communication environment offers a wide range of alternatives. In many ways, subscriber loyalty is shifting from the mobile network operator to the device itself and the capabilities it offers.