SWAN A . S
these trends working against each other – we have actually tried to stick in between the big players in the market and try to gain our market share – that ’ s the biggest challenge for us .”
Recognising early on mobile ’ s potential for rapid growth and upscale , Mosny is confident that this offering will quickly become recognised in the market : “ We aim to achieve 10 to 20 percent market share in the next few years . There are plenty of examples in other countries where an operator has entered the market and proven that this is a reliable business case .”
Innovation culture Like all telcos , Swan a . s regards technology and innovation as inseparable conditions for success . Faced with the onset of falling data and technology revenues , coupled with stiff competition from other players in the market – the pressure to innovate is immense . Furthermore , older operators have a “ cash-cow of legacy services ”, according to Mosny . He has therefore led Swan towards a more service-based offering that also includes OTT applications .
One key way Swan is achieving innovation is by targeting its mobile offering to appeal to the younger generation in Slovakia , where there is not only a high penetration rate , but also a strong demand for next generation-technology and the latest service offerings .
Mosny adds : “ Technology is still important because costs - the capital and operating costs - are declining over time because technology is becoming increasingly cheaper . At the same time technology also determines what new services we can provide to customers .”
This thinking was fully vindicated when , in 2008 , the company built the country ’ s first tier 3 + data centre in anticipation of the increasing uptake of cloud-based services – a trend that is growing stronger by the day . Educating the market to improve demand was crucial here , Mosny explains , and Swan is now poised to lead in this segment .
The telco space in Slovakia is relatively small , and competition for innovative workers is fierce . But Swan ’ s unique corporate structure has ensured that bright employees are empowered to achieve over and
84 November 2016