Lots of new challenges, experiences and frustrations

Happy New Year, and the best of wishes for the coming year. For me, one thing seems certain; that 2008 is going to bring a lot of new challenges, experiences and probably some frustration. But after 3 months as a trainee in Telenor, that seems like business as usual 

High priority IPTV-project
In my first period I’ve been heavily engaged in the IPTV-project for Telenor Nordic. The project has high priority in the organization, and involves nearly all internal functions, spanning from technical, marketing, sales, operations, IS and Business Development.

Digital TV via broadband
Simply put the IPTV-concept is about delivering digital TV-signals via broadband, either through copper- or fibre-infrastructure, and thereby enabling new and exciting TV-functionality. The main objective of the IPTV-project is to support the retention and growth of the subscriber-base of our broadband business. The competition is more and more focused on taking over the full customer-relationship (so-called 3Play & 4Play), including Broadband, Telephony, Television and new services.

Exciting and confusing at the same time
For an economist like me, this is a very exciting and innovating project, where we have to design everything from scratch and figure out new business concepts. At the same time the project has a technical complexity that have left me very confused at times (and still does:-)). Both economic and strategic role in the project
My role in the project is divided: On the one hand I’m involved in the preparation of the overall IPTV business case, where we estimate the revenues and costs for the project over a given period of time. This task had given me detailed knowledge of all the revenue- and cost-drivers in the project, and thereby a very good overview of the business model. The rest of my schedule is dedicated to TV-content acquisitions and negotiations with the rights holders. This gives me a more strategic role in the project, and hence experience with key external parties.

Trainee gathering in Kuala Lumpur
Even though I’m supposed to have full focus on my everyday tasks here at Fornebu, I can’t help daydreaming about our trainee gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in a week’s time. It’ll be great to see all the other trainees again, and to be honest I will not mind the weather either.