rate the role to play based on one's market and resource position Segment the market and understand the segments' needs considering both industry and functional areas Develop value proposition and services for the segments consistent with the chosen role(s) Engage in partnerships or conduct acquisitions in order to acquire and/or supplement the required skills (especially in the content and IT/system integration area) Align the organization and the staffing to the new requirements esp. marketing/sales, service provisioning, partner management and network/technical competence Figure 4.14 Speed is important in a competitive environment Telecom Business The roles are partly formed by the market, but perhaps more by the changing technolo- gies and the architecture of the new network. In Figure 4.15 a basic role split into five sub-roles is shown. The roles to the right are sometimes called content and application (C&A) provider roles In fact the interfaces between roles need corresponding technical interfaces, in order to enable charging and/or accounting between the roles, and other parts of a service level agreement. Figure 4.15 also shows three business relationships. Between user and C&A could be everything from no relationship to being the main user relationship. Suitable interfaces are defined in the reference model shown in Figure 4.16. Since the technical evolution is dynamic the roles must be flexible. Compare the present shift from 'vertical' to 'horizontal' networks. For large actors with many roles this might lead to a number of re-organizations in order to successively tailor the staffing to the new situation. There is also a volume relationship in order to be competitive and profitable. If the roles are over-established, the market share for new entrants will not be sufficient for profitability. Terminology The terminology within the area is not very clear. Common expressions are value chains, value webs, service provider, content provider, network provider, actors and roles. A value chain is needed to 