--- title: How to face the challenges of becoming a cloud operator description: In a shifting market, the traditional revenues of telcos and service providers are under threat. Voice revenues are at an all-time low, and high wireless data costs are negatively impacting margins. As an additional challenge, many enterprises are moving low-value workloads and applications to public clouds such as Amazon, eroding traditi […] url: https://canonical.com/blog/entering-the-cloud-fray?format=md --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical "More about Canonical") 11 March 2015 # How to face the challenges of becoming a cloud operator [OpenStack](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/openstack) [Telco](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/telco) [Telecommunications](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/telecommunications) --- Share the article In a shifting market, the traditional revenues of telcos and service providers are under threat. Voice revenues are at an all-time low, and high wireless data costs are negatively impacting margins. As an additional challenge, many enterprises are moving low-value workloads and applications to public clouds such as Amazon, eroding traditional managed hosting revenues. To overcome these challenges and remain profitable, telcos and service providers are building cloud computing into their service delivery strategies. This is enabling them to launch new cloud-based IT services that drive additional broadband traffic over their networks, helping them increase core revenues and access new commercial opportunities. In this eBook, you will read about the challenges facing telcos and service providers as they become cloud operators. It gives an overview of market development, technical and organisational issues to keep in mind, and emphasises the importance of choosing the right cloud infrastructure to support business plans. [Download eBook](http://ubunt.eu/L5W2lS) ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### The next era of telco clouds: get open infrastructure choice with Sylva and Canonical Kubernetes](https://canonical.com/blog/the-next-era-of-telco-clouds-get-open-infrastructure-choice-with-sylva-and-canonical-kubernetes) Achieving vendor neutrality in telco clouds requires an infrastructure layer that respects open standards, without wrapping them in rigid platform layers. By combining upstream... [estelacarmona](https://canonical.com/blog/author/estelacarmona) 11 June 2026 [### How to set up a micro lab: four principles for a reliable homelab](https://canonical.com/blog/how-to-set-up-a-reliable-homelab) After over a decade of running a homelab, I have learned a few difficult lessons. Although it begins as a “lab,” you inevitably end up with something you want to keep. If a... [Jake Nabasny](https://canonical.com/blog/author/slapcat) 17 March 2026 [### Building new revenue streams: 3 strategic cloud opportunities for telcos in 2026](https://canonical.com/blog/new-telco-cloud-opportunity) PWC claimed the ‘fundamental challenge’ behind slowing growth is that telecom’s ‘core products and services’ are ‘becoming commodities.’ The way forward lies in modernizing and... [Isobel Kate Maxwell](https://canonical.com/blog/author/iso-maxwell) 10 February 2026 [### How telco companies can reduce 5G infrastructure costs with modern open source cloud-native technologies](https://canonical.com/blog/how-telco-companies-can-reduce-5g-infrastructure-costs-with-modern-open-source-cloud-native-technologies) 5G continues to transform the telecommunications landscape, enabling massive device density, edge computing, and new enterprise use cases. However, operators still face... [Benjamin Ryzman](https://canonical.com/blog/author/benjaminryzman) 8 December 2025