The introduction of 4G networks is forcing operators to find partners for activities they would traditionally have kept in-house, according to Olaf Swantee, the CEO of UK operator EE.

“We’re having to become more like the IT industry, where there is horizontal cooperation, as opposed to the vertically integrated, traditional telco model,” he said on an MWC panel session about partnerships and M&A.

Describing EE as a “networks expert”, he said it was important for operators to focus on their core capabilities in a 4G world.

Building a differentiated network experience is much harder and more complicated with 4G-based data than old-fashioned voice and text, he explained.

At the same time, operators will have to form partnerships if they are to take advantage of all the “new and exciting applications” to which 4G is giving rise.

Swantee gave EE’s deal with Deezer – which lets customers enjoy online music as part of their data service – as an example of the operator’s approach.

His description of EE’s strategy came hours before Deutsche Telekom, which owns half of the UK operator, issued a statement saying it was “handing over greater responsibility for key initiatives to national companies”, as well as “focusing on partnerships” and “innovation by cooperation”.

OTT companies represented on the same panel as Swantee expressed equal enthusiasm for teaming up with operators, although Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen, the head of mobile business development at Dropbox, provided a different explanation for operators’ need to find partners.

“WhatsApp took their crown for instant messaging, Spotify took their crown for music services, Facebook took their crown for social networking and Dropbox is working hard on taking their crown for cloud services,” he said. “Consumers don’t want to be told what to use.”