Mobile operators should look to build on existing app offerings to create differentiated propositions for consumers in Asia, according to a new Mobile World Live video.

Sissel Henriette Larsen (pictured), head of services for Telenor in the region, highlighted a number of benefits that partnerships with operators can offer, including distribution reach and billing capabilities. “We have a strong belief that our role is to partner with the leading ecosystems where we can actually present our assets,” she said.

Her comments were echoed by Mark Liversidge, CMO of Hong Kong operator CSL. He noted: “we were very aware that there was already strongly established application layers in the market from the main over the top players.  What we looked to do was identify opportunities for us to complement those.”

Among the strengths that operators have is the ability to deliver a localised content portfolio to consumers, said Sandy Shen, research director for Gartner: “I think the operators’ role is really to help their customers get easy access to the app stores, to get locally relevant content, and also to make the user experience much smoother.  So I think this is how they can beat the competition.”

Watch the video here.