The second half of 2024 was a whirlwind of industry-defining events that collectively painted a clear picture of where communications and collaboration are headed. From CASA24 in September to UC EXPO, the Five9 EU Summit, Orange Open Tech, and finally Cavell Enable, one underlying trend was unmistakable: the conversation has shifted from standalone technologies like UCaaS and CCaaS to customer experience (CX) and the business outcomes these technologies enable.
This blog connects the dots across these five events, exploring how converged solutions—blending UCaaS, CCaaS, CPaaS, and Network APIs—are transforming the way telcos and enterprises engage their customers, innovate, and create real-world value.
The Convergence of UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS
One of the most notable trends in 2024 was the rise of converged solutions, bringing together collaboration, communication, and customer engagement into integrated offerings. Major players like Cisco Webex, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, 8×8, and RingCentral are driving this transformation by combining UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS into cohesive platforms.
At Cavell Enable, Microsoft, Zoom and Cisco featured in a great panel discussion about this, highlighting the changing narrative.
But the story isn’t just about technology vendors. Across these five events, telcos emerged as key players, stepping up to build tailored CX practices that leverage converged solutions to deliver differentiated value.
Telcos Leading the Way
• At CASA24, we saw how e& enterprise is evolving beyond its traditional telco roots to become a provider of bespoke CX solutions, seamlessly combining UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS from different technology partners to deliver hyper-personalized customer experiences.
• At CASA24, KPN showcased their approach to blending CPaaS with their core communication capabilities to create real-world, outcomes-focused solutions for enterprise clients, in partnership with Cisco Webex.
• The Orange Open Tech event highlighted how Orange is integrating CPaaS and Network APIs to create innovative customer engagement platforms tailored to specific industries, in partnership with CPaaS aggregators like Infobip.
• Across all these events, the message was consistent: telcos are no longer just connectivity providers—they are becoming CX enablers, leveraging their unique capabilities to drive measurable business outcomes for their enterprise customers, often in close collaboration with UCaaS, CCaaS and CPaaS platform providers.
CPaaS: The Backbone of CX Innovation
CPaaS has always been at the forefront of customer experience innovation, offering the programmable layer that allows businesses to build dynamic, personalized communication journeys across channels—voice, messaging, video, and chat.
At the CPaaS Acceleration Alliance, we’ve championed CPaaS as more than just a technology. It’s a toolkit for transformation, helping telcos and enterprises solve real-world problems and deliver meaningful business outcomes.
Here’s how CPaaS is enabling innovation:
• Solving Real-World Problems: From streamlining telemedicine workflows to enhancing customer engagement in retail.
• Driving Efficiency: By integrating AI, automation, and real-time data into customer interactions.
• Delivering Measurable Results: Improving NPS scores, reducing operational costs, and driving customer loyalty.
At CASA24, our annual flagship event, these capabilities were highlighted as essential for tying together the collaboration and engagement layers of UCaaS and CCaaS.
Network APIs: A Telco Superpower
Adding to the power of converged solutions is the unique role of Network APIs, which telcos are leveraging to differentiate their offerings. By exposing core network capabilities—such as location data, authentication, and quality-of-service controls—Network APIs allow businesses to build unique, deeply integrated solutions.
How Network APIs Add Value
• Enhancing Personalization: Real-time data enables smarter, more contextual customer interactions, such as location-aware messaging and dynamic call routing.
• Streamlining Processes: Automating complex tasks like identity verification through network-embedded security.
• Unlocking Industry-Specific Solutions: From IoT-enabled logistics platforms to smart city applications.
At Orange Open Tech, Orange highlighted how they are leveraging Network APIs alongside CPaaS to deliver tailored solutions for specific verticals. Similarly, e& enterprise and KPN are combining these APIs with converged UCaaS and CCaaS platforms to move beyond standard solutions and deliver true differentiation.
Why Convergence Matters
The convergence of UCaaS, CCaaS, CPaaS, and Network APIs is more than just a technological evolution—it’s a business transformation. Together, these capabilities enable enterprises and telcos to:
1. Deliver Seamless Customer Journeys: By connecting internal collaboration with external customer engagement.
2. Simplify Operations: Reducing complexity and siloed workflows through unified platforms.
3. Achieve Business Outcomes: Improving metrics like customer satisfaction, retention, and operational cost savings.
This transformation is creating new opportunities for telcos and enterprises to innovate, differentiate, and thrive in a CX-driven market.
What We Do at CPaaSAA
At CPaaSAA, we’ve been at the forefront of this transformation. Through our working groups, events, and resources like our playbooks, we’ve helped telcos and technology providers:
• Explore Best Practices: From vertical-specific solutions to go-to-market strategies.
• Leverage Use Cases: Highlighting real-world examples of how CPaaS and Network APIs are solving industry-specific challenges.
• Drive Collaboration: Facilitating conversations between telcos, CPaaS providers, and enterprises to unlock innovation.
Our mission is to accelerate the adoption of converged solutions and empower the industry to deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes.
Looking Ahead
The second half of 2024 solidified one thing: the industry is maturing, and the focus on CX and business outcomes is not just a trend—it’s the future.
For CPaaS, this is an exciting moment. By combining programmable communications with telco-driven Network APIs, providers have the tools to deliver transformative customer experiences and measurable results.
Telcos like e&, KPN, and Orange are leading the way, demonstrating how the convergence of UCaaS, CCaaS, CPaaS, and Network APIs can create innovative, tailored solutions that meet the demands of a CX-first world.
As we move deeper into 2025, this focus on CX will only intensify. At CPaaSAA, we’re excited to be at the forefront of this transformation—connecting dots, sharing insights, and driving innovation one best practice, one use case, and one impactful outcome at a time.
My lifetime in IT and telecoms has been dedicated to innovation, building bridges and creating change. From the early days of cloud communications to working with operators on innovations and business development, and currently emphasizing APIs, CPaaS/CX and AI, my journey has been one of continuous evolution.
As founding partner at CPaaS Acceleration Alliance and The Next Cloud I'm privileged to help global telcos and techcos thrive in a fast changing world - through events, community building, strategy and global business development. I thrive on challenges and change, strategizing in cloud communications, and bringing people together for mutual success. Travel and continuous learning are my passions.
I believe the global communications industry is pivoting to prioritize customer experience and impactful solutions over mere technology and platforms, and we can tackle societal challenges by merging the strengths of corporates and innovators within new ecosystems.
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