CPE雲端化及虛擬化趨勢下 台灣寬頻CPE業者的成長策略

Abstract

本研究係針對寬頻CPE雲端化與虛擬化的發展趨勢，探討台灣業者未來的競爭策略。研究首先藉由探討領導運營商CPE雲端化與虛擬化的發展案例，了解CPE雲端化與虛擬化對產業的影響。接著運用波特五力模型深入探討產業結構未來變化的趨勢，以綜合歸納出台灣業者的成長策略選項。最後從進入障礙、動態競爭與競合的觀點，評估適合台灣業者的成長策略。 寬頻CPE市場向來具有封閉性與集中度高的特性，對新進業者的進入障礙較高。因此，多數台灣業者在寬頻CPE的業務發展向來是以代工的商業模式為主，並在整體市場的供應鏈佔有重要的市場地位。本研究發現，CPE雲端化與虛擬化的發展趨勢，長期將改變寬頻CPE產業價值鏈與結構。進入障礙降低、替代品的威脅升高，市場將逐漸走向開放競爭。台灣業者將難以仰賴代工的商業模式持續成長。 台灣業者如轉型B2B品牌的商業模式，將面臨與品牌客戶的競合問題，易導致轉型失敗。台灣業者如果跨領域發展新產品的代工業務則會面臨較高的進入障礙。因此，本研究結果提出台灣業者可跨領域發展新產品，並以直攻運營商的業務模式為主。這樣的模式將使台灣業者避免與寬頻CPE品牌客戶正面衝突，並迴避掉發展新產品代工業務的進入障礙。這種模式也讓台灣業者得以先建立直攻運營商的能力，等到CPE雲端化與虛擬化在未來幾年成為市場的主流技術時，再來思考是否能與寬頻CPE品牌客戶正面衝突。

The purpose of this thesis is to study growth strategies for Taiwan Broadband CPE vendors in the trend of virtual CPE. We begin with case studies on leading communication service providers’ virtual CPE projects so as to understand the potential impact of virtual CPE to the industry. We then use Porter’s five force framework to analyze the industry’s weaknesses and strengths. Based on the analysis, we then propose and evaluate different strategies from the perspective of entry barrel, competitive dynamics and coopetition, hoping to find ones that will help Taiwan Broadband CPE vendors complete and grow in the industry in light of the trend of cloudification & virtualization. Broadband CPE market is highly concentrated and the barrel of entry is high. Therefore, most of Taiwan vendors focus on ODM/EMS business model and play an important role in the worldwide broadband CPE supply chain. Our study shows that virtual CPE will change the value chain and industry structure of CPE market in the long term. Virtual CPE will reduce the barrel of entry and increase the threat of substitutes. The CPE market will evolve toward open competition, and thus it would be difficult for Taiwan vendors to continually grow with existing ODM/EMS business model. However, if Taiwan vendors transform into own-brand business, the strategy may raise conflicts with existing B2B customers and face severe challenges from them. Taiwan vendors could also struggle at developing ODM/EMS business on new product segments due to its high entry barrel. Our study suggests that Taiwan vendors develop new product segments and focus on selling new products to communication service providers. In this way, Taiwan vendors will be able to avoid direct competition with their Broadband CPE brand customers and bypass the high entry barrel of new products ODM/EMS business. Taiwan vendors could establish business relationship with communication service providers and build up core compentence for brand business first. In this way Taiwan vendors will be ready to develop own-brand business on Broadband CPE when virtual CPE become mainstream technology.