Is there too much tech-push in telco land?

Shouldn't the telecommunications industry be listening more to what customers want and need, instead of relying on the archetypal "build it and they'll come" mentality?

We also need to think beyond the borders of the current industry. There has been widespread consultation on the National Broadband Network (NBN), but most of the talk has been with existing carriers and service providers. Given that we are at the dawn of the age of convergence surely discussions on the future should extend beyond existing players.

In the ZDNet Australia studio I discuss how the industry approach needs to change with two winners of last week's Communications Alliance ACOMM Awards: Brendan Coady, partner at Maddocks Lawyers, and Phil Smith, general manager at Opticomm.

Both, as you might expect, believe the NBN will change the shape of the industry in tremendous ways, but I ask if the industry is too blinkered as it pushes ahead with its own vision of the way ahead. Isn't the future likely to be fraught with litigation and (even more) dissatisfied customers? Can telcos adapt fast enough to this new applications-driven era, particularly when many seem to suffer billing and provisioning problems with the services they sell today?

Running time: 29 minutes, 32 seconds