As Maddie Walker explains, on the surface the answer seems to be simple. Operators can create funds for investment by being increasingly competitive. But, if it was as simple as that, cash wouldn't be tight, customers wouldn't be constantly demanding more for less and everything in the operator garden would be lovely. But it's not. So what is needed is a clear and simple strategy that must be pursued properly and with purpose. Maddie Walker suggests a template might be to firstly establish a shared and agreed vision, then to spend shrewdly rather than recklessly on its realisation; to invest wisely; to streamline operations and sustain growth. However, that is a lot easier said than done. The industry is experiencing its biggest technological transformation, cultural shift and behavioural change its entire history and what is needed most of all is a sense of balance. How transformation money is spent is as important as what can be saved, but the emphasis cannot be entirely on cost-cutting, not least because it simply isn't sustainable as a long-term strategy.

FILMED AT: Broadband World Forum 2016, ExCeL Convention Centre, London