Telco marketplace: what to sell first and where mistakes are usually made

Where most operators start

When the operator decides to build a marketplace, the default direction is a full e-commerce platform: devices, content subscriptions, partner offers, financial products, lifestyle goods — all under one umbrella.

This direction often fails. A marketplace build occupies 18-30 months. Operations stretch — each category needs partnership management, customer support, returns, payments. Twenty-four months in, the typical telco marketplace has a large catalog but few active users, marginal revenue per category, and an organisation complaining that the value is unclear.

The problem is trying to be everything from the start. Without a focused entry the marketplace gains no traction in any single category.

What defines a successful first vertical

Not every category is equally suitable for a telco marketplace start. Several criteria:

Logical fit with core operator activity. Devices — natural extension of SIM/connectivity. Roaming partners — natural extension. Financial products tightly coupled with tariff billing. Random retail goods — disconnected.

Existing demand validated. Not “we think customers want this” — evidence of existing customer behaviour. If customers already buy in the category through other channels, telco entry has a chance. If the category is nascent, harder.

Manageable operations. Each vertical has unique operations — devices need shipping, content needs licensing, financial products need compliance. Choose a vertical where the operator already has or can quickly build operations.

Margin sufficient. Some categories are 1-2 percentage points. Others 15-30. With low margins, scale is required for meaningful revenue.

Network effect potential. Categories where customer growth attracts merchants and vice versa. Categories where each customer transaction is independent — limited network effect, limited scale advantage.

What often goes wrong

Build catalog without demand validation. The operator builds a 1000-product catalog. 80% of products have zero sales. Operations cost on the entire catalog, revenue on a small percentage.

Marketplace without logistics. The customer orders, expects delivery. The operator has not worked out fulfillment. Customer disappointment.

Marketplace as a discount channel. To attract customers deep discounts are offered. Margin negative initially. The “we’ll raise prices later” plan rarely works — customers are attached to discounts.

Marketplace without tailored customer support. Customer service infrastructure for SIM/connectivity is not well-suited for product-related questions, returns, complaints. Mismatch.

Conflict with existing retail. If retail sells phones and the marketplace also sells phones — channel conflict. Marketplace discounts may undercut retail margins.

What is needed for success

A focused first vertical. One category fitting the criteria above. Build that category to viability before expansion.

Operations matched to the category. If devices, fulfillment infrastructure. If content, licensing and rights management. If finance, compliance and payment integration.

Customer-friendly UX. Marketplace search, comparison, reviews if relevant, easy purchase flow, transparent pricing.

Specialised customer support. Team trained on category-specific issues. Not a generic call centre.

Partner management. Vendors on the marketplace need management — performance review, quality control, payments. Without this, catalog quality degrades.

Cross-channel coherence. Pricing and offers consistent across marketplace and retail. The customer should not be surprised by different prices.

A realistic roadmap for an operator in Uzbekistan

Months 1-6. Foundation. Choice of first vertical. Operations build. Initial partnerships. Pilot.

Months 7-12. First vertical launch. Measurement of adoption, revenue, customer satisfaction.

Months 13-18. Expansion within the vertical. Wider partner network, more SKUs, expanded customer reach.

Months 19-24. Second vertical. Apply lessons learned. Build more efficiently.

Months 25-36. Multi-vertical operations. Sustainable cross-vertical engagement.

Three years in — an established marketplace business with a meaningful revenue stream. Not massive, but real.

If the ambition is larger — superapp, full e-commerce — that is an additional 3-5 years build. Often not worth it for a telecom not designed for consumer commerce.

When marketplace is not a priority

If the operator does not have fulfillment capability and no partner is in place.

If the customer base is in principle not inclined to digital purchase patterns.

If the competitive landscape (existing e-commerce platforms) is already dominant and saturated.

If the organisation is in an acute phase of other transformation initiatives.

If C-level commitment is limited on a 24+ month invest period without visible first-year ROI.

Discussion points for the committee

What first vertical is the most logical fit and validated demand? If 5 candidates — no focus.

What operations capabilities are needed and which already exist? What requires a build?

What is the partner strategy for the first vertical? Which partners are identified?

What is the integration with existing retail and where are the conflicts?

What 24-36 month investment commit is needed and is it there?

How SamaraliSoft can help

Telco Marketplace Strategy & First Vertical — analysis of vertical fit for the operator on the criteria, recommendation of the first vertical, operations design, partner identification and framework, pilot launch over 12-18 months, and an expansion framework.

Related reading

• /en/insights/telecom-arpu-bundles-devices/ — ARPU growth
• /en/insights/telecom-device-lifecycle/ — device lifecycle
• /en/insights/telecom-wallet-or-bills/ — fintech entry
• /en/insights/telecom-revenue-share-partner/ — partner revenue share

Sources

• Ministry of Digital Technologies — telecom infrastructure UZ
• Digital Government Portal — digital infrastructure UZ
• UzDaily — telecom market
• Central Bank of Uzbekistan — biometric verification for digital banking
• MNP.UZ — number portability