The telecoms industry has a bad reputation for innovation and is seen by many to have missed out on the major new, digital opportunities of the last three decades. This is broadly unfair as telecoms operators have provided the hyper-connectivity foundation that is enabling all of these services. Operators have worked within the constraints of the traditional market place, bringing ultra-robust, high-availability services to market rather than the best effort, beta products of the digital age that rely on customer-led development.