Are telco tie-ups the way to stay ahead?

"IF you can't beat them, join them."

For telco players in a highly competitive sector, this might now be less trite adage than new motto, as incumbents team up with would-be "disruptors" to stay afloat in a dog-eats-dog space.

The joint Singtel-Razer payments system and StarHub's debut network leasing deal with MyRepublic, both announced last week, are recent signs of the effort to keep a grip on a lucrative but crowded consumer market.

Both arrangements will see telcos pairing up with companies playing in the same arena. Singtel and Razer want fingers in the electronic payments pie, while StarHub and MyRepublic lick their chops at the mobile consumer market.

Surely, to make partners out of rivals must point to an evolving s…