Operators will open networks in 2008
IDC have been on the wires with their predictions. Mobile operators will need to open up their networks. Uh huh. I can imagine some rather uncomfortable conversations at many of the world’s grandest operator content teams.
“Right lads. We, er, need to open up.”
- “You what?”
“Yeah, open up. Give the punters access to whatever they want.”
- “Sorry?”
“Just as I said. Open up the pipe.”
- “But, you … but we’ve been spending MILLIONS on our own portals and ‘content decks!’”
“Er. Yeah. Yeah I know.”
- [Stamps feet: 'We. Are. Not. Just. A. Data. Pipe.'] “And if we open it all up, … what will happen to our revenues? OUR REVENUES? MAN! Man!”
“Look lads, there’s lots of different options…”
[cue doughnuts]
Link: Mobile internet will open wide in 2008, IDC says - iPod/iPhone - Macworld UK
The advent of mobile broadband in 2008 will push every mobile network operator to open its network to a wide range of devices, not just those offered by the carriers themselves, IDC says.
In making their industry predictions for 2008, IDC made the case that many different factors will push carriers toward more openness, including the advent of smart phones, the wide array of mobile web gadgets expected to hit the market in the near future, and the presence of the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational group with more than 30 members dedicated to promoting Google’s open-access Android platform.
This isn’t such a biggie in the UK any more. Not since the major operators have all deployed some sort of data bundle that’s reasonably passable. They’re all opening up. Just how much can you open up before you relegate yourself to becoming a bit/data pipe?
A lot. Think of the answering machine. Everybody had their own and they were awful. Then a telephone company provided it as a charge-for service and it was so much better.
If phone companies do telephony really well they are not going to be challenged by free but second rate service providers (Skype and friends). They should welcome high quality non-free service providers because there a partnerships to be had where everyone can join in the quality of service benefits that come with in-pipe status. Think of the amount of money telcos made working with (and, in the end, not against) the PABX industry.
Getting virtual appliances into their authoritative software stack could be just as valuable to the telcos as the physical appliances were.
Posted by Julian on December 12th, 2007 at 12:24 pm.