Are wireless network operators 'dumb pipes' peddling commoditised services?
Analyst Mark Newman of Informa suggested this earlier in the week, and it would seem he's right.
24 phone companies, including operators Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, and AT&T have said they want to develop apps, while hardware manufacturers like Nokia, Intel, Samsung, Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, and Samsung are helping by building platforms for apps developers.
It's always seemed to me that you get a lobotomy along with a top management role at a wireless operator.
These guys have been trying to peddle wireless services for the last decade. Trouble is they think you can hire a guy in a suit to do it internally.
Whereas Steve Jobs showed it's better to throw the job open to the intellect and creativity of the planet.
Well Jobs has shown the operators the way. He has 140,000 apps and 3 billion downloads.
Now, for the phone companies, the penny has dropped. They're going to have an open platform for people to develop apps.
Too late, my friends, that train left the station yonks ago.
Far better for the operators to concentrate on improving their sub-standard performance at providing dumb pipes.
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