Comments on: Mobile Operators as “Dumb Pipes”

By: Robert Mc

Robert Mc — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:48:48 +0000

A.P. Gianni did this with the banking industry in the early 1900’s also, David Sarnoff of RCA used this platform to introduce radio and then the television to consumers.

You always seem to have to work your way around the Big guys they don’t invent they prevent.

By: Erwin

Erwin — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 17:02:10 +0000

While Cingular’s data plans may be expensive, it’s competitor, Sprint, offers unlimited EVDO access for $15 month. You can’t group all the carriers together.

By: Google-Phone: Mehr als ein Gerücht : Mobile Zeitgeist

Google-Phone: Mehr als ein Gerücht : Mobile Zeitgeist — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:58:01 +0000

[...] dort fand ich in den Kommentaren einen Link auf den lesenswerten Beitrag von Robin Landy, der sich mit der Entwicklung der Telkos hin zu reinen “Dumb Pipes” beschäftigt [...]

By: Zec

Zec — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:48:48 +0000

I agree with some of your claims above, but I disagree on these:

1.)
iPhone is not 3G, so how shall people use a bunch of multimedia features and connect to the network ( Online ) ?
A one iTunes song would be downloading more than 1,5 hour ( if not more ).
We still don’t know whether Cingular and Apple agreed on some basic data plans ( and these must be generouse plans , IMHO ).
So, People could use all these features, but internally, not for going on the net.

2.) iPhone is e-mail centric not SMS centric, so if Apple’s intentions were to go after consumer market, then they should make it SMS-centric, it’s the tech that goes with intimate and minimalistic style of mobility ( SMS is not little brother of e-mail , it’s just different, understand that ).

3. )
Yes, it’s their relatioinship with Cingular and the deal we don’t know much about details. If I am Apple executive, I would say Cingular ” you’ll sell our $ 599 iPhones but you will give your & ours customers flat rate data plan- very, very generouse, the customers need to use it heavy ”
But will they ? Lack of 3G tech.

By: Elliot

Elliot — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 07:02:09 +0000

Your link with the anchor text “dumb pipes” is broken: it has an extra “http://”.

What do broadband ISPs think of being treated as dumb pipes? Does it work for them?

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:26:11 +0000

Very interesting article. I’ve always been frustrated with mobile phone companies not only because US handset technology is far behind Europe and Asian, but because they nickel and dime you to death for every little feature. How does a ring tone cost $1.99, when the entire song on iTunes is $0.99?