Mobile web polarizes as duellists pick their seconds

The two largest US cellcos went on the warpath this week with contrasting statements about their web strategies. Verizon Wireless formed a far reaching partnership with Google, echoing the search giant's existing alliance with Sprint and pointing to Android dominance of the CDMA carriers' own-branded web services platforms, …

[Doc Spock]

My Vision

Apologies if this comment is slightly off topic.

Personally, I cannot wait until mobile operators become "dumb pipes". I want to buy a phone/MID that is not tied to a single supplier, even if it means having to pay more upfront (the flip-side is that monthly charges will no longer hide the subsidy).

Also, the network infrastructure should be shared amongst all telcos, in much the same way as the electricity grid / gas networks / etc are shared amongst the many utility suppliers. This would reduce the spending of the individual telcos and also result in identical coverage for all users, regardless of supplier. After all, in this day and age, "mobile communication" should be seen as a utility (as should Internet access).

Only then will we have competition based solely on price/service instead of being artificially limited by device availability and coverage. Of course, none of this should stop the telcos offering their own branded phones/MIDs, or indeed specific services to their subscribers.

In my view, this is the only way to prevent the on-going fragmentation of the mobile space. We have competition; we're just waiting on the playing field.

[Crazy Operations Guy]

Nuts to the internet

When are mobile device makers going to make a phone that doesn't drop calls every few minutes and doesn't sound like I'm putting my ear into blender? Or at least one that isn't so full of power-wasting crap that it needs to be re-charged after 1 minute of calling?

[c 1]

telcomms != utility

@doc spock,

Telecomms is in no way a utility. It is one of the most innovation-intensive/competitive industries on the planet.

The fundamentals of moving a litre of gas/ a kw/Hour of electricity etc. have not changed in 100+ years. Now compare that to the telecomms industry. This alone renders the rest of you argument invalid.