If Mr. Mossberg were here at CTIA’s Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2007® show in San Francisco, he’d see what the wireless world really looks like today. Instead of writing about the old 2G world, he’d see firsthand how we have moved into the 3G broadband world, where options open up for consumers.
He would see that there are more than 600 different wireless devices available to consumers in the U.S. today, from carriers, manufacturers, and third-party retailers. Wireless customers in the U.S. can exchange voice, text and photo messages, can download or watch streaming videos and listen to radio programs. There are more than 150 wireless companies providing service across the country, from nationwide to regional and local providers. And dozens more companies have entered and exited the marketplace, driven by entrepreneurial vision and ambition to make their mark. If those things don’t define the meaning of a free market, what does?
The wireless marketplace is not static or stodgy. Wireless service providers are not the soviet ministries of old – they are dynamic players in a competitive market, working with partners to ensure that devices deliver what consumers expect, without bringing down cell sites. They are not dumb pipes, trying to substitute for the competitive marketplace – they are marketplace players. They are many things at once, but what they are today is not what they will necessarily be tomorrow. Maybe in the digital world, wireless and computing are evolving towards each other. If so, it’s because wireless devices are offering consumers more choices and capabilities, not because the computer industry offers a better market structure.
Handset subsidies have lowered the barriers to adopting wireless service for more than 240 million Americans. Fifteen percent of customers use prepaid or pay-as-you-go service plans that don’t involve contracts. That’s different from many other countries, true enough, but wireless service and wireless handsets cost American consumers a lot less than they cost consumers in most other countries. American wireless consumers pay less per minute and use more minutes than consumers in every European country – that’s a good equation for American consumers. And there are more network operators providing more choices for consumers in the U.S. than in most other developed countries in the world.
That’s where the U.S. wireless industry is today, but that’s not where we will be tomorrow. We won’t stop pushing the boundaries to give consumers more and better products and services. It’s unfortunate that Mr. Mossberg has fallen for the hollow argument that the U.S. is behind in wireless. In fact, wireless in the U.S. is dynamic, innovative, and working to deliver for consumers.
RSS Feed
Try writing sms to wap services, try writing java to handset....as a matter fact try creating anything for a US phone...If Verizon doesnt lock you in a cage...T Mobile will shackle you to a grindstone...and Sprint....well they are Sprint....the also ran....fortunately ATT does realize that its in their interest to help and they actually are the best of the lot IMHO ...but cant be said of any of the others...if you think we have healthy competition in the mobile space you are not on the same planet as I am....
"Gridlock" is certainly not what's on display out here in San Francisco. In fact the keynote speech today was by Sprint's Atish Gude and he spent the better part of an hour talking about their WiMax product (Xohm) and Sprint's overall commitment to open platforms. More pipes, more products, more access. As for the cost of wireless service, I can only repeat what the facts are...the price of a U.S. wireless minute is lower than Europe (by far) and indeed is one of the lowest in the entire world. As for Africa, the price of a minute in the U.S is about 4 cents and in South Africa it's about 18 cents. On top of that, per capita income in Africa is about 90% lower than in the U.S. But don't take my word for it, it's a stat from Merrill Lynch. Thanks for your input!