The wireless networks are carrier-controlled in many facets: access to the networks, the handsets, the pricing, the deck, the mobile user experience.
I kind of “laugh” when I read about debates on mobile/wireless networks vs. network neutrality, as I believe that battle was lost on day one; well, that battle was never started, it has been this the way from day one. To be fair, I am talking here about the carrier experience in the U.S., but this is “behavior” is global I believe.
Today I continue to listen the exact same arguments about why such control is necessary as I did 7 years ago: security, privacy, protecting the network, being pipe vs. more than that… And related to this, certifications (blessing from the carriers) and related costs, walled-gardens, restricted access to the handset, and more recently application signing (more costs).
Nevertheless, carriers are the gatekeepers, part of the ecosystem, and we must work with them.
On his piece, The fragile balance, Eduardo Cruz wrote a paragraph that captures very well the role (and power) of the operator:
“Mobile operators themselves are destined to be the next gatekeepers of the internet, they represent the ubiquitous access that will enable the entire world’s population accessing the global network from anywhere, at any time and at a sustainable cost for the least developed countries of the world. Their role as the next supreme internet service providers is something that cannot be ignored.”
This means becoming part of their development program, following their guidelines, ensuring your application runs well on their handsets and certifying those, signing your applications, and so on.
With most of the global population having access to mobile handsets in the near future, and possibility with access to the Internet through their handsets, the Internet will be entering a new phase – and the carrier understands this, and will leverage this.
The Mobile Internet.. is not your "father's"/traditional Internet (or what the Internet has been so far).
ceo