20 August 2010

Who "owns" Mobile around the world?


Yesterday's post suggested that "Who owns Mobile?" is the wrong question for turf-conscious agency people. It's better to focus on learning about Mobile, because clients will ask "Who knows Mobile?" Who can give me a business solution?

In the other words, learn the territory instead of trying to grab it.

By the way -- it's a global territory.

Roaming charges

A colleague used to joke that any self-proclaimed mobile expert was required to say, at least once a day in a meeting, "The U.S. mobile market is in the Stone Age compared to what they have in Hong Kong."

It's no joke. Mobile has evolved in different ways and to different degrees all over the world. Many Africans depend on mobile services to do their banking. Britons driving into London can pay the commuting tax on their mobile phones.

It's 4G, comrade

The Economist reports this week that Yota, a Russian start up, has laid 3,000 km of its own fiber-optic lines to start a 4G network. Yes, 4G is coming (see the chart above).

You may also want to read this Economist article about the mobile market in South-East Asia.

Learn the territory

Yesterday's post advised: learn the territory. Today's corollary lesson is: learn the global territory. That way when clients ask "Who knows Mobile?" you can answer them with confidence.

2 comments:

  1. 4G is already here. Sprint and other operators have small coverage areas in major U.S. cities, to match the capabilities of the Evo 4G. :)........Not.

    It may be labeled 4G but it really doesn't meet the standards of 4G. Basically what they are offering is a slightly beefed up 3G known as 3.5G or 3.75G. 4G speeds should be around 100mb while moving and 1gb when the receiver is stationary, standards set forth by ITU-R.

    According to the chart it is saying 4G will be slow. I believe in the next 5 years 4G or better will be all that we have as we move away from the wired age at an exponential rate.

    Overall mobile is the future of everything.

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  2. Sorry, 4G "adaption" will be slow. Missed a word. :)

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