Sunday, February 7, 2010

Mobile SP - Apple's appstore and IMS Dilemma

Until now the Mobile SPs was successful to hold their value added services and earn good money from their business. SMS was the biggest success but not an innovation, rather a by-product. As most of the voice tariffs are going flat Mobile providers are looking for alternatives. Currently almost all Mobile SPs are unanimously thinking that IMS (IP multimedia system) will provide additionally services for future earnings. Billion of dollars are planned for investment in this area. It is petty that this will be useless investment as the future of services will be coming from Internet based platforms and Mobile will face the same problem from OTT as today's fixed network.

Apple iphone was steroid for some of the Mobile SPs. Apple's appstore is the side effect of the steroid. Few more popular app stores like this and no body will care about the services from the Mobile provider. It is quite possible that in short time period Nokia, Samsung, Google and other mobile manufacture will follow the path of Apple. Some of the European Mobile providers are thinking about appstore as well but it will be same as the IPTV services offered from fixed network providers.

If Mobile and fixed network providers want to stay in the value chain they need follow a different path.

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