3GSM: Data MVNOs to enable the Open Mobile Economy for All-over-IP
mobiliser blog: Yesterday I have arrived in Barcelona to localise myself just in time for the 3GSM World Congress. 3GSM is the biggest mobile event on the planet and this year 50.000 mobile professionals are expected to show up to buy and sell our mobile future. In my point of view, our mobile future will be the outcome of the user-driven battle between the Closed and Open Mobile Economy.
The very high density of wireless executives in Barcelona should be the perfect playground for identifying the status quo and future of the wireless industry. Is our Mobile Economy closed or open? Are the networks, devices and services closed or open? How do we define open and how can we measure the degree of openness in our industry? Do mobile consumers prefer the Open Mobile Economy? Will the Open Mobile Ecomomy deliver more value for money to mobile consumers than the closed one? What can be done to really open the Mobile Economy for All-over-IP? What can we do to make our vision of the Open Mobile Economy become reality?
These are the key questions that have motivated my 3GSM agenda this year. Among others, I have meetings with 2 of the most advanced companies working towards the Open Mobile Economy that happen to be both Norwegian: Opera that opens up mobile browsing for the mass market and Trolltech which is a leading mobile Linux player in the field.
I will use many of my meetings to discuss our business idea for a new Open Data MVNO. As a matter of fact, I believe that every country should have at least one Open Data MVNO being hosted by at least one (small or big) progressive Host MNO. Then these Open Data MVNOs could join forces to create what I call an Open Mobile Economy Alliance to offer low-cost roaming with All-over-IP Flat Rates from one country to another without overpaying for enjoying the Ubiquitous Digital Lifestyle.
While we have seen Voice MVNOs in many countries, the ultimate mobile entertainers in this industry are going to be the Data MVNOs. We are migrating our industry to 3G to migrate it to data and not to maintain high prices for circuit-switched voice calls, SMS or MMS. So the Open Data MVNO can help each MNO to migrate their revenues to data as the Data MVNO is focused and has no existing business that could be damaged during the migration.
So, during the next week I will blog daily about my new insights into the status quo and future of our Open Mobile Economy and the ongoing challenge for MNOs and MVNOs to help create it.
