27 July 2007

Emerging trend in wireless?

There has been some buzz in the industry around something that some have referred to as "wireless Carterfone", reflecting the 1968 FCC decision that began the deregulation of CPE in the wireline industry. This buzz has now risen to the level of BusinessWeek, in this article. As I blogged earlier, Google has sought the creation of a wireless wholesale market in the upcoming 700MHz auctions, where users have the freedom to attach handsets of their choice. This item points to some of the "pro" and "con" articles (emphasizing the latter, in this case).

Why do carriers build "walled gardens"? Should this be a matter of public policy or private choice? How is this different from people purchasing unlocked GSM devices?

No comments: