Wireless Carriers Unplugged
Do wireless carriers abuse their power to infringe on the free speech of competitors and controversial groups? Is their revenue model reasonable? Is Verizon in 2008 the equivalent of AOL in 1995?
Jared Reitzin, CEO of digital marketing platform provider mobileStorm, uses humor, logic, passion, and one or two inappropriate words to blast mobile carriers for censorship, inefficiency and short-sighted business practices.
He makes an insightful and very timely argument, particularly given the spate of news articles over the last six months or so from sources like RCR Wireless News, Wireless And Mobile News and TechCrunch about free, ad-supported wireless calling models currently being tested. Why is this relevant? Because in the late 1990s, free ad-supported Internet access was all the rage. There were even companies that offered free computers, along with free web access, supported by advertising. Although those models ended up failing spectacularly, they did help push the dominant ISPs to move from $X-for-Y-hours-of-use pricing plans to unlimited access flat rates. A similar trajectory could happen in wireless.
Check out Jared’s rant.
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Contact Tom Pick: tomATwebmarketcentralDOTcom
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Wireless Carriers Unplugged
Tags: ad-supported, and, aol, business, calling, carriers, digital, jared, marketing, mobile, mobilestorm, news, platform, random, rant, rcr, reitzin, techcrunch, verizon, wireless
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