Wireless Wave - Spring 2008 - (Page 49)

▼ ▼ ROAMING WITH WHAT’S AN INDUSTRY TO DO? Ameri ca’s wireless companies have GREG PINELO Partner, GMMB The problems the wireless industry faces are neither unique nor insurmountable. There’s no silver bullet. What’s needed is hard work and sustained communication to tell your side of the story – the story of an industry that says yes to customers. more than 250 million overwhelmingly satisfied customers. You are pioneers of technology. You’ve put incredible communications capabilities in the hands of people from all walks of life. You employ tens of thousands of people. You give away millions to charitable causes and make a difference in countless ways. In fact, wireless devices represent the greatest democratization of technology in human history. And to say that the wireless industry is competitive is one of the biggest understatements in human history. Yet, day after day, wireless companies are besieged with negative news coverage, scrutiny from regulators, criticism from politicians. Consumer groups, columnists and bloggers paint a picture of an industry that rips off customers, distorts markets and stifles innovation – the effect of which, they argue, is that “America is falling behind in wireless. So what’s the problem? And, more importantly, what’s the solution? First, the problem. Fact is, you are victims of your own success. Wireless is a fascinating, high profile industry. Short of buying a house or a car, Americans probably spend more time and effort thinking about what wireless phone and service to buy than just about any other purchase decision. You draw fire because you are top of mind. But let’s be honest. Some business practices adopted by the industry simply aren’t popular. Early termination fees, automatic contract extensions and opposition to number portability might have made sense from a business standpoint, but created problems with customers and the media. A rapidly changing media environment tends to amplify these issues, thanks to a proliferation of information sources devoted to technology. Five years ago, Engadget, 49 Gizmodo and PhoneScoop didn’t exist. Now they attract millions of readers a day. Five years ago, few had heard of David Pogue and Walt Mossberg. Now they are “star” technology columnists who directly or indirectly impact millions of people. And that competition we talked about? It leads to lots of ads about dropped calls, one network being better than the others, incentives for switching carriers and more. Depressed? Don’t be. The problems the wireless industry faces are neither unique, nor insurmountable. There’s no silver bullet. What’s needed is hard work and sustained communication to tell your side of the story – the story of an industry that says yes to customers. An industry that offers wireless service almost anyone can afford, with all the capabilities everyone wants. Telling that story is key. Some rules to live by: • Not every problem has a communications solution – What you do is more important than what you say. That’s why opening networks, reducing fees and changing contract terms all go a long way toward changing how people think about wireless – and that impacts many fronts. PHO TO C Spr i ng 20 0 8

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Wireless Wave - Spring 2008

Wireless Wave - Spring 2008 Contents A Letter from Our Chairman A Letter from Our President Pryor Approval The Promise of M-commerce Moving Targets Foreign Service Multiple Choice Legs, Regs, and Wireless Wireless News The Supplier’s Voice CTIA Welcomes New Members Index of Advertisers Roaming with….

Wireless Wave - Spring 2008

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