Cell Phone Carriers: Tear Down That Wall

Grok Headline matches for Cell Phone Carriers: Tear Down That Wall

Carriers sold on shopping by cell phone

Carriers sold on shopping by cell phone 05/14/2004 07:32 PM
Verizon is working with Netpace to let customers shop on their cell phones without using a credit card. Other carriers are expected to follow suit.

Big problems for small cell phone
carriers?

Big problems for small cell phone
carriers? 04/19/2004 07:08 PM
About 90 rural cell phone service providers are out of compliance with federal cell phone location, or e911, rules.

Tear Down the Wall

Tear Down the Wall 11/16/2003 11:53 PM

Rachel Corrie

I found this message from Wisconsin's mainstream Christian ecumenical organization heartening. 

Friend,

If there are no objections, I would like for us to dedicate our "Courage for Nonviolence" Conference, Jan. 23-24, 2004, to Rachel Corrie, the 23 yr. old female human rights activist, who on Sunday, March 17, 2003, was crushed to death by an IDF bulldozer while she was protesting the destruction of a palestinian home.

I will include a commemorative statement in our brochure, and announce our dedication of the conference to Rachel at the opening of the conference.

Pride Communication Services, #1
Reseller of Krusell Leather Cell Phone
Cases, to Begin Selling Identity-Theft
Conscious Horizontic Plus Cell Phone
Case in April

Pride Communication Services, #1
Reseller of Krusell Leather Cell Phone
Cases, to Begin Selling Identity-Theft
Conscious Horizontic Plus Cell Phone
Case in April 03/29/2005 04:34 AM
To Better Accommodate the Needs of Today’s Identity Theft Conscious Cell Phone Users, Pride Communication Services (PCS), a Subsidiary Franchise of KaseIT and the Largest Reseller of KRUSELL Leather Cases, Announced Today that it Would Begin Selling the Horizontic Plus Cell Phone Case, KRUSELL’s Newest Offering, In its Online Store in April. [PRWEB Mar 29, 2005]

European cell carriers get some Sun

European cell carriers get some Sun 06/24/2004 09:16 PM
Orange and T-Mobile will sell only downloads that are Java Verified, in a win for Sun and its downloading software for cell phones.

Cell carriers want piracy discount

Cell carriers want piracy discount 04/01/2005 12:16 PM
CNN Money Apr 1 2005 3:25PM GMT

Canadian Cell Carriers Still Late to
Hotspot Game

Canadian Cell Carriers Still Late to
Hotspot Game 03/06/2004 01:49 AM
It's more vaporware: cell phone billing for hotspot usage for hotspots that don't exist: Over the last year, four Canadian cellular telephone carriers have made deals for inter-network roaming, issued press releases, and most recently said that Wi-Fi usage could be billed directly to a cell phone account. Of course, the carriers haven't built a single hotspot, and the leading Canadian firm FatPort already offers a variety of billing and roaming options. FatPort has partnerships for bilateral roaming with other networks worldwide, including Surf and Sip. Their locations are resold via iPass, GRIC, and Boingo. They work with Excilan to allow certain cell customers to pay via cell phone for their service already. All this to say that the cell companies in Canada are offering a lot of noise for no results. Their promise to build 500 locations by the end of 2004 might be impeded by the locations and chains already under contract to FatPort and to companies to which FatPort has licensed their technology or for which FatPort is operating networks. The article also incorrectly states that hotspot users have to enter a credit card each time, disregarding the many subscription plans and pre-paid card options offered by FatPort in Canada and other hotspot networks worldwide. I know the Globe and Mail is a major daily newspaper, but this article was written by proxy by the cell carriers who told the reporter exactly what to think--note the paucity of quotes and none from companies outside the partnership. [link via TechDirt]...

Cell Carriers Quietly Drop Data Plan
Prices

Cell Carriers Quietly Drop Data Plan
Prices 04/23/2004 09:52 PM
The Feature notes that cell data prices have dropped, quietly: A few weeks ago, it was $80 per month for unlimited data from those who offered unlimited plans, with lower fees only for metered services. Cingular offered no unlimited service. In the face of faster national networks and Verizon Wireless's commitment coupled with T-Mobile ($20/month) and Sprint PCS ($15/month) pricing, The Feature's Eric Lin notes a host of small changes. Verizon Wireless is now down to $50/month for 1xRTT, but still charges $80/month for PC Card-based 1xEvDO. Cingular plummeted its GRPS and limited EDGE to $20 per month (but it's not listed as such on their site yet). AT&T Wireless is offering GPRS/EDGE at $45/month. To quote Mike Masnick of TechDirt, So, now it seems that the entry point for the highest speed is $80, then you drop to $50 when there's a bit of competition, and down to about $20 when your service doesn't have much to distinguish itself any more....

Phone DRM too expensive, say carriers.

Phone DRM too expensive, say carriers. 04/02/2005 03:43 PM
The Register: Phone DRM too expensive, say carriers.

Phone DRM too expensive, say carriers

Phone DRM too expensive, say carriers 04/02/2005 06:56 AM
Fragmentation looms

How to switch carriers but keep your
phone

How to switch carriers but keep your
phone 06/08/2004 10:01 PM
ZDNet Jun 9 2004 1:38AM GMT

So It Was The Carriers Who Stopped The
iTunes Phone

So It Was The Carriers Who Stopped The
iTunes Phone 03/25/2005 06:57 AM
While Motorola's Ed Zander made a gallant effort to cover for the wireless carriers by claiming the Motorola iTunes phone was really delayed due to Apple's marketing strategy, more and more evidence is appearing suggesting that (as most had assumed from the beginning) it's really the wireless carriers who are freaking out that (oh no!) content might somehow get on phones without them getting a cut. This is the classic walled garden mindset of the carriers, and it's exactly what's going to drag them down. While the carriers want to pretend they're music moguls and make sure their hand is one of many in the tiny pie, others are working on ways to route around the carriers. The more complicated the carriers make it, the more it's just going to push users to find other solutions, and then the carriers will be guaranteed not to get a cut at all. Their best bet is to embrace the offerings that are coming along as a way to sell more phones and more service. Stop worrying about getting their few pennies for each song. Even if they got it, it wouldn't last long. Once again, the carriers are showing that they've learned nothing from the internet.

iTunes phone delay: it's not the
carriers

iTunes phone delay: it's not the
carriers 03/17/2005 02:53 AM
Last week's awkward halt to the iTunes phone launch was originally seen as the result of carriers second-guessing their own involvement in music sales. In reality, it was Apple that pulled the plug.

Will Carriers Kill The iTunes Phone?

Will Carriers Kill The iTunes Phone? 07/29/2004 04:48 AM
Apple (and Motorola) took a lot of people by surprise earlier this week by announcing plans to put iTunes on a mobile phone, but they may have left out one very important part: figuring out how the carriers get a cut. The wireless carriers are notorious for suppo rting closed systems, and making sure that they get a cut of any transaction that goes through a mobile phone. While this is a shortsighted move that has slowed down the creation and adoption of wireless services and applications, the carriers still insist on sticking to that plan, under the weird belief that they know best what applications and services subscribers will use (and pay for). So, now, many analysts are pointing out that for all the hype surrounding the mobile iTunes, there's a good chance carriers won't let it run on their phones, unless they somehow get a cut. Of course, for the smart carrier, this is a perfectly good opportunity to open up their offering. Giving subscribers an open platform with plenty of applications and services should generate more interest and allow the carrier to steal customers away from its competitors. Eventually, it will happen, but it may take a while.

Consumers Still Hate Mobile Phone
Carriers

Consumers Still Hate Mobile Phone
Carriers 01/04/2005 10:51 PM
The latest Consumer Reports research on mobile phone operators in the US suggests that, well, people still aren't that happy with their provider, they experience plenty of dropped calls and many are hoping that the grass is greener (signal is stronger?) on the other side of the fence (next tower over?). The dropped call issue may be the biggest -- as that's often how people judge the quality of the service they receive. Finding out that 70% of users experienced at least one dropped call in the week prior to the study being done is not a good sign for the industry at all. About the only thing that keeps these rates acceptable is the fact that everyone else is equally as bad, so there's really no where else to go. In the meantime, I don't know if I've just been lucky, but it's pretty rare that my mobile phone drops a call (though, I should admit that it did so three times in the course of one conversation this past weekend).

June 03, 2004 10:32 AM US Eastern
Timezone CORRECTING and REPLACING Wall
Street Tunes into Q Television Network;
Successful Industry Launch Generates
Interest from Carriers, Advertisers and
Investment Leaders

June 03, 2004 10:32 AM US Eastern
Timezone CORRECTING and REPLACING Wall
Street Tunes into Q Television Network;
Successful Industry Launch Generates
Interest from Carriers, Advertisers and
Investment Leaders 06/04/2004 02:45 AM
[PRWEB Jun 4, 2004]

Iowa phone company tries to block
incoming cell phone calls

Iowa phone company tries to block
incoming cell phone calls 08/16/2004 05:48 PM
Iowa phone company plans to block cell phone call in a dispute with wireless carriers. The Iowa Utilities Board has prevented the plan for now.

Quick-'n-Dirty methods to determine
which competing label is better: "Cell
Phone" or "Mobile Phone"?

Quick-'n-Dirty methods to determine
which competing label is better: "Cell
Phone" or "Mobile Phone"? 04/28/2004 11:39 AM

On the SIGIA-L mailing list, Stephanie Berger recently asked: "My cohorts are not sure whether to use "cell phone" or "mobile phone". Any evidence that one is better than the other, or one is used more often than the other?"

This is a good example of the kind of labeling questions information architects face all the time. The answer to these labeling questions will depend on the target audience (a better label for whom?), on business requirements (maybe the business want to promote one term over the other) and on the context in which the label will be used.

I'll discuss the conversation that followed here and afterwards point to some useful tools for if you have a labeling question yourself.

Andres Sulleiro: "Without any empirical data I will go with my own opinion. [...] A quick survey of the phone carriers seems to suggest that "wireless" (as in "wireless phone", "wireless customer") is most common among US carriers, though you see some references to "mobile" as well. T-mobile, a European company, uses "mobile" which is more common in Europe as well as being the name of the carrier."

Method: check what other websites call it.

Jason Cho: "I think "cell" is more widespread in the US as Andrés noted. "Call my mobile" can sound pretentious to Yankee ears. But I would think everyone understands the term "mobile" on a business card."

Method: personal experience.

Peter Van Dijck (and others): "Google for "cell phone" (including quotes): 6,230,000, Google for "mobile phone": 6,360,000. Looks like a tie, assuming your audience is similar. Just pick one and make sure your search engine knows both terms."
Christina Wodtke: "Y ahoo for cell phone : 16,800,000, yahoo for mobile phone: 21,200,000. What does this really tell you? you'd have to know who each engine indexes, how much of the web, etc.. better to use a magic 8 ball. ;-)"

Method: check popularity of the terms on the web.

Peter Van Dijck: "My next step would be to find out what people search for on your site,
or if not available, on the web (assuming that's more or less your audience). Google adwords can help."

Method: Find out what people (preferably your target audience) search for.

Dave: "I like "mobile" for the reason that Christina stated (forward compatibility); USers and non-USers will equally understand it. Also, it is more interoperable w/ most of the vCard based addressbook programs out there. I don't know any that are using "cell" or "cellphone" ... I also like the clear and easy two word approach of "mobile phone" ... I'm always wanting to say "cellphone" where "cell phone" is really the more correct version. "cell" though just doesn't feel like a real word b/c the "cell" doesn't fit a meaning to me. I know what it means if I am forced to think about it, but it really doesn't mean anything to me at all."

Method: personal experience, check what software programs use.

Christina Wodtke: "> As can Ove rture's keyword tool (couldn't find URL straight away).

You also might consider some adaptation of the freelisting technique on a subset of your target. E.G., a write in survey: what portable electronics do you own, then analyze for use of "cell phone" and mobile phone".

Method: freelisting technique.

Eric Reiss: "Having worked closely with several telecommunications companies, including Tellabs (US), Nortel (Canada), ADVA (Germany), and NetTest (Denmark), this discussion is one I've heard before. Europeans generally don't recognize the term "cell phone." North Americans seem to accept both "cell" and "mobile." ATT insists on promoting the term "wireless." In most instances, we've agreed on the word "mobile" since it is understood by the widest audience. Nortel, for instance, used "cell" almost exclusively until the late 90s, but now leans toward "mobile." I think there is a trend here."

Method: ask the subject matter experts.

Pabini Gabriel-Petit: "There's also Wordtracker.
[...]
In this vein, you might try just walking up to people, holding up your cell/mobile phone, and asking them what they call it."

Method: Analyze what people search for.

Method: Find out what labels your users use.

Quick-'n-Dirty methods to determine which competing label is better.

So, as a review, here are some of the methods used to determine which label is better.

1. What do you think?
Method: personal experience/insights.

2. What do your users think?
Method: freelisting technique.
Method: Find out what labels your users use: show them the item you're trying to label and ask them what it is. (You could build an online tool for this).
Method: Find out what people (preferably your target audience) search for / check popularity of the terms on the web. Ove rture's keyword tool. Google adwords. Wordtracker. Google and Yahoo both list how often a term is used on the web (use quotes around your terms!).

3. What do the experts think?
Method: ask the subject matter experts.
Method: check what other websites/software call it.

Gotcha's: be careful when using these techniques. You are looking for a label that works for your audience and your business requirements. Most of these techniques use audiences that may be very different from yours, and most are indicative only (ie: they're not hard science). Use your judgement.

Shifting Trends In Customer Ownership
Between Wireless Carriers And Phone
Makers

Shifting Trends In Customer Ownership
Between Wireless Carriers And Phone
Makers 04/21/2004 04:47 AM
Nearly a year ago we had a post where we discussed the fact that many shoppers on the market for a mobile phone service focused on what phone they wanted more than what service provider they wanted. So, if they wanted a certain Nokia phone, their choices of service providers was limited to those who sold that particular phone. A few months later we looked at how the carriers should respond to this and one of the predictions was that carriers would start to focus increasingly on white-label phones where smaller, lesser known device manufacturers would build phone handsets to spec and brand them with the carriers name. It appears that's exactly what's happening. The carriers have been doing their best to take the customer ownership back from the handset makers, and it appears to be working. More and more people identify their phone by the brand of the service provider, rather than the handset maker. Of course, the article uses Nokia and Motorola as the example cases of the big name handset makers likely to lose out - and back it up with Nokia's poor earnings. However, the story was written before Motorola posted very impressive earnings due to their handset sales taking off again. Maybe this is one battle that isn't over yet.

FreeHeadset.org launches program to
promote wireless phone safety by giving
away free cell phone headsets.

FreeHeadset.org launches program to
promote wireless phone safety by giving
away free cell phone headsets. 07/26/2004 02:22 AM
New laws that mandate the use of cell phone headsets have recently passed in several states. In response, FreeHeadset.org has developed a program to provide wireless phone users with a free cell phone headset. [PRWEB Jul 26, 2004]

Cell Phone Users Interrupt Sex for Phone
Calls

Cell Phone Users Interrupt Sex for Phone
Calls 04/11/2005 08:07 PM
user survey reported

consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/cell_sex.html
track this site | 3 links

MD Biosciences and Becton Dickinson sign
Agreement For the Distribution of
Streptococcus Cell Wall Extract, PG-PS

MD Biosciences and Becton Dickinson sign
Agreement For the Distribution of
Streptococcus Cell Wall Extract, PG-PS 04/09/2005 03:41 AM
MD Biosciences announces today that it has entered into an agreement with BD Lee Laboratories to sell PG-PS (peptidoglycan-polysaccharide polymer streptococcus cell wall extract) products for use in in vivo inflammatory disease models. [PRWEB Apr 9, 2005]

A Cell Phone in Every Pot

A Cell Phone in Every Pot 12/09/2003 02:39 AM

Ce ll Phones Sales Skyrocket

"The worldwide market for cell phones is outstripping even the most enthusiastic predictions from the beginning of the year, as consumers continue to snap up handsets at a dizzying rate, according to research released Monday by Gartner.

Handset vendors sold 132.8 million units in the third quarter of this year, up 22 percent from last year's third-quarter shipments of 108.8 million units, says Ben Wood, an analyst with Gartner based in London. Gartner calculated the figures using the number of units sold to end users, rather than units shipped into the channel.

'The total market is on fire,' he says. 'We had predicted about 470 million units for the year, but it's going to be about 500 million this year.'

Mature cell phone markets such as western Europe and the U.S. are going through a replacement cycle, as consumers with older black-and-white phones are trading them in for new models with color screens and cameras , Wood says.

'We're getting to a point where a mobile phone is as much about fashion as anything,' he says." [PCWorld.com]

It won't be much longer before purchasing a mobile phone will be as much about utility (staying connected to the internet) as anything.

You could have a 3G cell phone already

You could have a 3G cell phone already 04/11/2005 03:55 AM
Jakarta Post Apr 11 2005 5:22AM GMT

Cell Phone Zen

Cell Phone Zen 08/16/2004 02:27 PM
My phone sucks ass! The voicemail has never worked properly since day 1. At least once a week I have...

Japanese Telecom Carriers, Pioneers Of
Internet-Capable And Picture-Snapping
Handsets, Have Now Come Up With The
World's First Mobile Phone That Enables
Users To Listen To Calls Inside Their
Heads - By Conducting Sound Through Bone

Japanese Telecom Carriers, Pioneers Of
Internet-Capable And Picture-Snapping
Handsets, Have Now Come Up With The
World's First Mobile Phone That Enables
Users To Listen To Calls Inside Their
Heads - By Conducting Sound Through Bone 01/22/2004 07:16 AM

smh.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2004/ 01/21/1074360813226.html
track this site | 6 links

Cell Phone Jukebox

Cell Phone Jukebox 08/19/2004 12:08 AM

Downloa ds on the Move in Europe

"The ability to download complete tracks directly over cell-phone networks to mobile phones is becoming a reality in Europe. O2 Music, the music arm of U.K.-based international telecom operator mmO2, has started offering songs for download in Germany and the United Kingdom....

Since Aug. 1, U.K. owners of the new SX1 phones subscribing to O2 Music's Active Music Download service can buy songs from a repertoire of 100,000 titles. They can search, sample free 30-second clips, store and play paid-for full tracks downloaded over O2's network straight to the handset. The songs are protected and securely transmitted over the O2 network with digital-rights management technology from Basel-based Secure Digital Container in Switzerland.

The price of tracks ranges between $1 and $3. The handset, which can store up to 120 tracks of music, costs 80 pounds in the United Kingdom and 150 euros ($183.50) in Germany. SX1 users are charged for their downloads on their monthly mobile-phone bills....

By year's end, Bornhausser expects that Europe will have up to 12 different mobile phones -- from Siemens, Sony-Ericsson and Samsung -- that include pre-installed digital players and SDC's DRM software.

The high-speed 3G networks will also make wireless downloading easier. In Western Europe, Vodafone, 3, TIM and T-Mobile will be operating 3G services by the end of this year. As the United Kingdom's first 3G network, 3 began selling downloadable music videos July 30 from BMG U.K. & Ireland for 1.50 pounds each to compatible handsets." [Wired News]

Wow, I can't wait for this to hit the U.S., although I'm sure our implementation will be screwed up with DRM and we won't be able to use those songs on any other device. Still, the implications for mobile entertainment through the cell phone in an always-on, ubiquitous high-speed internet environment has implications for libraries.

In a couple of years when Kailee and Brent get cell phones, they will most likely have this functionality. What do you think they will expect to be able to download from their library? What do you think the library will be able to offer? Do you think the library is even thinking about this kind of service for the future?

Cell phone lockdown

Cell phone lockdown 12/03/2003 07:32 AM
CNET Dec 3 2003 7:03AM ET

Cell Phone Booth

Cell Phone Booth 01/03/2005 10:33 AM

Another day, another artist complaining about the lack of respect/personal interaction from those pesky cell phone users. At least Nick Rodrigues bothered to wear a suit as he showed off his personal cell phone booth, designed to illustrate how disrespectful people are when they dare call their friends and family in public.

Remember the good ol' days, when people would go into Conversation Booths before speaking, preserving the sanctity of the commons' silence? No, I really don't either.

Performa nce Sculpture [SensoryImpact]

Your Cell Phone Is Tracking You

Your Cell Phone Is Tracking You 12/21/2003 03:43 AM
PollGuy writes "I had never heard until this article in the New York Times (sacrifice of first born required) about services that let regular people track the ...

Cell phone users and sex

Cell phone users and sex 04/11/2005 11:25 AM
David Pescovitz: According to a new global survey, fourteen percent of cell phone users stop screwing to answer their cell phones. Just like Paris Hilton. From Consumer Affairs.com report on a subscription-only Ad Age article:

The highest incidence of cellular interruptus was found in Germany and Spain, where 22 percent of users interrupted sex to answer their cell phones; the lowest was in Italy, where only 7 percent reported doing so. In the U.S., the figure was 15 percent, the magazine said, citing a study conducted by BBDO Worldwide and Proximity Worldwide.

Link (Thanks, Carlo Longino!)

Get first aid instructions in your cell
phone

Get first aid instructions in your cell
phone 06/24/2005 10:03 PM
Finnish Red Cross has made a Java cell phone program ("midlet" for the technically inclined) which contains the most basic first aid instructions in an easy-to-follow format with pictures. The instructions are in Finnish only, but you can get yours by texting "LATAA7 SPR ENSIAPU7" to number 17116. You need to have WAP settings in place to make the download. I took a quick look at it and it certainly seems like something I'm going to keep on my phone for a long time.

(Though, be warned, the midlet costs 7€! Something that which Helsingin Sanomat completely forgets to mention (boo hiss, this is stupid), but that is declared on Red Cross's page...)

Just in time for the holidays, I would say.

(Via Helsingin Sanomat. Lisää tietoa Punaisen ristin sivuilta.)

Wi-Fi Hot, TV Not for Cell Phone Users

Wi-Fi Hot, TV Not for Cell Phone Users 04/12/2005 02:45 PM
Cell phone users think Wi-Fi access is important, but scoff at features such as the capability to watch TV on their phones, according to a study on future cell phone features by research firm InStat. InStat found that Wi-Fi, mapping features and traffic alerts, and voice activated text input scored highest with users.

16 mln US teens have a cell phone

16 mln US teens have a cell phone 03/27/2005 02:33 AM
ZDNet Mar 27 2005 5:48AM GMT

Keep on rockin' with your cell phone

Keep on rockin' with your cell phone 04/10/2005 11:41 PM
CNET News.com Apr 11 2005 3:03AM GMT

Cell Phone Directory

Cell Phone Directory 07/28/2004 04:28 PM

Cell phone directory gets hoots, hollers: This seems like a no-brainer to me.

The days of searching in vain for someone's cell phone number are almost over. Starting early next year, you'll be able to call directory assistance to get a mobile number.

However, some people object:

"These devices are considered much more personal than landline (phones)," says Chris Hoofnagle of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "People tend to carry them everywhere and answer them when they ring."

What's more, cell phone subscribers pay for incoming calls, even unwanted ones.

Such concerns prompted Verizon Wireless, the No. 1 wireless company, to keep its 40 million subscribers out of the directory.

Isn't it interesting how cell phones have made phone numbers personal? A phone number used to be associated with a family ot a business — a group of people. But now, everyone in my family can have a cell phone, and therefore a phone number associated with them personally.

Click here to comment on this entry

Television On Your Cell Phone

Television On Your Cell Phone 08/21/2004 09:19 AM

Cell phone lockdown.

Cell phone lockdown. 12/06/2003 05:34 PM
CNet: Cell phone lockdown. Now that number portability is in effect, locked phones are even more evil. Two reforms that I would suggest are forcing carriers to unlock phones when contracts expire and allowing customers to take their phone rebate in cash when signing the contract.

Cell Phone Multitasking

Cell Phone Multitasking 01/17/2004 11:15 PM

My colleague Kate isn't at work today, but she just instant messaged me with a great story. Her daughter Clare is a college freshman who just started her first statistics class. On the first day, the professor announced they would be taking a basic math test, just to see where everyone was at, but that they could use their calculators.

Apparently every student whipped out a cell phone - not a calculator in sight....

Grok Description matches for Cell Phone Carriers: Tear Down That Wall
GrokA matches for Cell Phone Carriers: Tear Down That Wall

Cell Phone Carriers: Tear Down That Wall

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: