T-Mobile CEO: The future Means Cheaper Calls and Fewer Operators

[Jerry Raia]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.silicon.com/0,39024729,39157796,00.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.silicon.com/0,39024729,39157796,00.htm</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Rene Obermann, CEO of T-Mobile, said today that he expects the rash of mergers and acquisitions that has spread across the mobile world to continue. With the industry recently bearing witness to Telefonica's £17.7bn takeover of O2 and a $67bn tie-up between SBC and BellSouth pending, Obermann speaking on stage at the Gartner Mobile and Wireless Summit in London that more consolidation is to be expected."</i><br /><br />Read Operators as Carriers. I for one think the more the merrier. Fewer Carriers means fewer choices. Pretty simple math. What do you think?

[Mike Temporale]

I would agree. The more carriers, the better the competition, which results in a better experience for the customer. I don't mind the consolidation, as long as the customer is not lost. Unfortunately, that's seldom the case. :?

[Kris Kumar]

I think too many carriers is not good. It takes a lot to put up towers and maintain them and upgrade them. Test new services and new phones etc.

If there are more carriers then the users are spread across them and that means smaller returns for the carriers. Which means slower adoption of new services, phones etc. Also means lesser number of towers.

That said I think in US two CDMA players and two GSM players is a good-reasonable count. But I would prefer one CDMA and one GSM. ;-)

[Rocco Augusto]

i personally prefer more carriers for this one reason, the more competition the more competitive the pricing. the US is one of the few countries with carriers that offer an unlimited data plan, for less than $20USD in most cases. look at canada for instance, if im not mistaken their data rates are outrageous. why? because theres pretty much no competition so if you want data you either use what they offer or you get nothing at all.

unfortunately when you're dealing with billion dollar companies, the average consumer usually gets lost in the sea of dollar signs when there is no competition ;)

competition makes for better opportunities for the consumer which is why the jutice department is constantly trying to break up companies like microsoft and the old ma'bell. i wouldnt be suprised if the goverment put a stop to SBC/AT&amp;T scooping up Bellsouth for this very reason. eventually you have to stop and question when enough is enough.

[Rocco Augusto]

That said I think in US two CDMA players and two GSM players is a good-reasonable count. But I would prefer one CDMA and one GSM. ;-)

dont forget one iDEN carrier with their 20lbs WM2003SE smartphone ;) :lol: