susank@mbizcentral.com wrote:
> Europe is perched on the edge of packet networks; we may then see an
> explosion of I-mode type services. There is nothing stopping operators using
> the same billing models and 'content-alliances' as NTT - other then shear
> greed. Most European operators have tried to keep control (and the revenue
> streams) with WAP; the I-mode model would require a massive paradigm shift.
>
> Could you please explain how WAP plays into this? If what's important about
> i-mode is the business model
> (and I agree), isn't it the same for the European carriers? Or does WAP somehow
> allow them to limit users' access to
> sites? My apologies if this is a ridiculously uninformed question.
The underlying assumption of i-mode's business model is:
*a technical infrastructure capapble of responding to user requests quickly enough
*setup and operation that does not require deep technical knowledge on tha part of
the user
WAP 1.0/1.1 and circuit-switched networks do not meet these critera. WAP 1.2 might
meet the second, but as long as Europe's WAP is on a circuit-switched network,
response time will be too slow to see usage patterns like with i-mode is Japan.
r e n
Received on Sun Aug 13 05:01:04 2000