On Thursday, October 11, 2001, at 09:29 , Benedict Evans wrote:
> <snip> ... assuming there was no collusion (and there's no reason to
> believe there was), whose business is it what the mobile operators want
> to charge for roaming? They aren't charities, or monopolies. The EU
> going in and seting their prices makes about as much sense as it
> telling Cocacola and Pepsi what they can charge.
Absolutely right. I believe the market can sort this out by itself. It
is however a reality that the EU is undertaking something that appears
to have a positive effect on the way operators think of roaming.
So far they largely regard it as a premium service for a few who are
willing to pay a premium price for it and they have long overlooked the
opportunity that lies in opening roaming to the consumer market, but
this is changing now.
To take your example with Coca Cola and Pepsi the analogy would be
something like both Coca Cola and Pepsi to not wanting to sell cheap
tin-can drinks out of vending machines but insist on selling their
drinks in vats only and for them to only be served "draft" by specially
trained staff making it more expensive and only attractive to few soft
drink drinkers who are willing to pay a premium for an upmarket drink.
Yes, you are right, nobody should have the right to demand of them
(other than their customers of course) to sell tin-can drinks through
vending machines and in supermarkets if they don't want to, but it would
make sense for them to do it nevertheless. The difference is of course
that Coca Cola and Pepsi have pioneered the consumer market model in
their industry while the mobile phone companies need a little more time
to get there. But not to worry, they will get there.
rgds
benjamin
[ Need archives? How to unsubscribe? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/ ]
Received on Thu Oct 11 16:03:55 2001