Clearly, marketing and selling wireless data will be one of the largest hurdles the wireless industry will face as it begins to heavily roll out the service.
Wireless operators need to spend the big bucks to tell consumers how data services will be valuable to them and why their wireless Web access is better than the carrier’s across the street. Otherwise, Internet service and content providers could have the upper hand.
Analysts already have warned carriers that partnering with an Internet power house like Yahoo! means Yahoo! could own the customer. To be a part of Yahoo!, customers have to register with the Web site, so when customers churn from a carrier like Sprint PCS, they don’t also churn from Yahoo!. ISPs’ and content providers’ goals are to follow customers on whatever network or device they use.
What if content providers also take the lead in educating customers on wireless Internet access? Already, leading online retailer Amazon.com, which recently teamed with Sprint PCS, offers a Web page that explains Amazon’s Anywhere strategy and tells how customers can use wireless devices, such as the Palm VII and Sprint PCS phones, to access its Web site.
“Love shopping at Amazon.com but don’t want to be chained to your PC?” reads the Web page. “Try out Amazon.com Anywhere, a new service that lets you use a handheld device-such as your Palm VII connected organizer or cell phone-to shop at Amazon.com.”
The Web page features frequently asked questions about using wireless Internet access and includes an Amazon.com Anywhere discussion board to learn what others are saying about shopping from cellular phones.
Chuck Napier, product manager for Amazon.com Anywhere, said Amazon will be aggressive in educating the consumer about wireless Internet access by offering value-added applications, advertising in various media and marketing on the Internet.
There’s no doubt Amazon.com and others have become masters of marketing themselves on the Internet. They’ll do it again with the mobile phone, and they certainly will become a valuable tool in spreading awareness of wireless data services. But their relationship with carriers will be nothing special in a few years. They want to broker as many deals as possible with carriers, and carriers-because they need to offer customers premier sites to stay competitive-will sign these deals.
If carriers want to use wireless Internet access as a method to combat churn, they’d better find a way to offer something unique and useful. Sitting back and letting Internet content providers do all the educating will only strengthen the content provider. Carriers will run the risk of becoming a commodity in the wireless data space.
