Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. We hope you enjoy it!
And without further ado:
Few announcements in the mobile space could top the river of news that flows out of the annual Consumer Electronics Show, but somehow this week something did just that. And all it took was Verizon Wireless, Apple Inc.’s iPhone and the answer to the screams of millions of people (or at least from a handful of very loud bloggers).
In a somewhat muted event, save for some rowdy reporters, Verizon Wireless did what has been rumored it was planning on doing for several years now. It announced it would begin carrying Apple’s iPhone device. (Finally, all of those people who have made a living on predicting the “imminent” launch of the iPhone on Verizon Wireless’ network can claim victory. Well done. I guess if you shout “blackjack” enough times at a table the necessary cards eventually will be dealt, and you will look like a genius.) That’s right, a device that has gained a reputation as a network destroyer will be going up against a network that has a reputation as being the most robust available. All that’s missing is a caged Octagon. Or even better, we can have a rap-off!
Now, I am neither an iPhone owner nor a customer of either AT&T Mobility or Verizon Wireless, so I have no real long-term knowledge of problems with the current device on its current network or with how all-conquering Verizon Wireless’ network really is. I do have friends (or at least know people that seem to act as “friends”) and family members that fall into those categories however and thus have a rudimentary understanding of how all these aspects operate in the real world.
From this pool I have come to realize that AT&T Mobility’s network is the worst in the world, except when it isn’t; Verizon Wireless’ network is the bomb, except when it’s not; and that the iPhone indeed is the best invention since robot/human hybrids, except when it’s not.
But, getting back to the actual Verizon Wireless/iPhone announcement. The best part, for me at least, was that it came just days after Verizon Wireless pulled out all the stops at CES to tout a range of Android-powered devices it plans to launch in the coming months that will be able to take advantage of its LTE network. Something the current Verizon Wireless iPhone will be incapable of doing.
This should prove a compelling experiment in the retail locations that will house both of these options for consumers. I am expecting there will be people who are so blinded by all things iPhone that they will make a direct path toward the most “beautiful” consumer electronics device ever made without giving any other device – or person in their way for that matter – a second look. Then there will be those technofiles who will have to – just have to – have any device that will work on this “4G” network they have heard so much about, yet really have no idea why it’s better other than the numerical designation.
And in the middle you will have those indecisive folks who will likely injure themselves running back and forth between to two. My advice: watch these people. As I consider myself a somewhat indecisive person, being able to watch others with this affliction is pure joy. Though, on the other hand, I guess it’s sort of sad and makes me want to roll up next to them and give ‘em a hug. No, on second thought, I enjoy their internal torture.
I guess at this point my only real wish, besides the chance of a battle in the Octagon, is that the wireless industry’s takes a breather so that we can all absorb what has transpired over the past couple of weeks and hope that this manic pace does not continue much longer. I am not sure my brain has any more absorption capabilities.
OK, enough of that.
Thanks for checking out this week’s Worst of the Week column. And now for some extras courtesy of our RCRBlog at uplugged.www.rcrwireless.com:
—(From Tracy Ford): Sometimes we people who cover the wireless industry live in a bit of a bubble. We listen to prognosticators and industry leaders talk to us about 50 billion connected devices, and 1 billion mobile broadband connections this year, and we believe it.
But this week I attended a conference for ICT professionals in higher education. And their communications needs and concerns are not the same needs and concerns discussed at wireless conferences. A session on unified communications centered on how the IT team at Marquette University implemented and integrated different VoIP wired communications. While mobility was discussed, it was merely as an adjunct to the data system. You know how they mentioned wireless? That people most likely will use their cellphones to call 911 so it’s OK to implement on non-telecom based communications network. (Using VoIP to connect dial 911 has limitations that traditional telecom systems don’t.) I found the 911 stuff fascinating because the Federal Communications Commission is now looking at how to get 911 services to new communications methods like instant messaging. (Don’t tell the Marquette guy he’ll need to upgrade his network before he’s finished installing it.)
So while I am inclined to think the cellular network is god-like, perhaps it isn’t best suited for applications like attendance lines or directory dialing. One speaker even commented that the PBX is not going away any time soon, noting that it’s got 400-plus different calling features that people can use – and that they do. (They talked about the “f” word. Fax. When was the last time you faxed something?)
And yet, as another speaker pointed out, students are probably one of the most demanding wireless groups. They expect great wireless technology and they expect great mobility. They’re bringing all of the devices they have to these campus networks, whether it’s the iPhone, the Wii or PS3. They want indoor coverage and capacity. And of the 50 or so people in a meeting with me, only one person said he was satisfied with outdoor and indoor cellular coverage on his campus.
I tend to think that higher-ed ICT staff is going to be moving so fast in next few years it will make their heads spin as students pull them toward open networks with wireless connectivity and old-school functionality is still needed for traditional operations.
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