BOSTON-IBM Corp. says it is partnering with two-thirds of the world’s leading wireless operators and that its wireless operations are growing 300 percent per year, though the company has not signed a single exclusive deal, according to research examining the wireless partnering strategy of IBM by Summit Strategies Inc.
“IBM admits that it can’t own every segment of the mobile/wireless industry,” said Jennifer DiMarzio, author of Summit Strategies’ July 2000 Vendor E-Business Advisory Service report, Looking for Partners in All the Right Places: IBM Teams Up for Mobile E-Business. “But the company is vying for as much dominance as possible. By working closely with, and supporting, mobile e-business efforts of wireless industry companies, IBM has the best chance of establishing its pervasive computing platforms as standards.”
The report identifies and explores four broad categories of companies with which IBM is establishing partnerships: telecommunications equipment manufacturers, including Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc. and Cisco Systems; wireless operators, including Sprint PCS and AT&T Wireless Services Inc.; device manufacturers, including Palm and Ericsson; and professional-services companies, including Agency.com, Razorfish and US Interactive.
DiMarzio said these partners are expecting and receiving valuable rewards in return for their cooperation. IBM offers services, sales and technical support to help Web integrators craft and go to market with their own wireless solutions, as well as access IBM enterprise accounts.
