tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17500930.post8373987500980687543..comments2024-03-20T22:57:03.923+00:00Comments on Dean Bubley's Disruptive Wireless: Multi-operator services - eg Mobile PBXsDean Bubleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719150957239368264noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17500930.post-36639531978096151052007-09-13T13:51:00.000+01:002007-09-13T13:51:00.000+01:00No, it hasn't taken off, especially outside Scandi...No, it hasn't taken off, especially outside Scandinavia.<BR/><BR/>Nor will it, at least in its current form.<BR/><BR/>There are many reasons why multiple mobile operators will be necessary for a given large company, even where they could sign a deal with a single fixed-line supplier.<BR/>- limited geographic reach<BR/>- limited coverage for certain sites<BR/>- willingness of carriers to install good in-building solutions<BR/>- desire to churn certain users as pricing evolves<BR/>- risk management<BR/>- exclusivity of certain devices (not just iPhones, also many of the PDAs and 3G-embedded laptops). <BR/>- existing long-term contracts<BR/>- specific applications for groups of users only available from a specific carrier<BR/><BR/>... and so on. <BR/><BR/>Plus an Mobile PBX solution for a large company needs to integrate well with legacy PBXs and new IP-PBXs at both infrastructure and application levels.<BR/><BR/>Bottom line: Mobile PBX is a niche of a niche.Dean Bubleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719150957239368264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17500930.post-90965873251620001732007-09-13T12:56:00.000+01:002007-09-13T12:56:00.000+01:00"Tricky. But necessary."necessary to give the CEO ..."Tricky. But necessary."<BR/><BR/>necessary to give the CEO a iPhone? <BR/><BR/>You are right on the mobile PBX: it has taken off for a reason.<BR/>But how many MNCs want dual sourcing? Under what circumstances is getting the same service from two suppliers cost effective? or easy to manage? get real.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17500930.post-9591243717164505432007-09-12T23:31:00.000+01:002007-09-12T23:31:00.000+01:00Given the state of mobile coverage and friends at ...Given the state of mobile coverage and friends at the moment, it's even more complex. Services need to either be location-aware or very very good at doing fallback, and they need to be capable of switching to the PSTN or even (internal) VoIP networks to succeed.<BR/><BR/>Take a major corporation like Dell, for example. The whole internal phone system the world over runs on IP. Sure, you can do clever tricks with VoIP (some <I>very</I> clever tricks in fact), but unless the Mobile PBX solutions can integrate with VoIP platforms such as those deployed by Dell, they'll fall flat as soon as they're pitched at a large entity.<BR/><BR/>Moreover, the flexibility comes at a price. Dell didn't install a globe-spanning VoIP system to be hip and cool, they did it—primarily—to save a boatload of cash, and mobile services have never ever been good at competing on price—except perhaps with each other.<BR/><BR/>So yes, these solutions need to be operator-agnostic, but they also need to be <I>platform</I> agnostic, or else they won't ever get further than the 12-man team in Helsinki. People have been talking about single-number services for decades, but they always require you to sell your soul to the devil, and that's why nobody's ever taken them up on it, especially when the alternatives (e.g., smart VoIP routing) are so compelling.Mohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05086174607811617514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17500930.post-34600689602824688752007-09-12T21:20:00.000+01:002007-09-12T21:20:00.000+01:00Another tricky point is to provide good cellular c...Another tricky point is to provide good cellular coverage to an inside cubicle on the 40th floor of a corporate highrise. Are these operators going to bundle a pico cell solution with this service as well? I share your scepticism; this concept is not going to fly in the short term.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com