Have received so many notes since my Telephony piece came out yesterday. While unlimited voice plans have not come close to the price point they need to to reach the masses, unlimited data plans are. As I mention in my piece, if the price is right, flat rate plans can make a huge difference, as they are beginning to do in mobile data. For example, the iPhone data plan includes e-mail, web and texting, for as little as $20. When you start with a well-priced unlimited data plan, and add a great device for web browsing, like the iPhone, usage skyrockets. This has been born out both in the US and in Europe. According to AT&T, 95% of iPhone owners surf the mobile web, more than six times the roughly 15% of all mobile users who browse. Google says iPhone users make a staggering 50 times more searches than users of other mobile devices. T-Mobile in Germany said that iPhone is driving up mobile data usage to levels as much as 30 times higher than other handsets. And in the UK, O2 observed an “unheard-of level of mobile Internet usage” on the iPhone bundled with an unlimited data plan.
A content purveyor friend sees the Sprint Kitchen Sink plan as a good thing, especially as it makes browsing more accessible. I couldn’t agree more! Once all the operators’ data plans are $20–25/month “bolt-on’s” and we have more devices with great browsers, mobile surfing will really take off. And that’s a good thing!
Whitey - great piece in "Telephony" ! You are absolutely right in that all the carriers are too focused on going after the same voice business - the same one with limited basis for differentiation and declining margins - and not enough on promoting the use of their messaging and data networks. The big carriers always end up where they need to - only they get there when they want to, not when their customers are ready !
Posted by: Rashesh Jethi (JT) | March 07, 2008 at 12:44 PM