This is how I am feeling in the States United about the mobile infrastructure, mobile data services, mobile Operators, and more. I really hope the whole mobile ecosystem can understand the plight of what is going on here. While the “pointing of fingers” is endless, I will comment as well as offer suggestion. While some will argue that abrupt change effects too many people, some times, this time, we need this type of change to move on in life. Mobile Infrastructure
It is 2005, and I actually have a friend (She will remain anonymous) who still uses a Motorola StarTac (circa 1995s)! Every time I see that analog phone, I want to grab it out of her hands, throw it on the ground and squash it like a cockroach. Analog phones have got to go. I understand that there is a lot of invested capital, but again, cut off those subscribers and upgrade them to a newer plan/phone. A while back, I heard Dr. William C.Y. Lee talk at a conference about wireless spectrums and infrastructure. I strongly share his belief in that we should stop quibbling about network infrastructure and focus on services and customers satisfaction. Ending the battle of CDMA and TDMA and converging on a universal standard such as OFDM. I’m hoping to see a *true* global standard communications network where we all carry one device, we stop worrying about country codes, area codes, SMS and MMS interoperability and more. Once you are born you are given a mobile device that is yours for a lifetime (wishful thinking, but bureaucracy, capitalism, and a few other things are in the way of my utopia 
) Value for Cost
While what I am suggesting is easier said than then, since Qualcomm, Nortel, Lucent and others have put their stakes in the ground, billions have been invested and sold, etc. etc. Those four words make me cringe: “When 3G gets here…”Well, like you, I’ve been waiting for a long time. I can help but be patient to see all those new services and cool things that will make me more addicted to my mobile device than my plasma television. But even when it gets there, am I really going to use all those services that they claim? I have yet to signed up for an HDTV subscription because of the price versus value. I cannot seem to justify paying $50 USD/month for 5 or 6 channels of HDTV satellite programming. Until the price and selection is there, as a technologist, even I will be a late adopter. Same goes for MMS and Mobile Video. This is probably why people are snapping pictures, showing their friends and family, but not sending them to each other. Networks for People
You would think that the vendors and operators would have learn their lesson from the plight of SMS and the lack of interoperability. MMS has yet to take off because of the same problem. I’m rather afraid that IM over the phone is already an existing problem. If you do not have the right IM client, you cannot connect to their mobile device. Probably the reason why I use Yahoo, MSN and AOL for IM. Mobile streaming video will likely go through the same pain as well. If you want to share a video and send it to a friend, you will have to know if you are both on the same network.The bottom line is that Operators need to focus on the customers and the quality of service. The network matters, but only when things do not work and the customer notices. Perhaps the Marketeers and Engineers need to be locked in a room so they can see eye to eye on this matter. Just don’t poke each others eyes out.
