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Is there really some expectation for a carrier to be more than that? I just want a fast, reliable service that connects my phone to the internet. Is there actua

Is there really some expectation for a carrier to be more than that? I just want a fast, reliable service that connects my phone to the internet. Is there actually profit in providing more than that?

jethro_tell 7y ago
well there's usually a bundle of shit in a carrier OS, it's just not profit from you.
wyldfire 7y ago
From the carrier: yes. The phone subsidies (in the US at least) are very reminiscent of the old leased phones of yore. But if you look at the actions of mobile phone carriers and ISPs they're desperate not to become dumb pipes. They design all kinds of clever mechanisms and marketing strategies to distinguish themselves. > Is there actually profit in providing more than that? Well, in a free market, competition is intense. So if they can find ways to distort that, then yes: they will make more money. Many of us don't have much allegiance to particular gas station brands. But they create rewards programs to try and get some of that loyalty. Otherwise you just compete on price.
- bongobongo 7y ago
  Let's not be silly, there is no market in this case. It's an oligopoly and occasional cartel.
  - scarface74 7y ago
    There is only so much competition you can have in wireless. Different carriers have to have different bands of spectrum and only certain frequencies can be used for cellular.
    - bongobongo 7y ago
      That's why it's not a market. Like I said.
txcwpalpha 7y ago
Being just a dumb data pipe means you aren't differentiated from other dumb data pipes, making it harder to compete with other carriers on anything other than price (reducing revenue) and service reliability/speed (and we all know how awful ISPs are at building out better infrastructure). This does make it much harder to be profitable.
JustSomeNobody 7y ago
From the carrier perspective, sure. Being a dumb pipe is a race to the bottom market-wise.

Is there really some expectation for a carrier to be more than that? I just want a fast, reliable service that connects my phone to the internet. Is there actually profit in providing more than that?

jethro_tell 7y ago

well there's usually a bundle of shit in a carrier OS, it's just not profit from you.

wyldfire 7y ago

From the carrier: yes. The phone subsidies (in the US at least) are very reminiscent of the old leased phones of yore. But if you look at the actions of mobile phone carriers and ISPs they're desperate not to become dumb pipes. They design all kinds of clever mechanisms and marketing strategies to distinguish themselves. > Is there actually profit in providing more than that? Well, in a free market, competition is intense. So if they can find ways to distort that, then yes: they will make more money. Many of us don't have much allegiance to particular gas station brands. But they create rewards programs to try and get some of that loyalty. Otherwise you just compete on price.

bongobongo 7y ago
Let's not be silly, there is no market in this case. It's an oligopoly and occasional cartel.
- scarface74 7y ago
  There is only so much competition you can have in wireless. Different carriers have to have different bands of spectrum and only certain frequencies can be used for cellular.
  - bongobongo 7y ago
    That's why it's not a market. Like I said.

txcwpalpha 7y ago

Being just a dumb data pipe means you aren't differentiated from other dumb data pipes, making it harder to compete with other carriers on anything other than price (reducing revenue) and service reliability/speed (and we all know how awful ISPs are at building out better infrastructure). This does make it much harder to be profitable.

JustSomeNobody 7y ago

From the carrier perspective, sure. Being a dumb pipe is a race to the bottom market-wise.