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Nokia's Skype-based end run around its operator partners

9 points by sutro 18y ago

kenshi 18y ago
Ah Nokia, stuck between a rock and a hard place. "Nokia have tried several ways to own the customer over the years and operators have had to say no." I really wish these guys would wake up and realise you dont ever "own" your customers. Customers aren't slaves, and alternatives spring up to what you do, sooner or later. But hey that's the arrogance of the operators - stifling innovation for the last however many years, so they could "own" the customer. Good luck with that guys!
- jpd 18y ago
  I think you skipped a sentence: Apparently, the operators are "venting their anger" at high-level executive meetings with Nokia, whom they believe are trying to wrest away control of their customers and offering easy access to an app that could potentially hurt call revenues. Nokia is trying to control the platform and therefore the customers' user experience TO THE CUSTOMERS' BENEFIT and yet, you act like that is a bad thing. Clearly, Nokia does not believe the service provider's intentions have the customers' interest at heart, so they are trying to OWN the customer, rather than the service provider so that they can provide them with what they (the customers') want (ie. Skype). Nokia is trying to do what few other companies are and you are calling their attitude to their customers as "stifling innovation"? Wow.
  - kenshi 18y ago
    No, my comments were aimed at the operators, not Nokia. Nokia is stuck in the hard place where they understand the need and want to innovate, but their biggest direct customers (the operators) really dont want them to.
arien 18y ago
Maybe they should just make their own network. Anyway, if it's possible to install Skype on these phones, even if it doesn't come preinstalled it won't matter much, people will do it anyway.
- gry 18y ago
  When VOIP is pervasive on phones, I think it will start to make the cell network the secondary choice to WiFi (already is for me). The only value the cell network for me is a phone connection. This is providers' moat. I'd like to see a cell network embrace the fact they are a pipe. Pay line and connection fee (like the current internet). Forget data/voice plans. I imagine manufacturers and software developers for the Android, iPhone (after the 5 year AT&T deal) and Pre would go ape. More subscribers to your network because of new devices and beautiful software. The barrier of entry is much lower. I kind of see it like the newspaper industry. Which company will gamble first and jettison the print medium? Which company will leave the old cell model behind? My guess is the weak ones...file for bankruptcy, change their model and re-emerge from the ashes. I'm crossing my fingers it is a phoenix.
darjen 18y ago
the whole reason I bought an unlocked nokia e71 is to be free of expensive contracts and its great voip support, unlike the iPhone. if nokia stops doing it, I'm sure someone else will step up.
- daemin 18y ago
  I bought one of those as well, however to my dismay any VOIP calls made through Skype still get charged to my normal call time with them not going through my data access. Seems like Skype bowed down to the phone companies in this respect.
alecco 18y ago
UK operators O2 and Orange are reportedly "furious" with Nokia (NYSE: NOK - News) over the Finnish handset makers plans to pre-load Skype, the VoiP provider that lets consumers make free calls, on to its upcoming flagship device, the N97 And I can see Nokia execs answering: "Well, you betrayed us to first just to catch on the iPhone fad making it now our biggest threat. You forced us into this new era. Live with it."

9 points by sutro 18y ago

Ah Nokia, stuck between a rock and a hard place. "Nokia have tried several ways to own the customer over the years and operators have had to say no." I really wish these guys would wake up and realise you dont ever "own" your customers. Customers aren't slaves, and alternatives spring up to what you do, sooner or later. But hey that's the arrogance of the operators - stifling innovation for the last however many years, so they could "own" the customer. Good luck with that guys!

jpd 18y ago
I think you skipped a sentence: Apparently, the operators are "venting their anger" at high-level executive meetings with Nokia, whom they believe are trying to wrest away control of their customers and offering easy access to an app that could potentially hurt call revenues. Nokia is trying to control the platform and therefore the customers' user experience TO THE CUSTOMERS' BENEFIT and yet, you act like that is a bad thing. Clearly, Nokia does not believe the service provider's intentions have the customers' interest at heart, so they are trying to OWN the customer, rather than the service provider so that they can provide them with what they (the customers') want (ie. Skype). Nokia is trying to do what few other companies are and you are calling their attitude to their customers as "stifling innovation"? Wow.
- kenshi 18y ago
  No, my comments were aimed at the operators, not Nokia. Nokia is stuck in the hard place where they understand the need and want to innovate, but their biggest direct customers (the operators) really dont want them to.

arien 18y ago

Maybe they should just make their own network. Anyway, if it's possible to install Skype on these phones, even if it doesn't come preinstalled it won't matter much, people will do it anyway.

gry 18y ago
When VOIP is pervasive on phones, I think it will start to make the cell network the secondary choice to WiFi (already is for me). The only value the cell network for me is a phone connection. This is providers' moat. I'd like to see a cell network embrace the fact they are a pipe. Pay line and connection fee (like the current internet). Forget data/voice plans. I imagine manufacturers and software developers for the Android, iPhone (after the 5 year AT&T deal) and Pre would go ape. More subscribers to your network because of new devices and beautiful software. The barrier of entry is much lower. I kind of see it like the newspaper industry. Which company will gamble first and jettison the print medium? Which company will leave the old cell model behind? My guess is the weak ones...file for bankruptcy, change their model and re-emerge from the ashes. I'm crossing my fingers it is a phoenix.

darjen 18y ago

the whole reason I bought an unlocked nokia e71 is to be free of expensive contracts and its great voip support, unlike the iPhone. if nokia stops doing it, I'm sure someone else will step up.

daemin 18y ago
I bought one of those as well, however to my dismay any VOIP calls made through Skype still get charged to my normal call time with them not going through my data access. Seems like Skype bowed down to the phone companies in this respect.

alecco 18y ago

UK operators O2 and Orange are reportedly "furious" with Nokia (NYSE: NOK - News) over the Finnish handset makers plans to pre-load Skype, the VoiP provider that lets consumers make free calls, on to its upcoming flagship device, the N97 And I can see Nokia execs answering: "Well, you betrayed us to first just to catch on the iPhone fad making it now our biggest threat. You forced us into this new era. Live with it."