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February 11, 2006

The difference is distribution

So, unsurprisingly BT didn't find enough takers for e-mail and Web phone kiosks, and are not rolling out any more. The usual sorry story of telcos not being able to judge what the user needs are at the application layer.

But wait a minute ... imagine for a moment the alternative "Stupid™" business model of "just get the damn connectivity out there!". Imagine all BT payphones were also WiFi hotspots. Easy to do -- they have power, almost all can be DSL-enabled. Now allow "free" access to BT landline subscribers or MVNO mobile users. Ta-da! The old edict of coverage always wins comes true. "Distribution" (as opposed to technology, product, sales method, etc.) is the business model archetype of telecom. Stick with that, and you'll be OK.

Posted by Martin Geddes at 3:37 PM
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So, unsurprisingly BT didn’t find enough takers for e-mail and Web phone kiosks, and are not rolling out any more. The usual sorry story of telcos not being able to judge what the user needs are at the application layer.... [Read more]

Tracked on February 18, 2006 8:57 PM