While I have a 6800 and am waiting for the XV6800, I am interested in the i760. Having noticed the angst many of us waiting for VZW PDA Phones have endured and that KBAM has at times addressed in a eloquent way, I am posting this info which I got today and posted at HoFo.
We have for too long assumed we who are PDA Phone users are a small minority of customers with no significant financial impact on VZW, so we just have to wait and take whatever Big Red doles out, whenever they decide to do so. Turns out we have been wrong. We are the the money machine, not the family plans, and there is real data to demonstrate this is so. If VZW wants to make the most money and the highest margins they need to focus on the smartphone market, not selling ringtones.
InStat studies have put a fine point on what many have long suspected, business users, and particularly road warriors are the money machine for carriers.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 6 -- Wireless operators are failing to make high average revenue per user (ARPU) users in North America feel special, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). More than 60% of these users do not feel that their wireless operator appreciates their business, and 80% believe that operators should do more, the high-tech market research firm says.
“The kind of appreciation these users would like to see include loyalty programs where subscribers earn points for awards, free or low-cost directory assistance, and free batteries and travel chargers,” says Bill Hughes, In-Stat analyst. “The good news for operators is that these three awards could be turned into even more revenue. For example, directory assistance directly encourages more calling, and offering more batteries and charging options ensures that heavy users can always make a call.”
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
* Compared to all business users, road warriors are three times more likely to have an ARPU over $150, own a smartphone, and use several mobile data services.
* The ARPU for road warriors who are also smartphone users is over $200. This is more than four times the monthly revenue for US mobile phone users.
However, the greatest factor for higher ARPU is the use of a smartphone. The expected revenue of a smartphone subscriber is $3,500 higher than for a cellular phone user that travels the same amount. It would more than pay for itself for a wireless operator to simply give the most expensive smartphone in the catalog to a high-ARPU mobile phone user.
The immediate challenge is making these users more satisfied and less likely to churn. There has been little effort to discriminate on behalf of these users. The wireless operator with the best high-ARPU loyalty program will see the benefits on the bottom line.
Based upon the surveys in several recent reports, In-Stat has found that the conventional wisdom in the wireless industry significantly underestimates the value of mobile business usage. Corporate-liable customers produce the majority of profit and individually liable subscribers contribute most of the remaining profit for wireless operators. Converting corporate customers to assume corporate liability is also in their best interests. Whatever the operators' current strategy for attracting mobile business, the profitability of this segment, along with the growth of mobile data applications for business, indicates that devoting more resources to retain these customers is money well-spent.
Failure to address this market has the potential to leave wireless operators vulnerable to the coming wave of new mobile data operators that will serve the rapidly growing mobile data needs of these customers if given the chance.
As many have suspected for some time, VZW gets more revenue (and more profitable revenue) from smartphone and corporate users and the associated corporate backend services (server based, etc) than all the GIN and BREW garbage they can cram down a Chocolate's throat. It's time VZW wakes up and takes care of the real money machine or they may just end up with a bunch of family plans wondering how they are ever going to sell enough ringtones and games to make up for the loss of their smartphone users.<!-- / message -->
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VZW, It's 2009! Time to embrace technology, not suppress it. - oops too late I've moved on over to the iPhone w/ AT$T!
Of course AT&T endorses it, the GSM standard already allows users to use any compatible GSM device on their network. The fact that so few users do so makes me wonder why the carriers are even worried about this. If the FCC told Verizon and Sprint to allow stop blocking certain ESDNs just because they can, or God forbid, let the customers have cards that they can put into any phone they like (a la SIM cards), very few customers would take advantage of this freedom. And, the ones who did might even increase data and calling usage.
Case in point: Verizon has the best coverage in my area. I'm not going to another carrier. However, I hate Verizon's selections of PDA phones. I put off purchasing one for this reason. They lost years of data plan, text plan, and increased minute usage from me because of their crappy selection. If I had been able to purchase any phone from any manufacturer, I would have spent bought a PDA phone a long time ago which would have meant more money for Verizon.
If anyone actually wants the US wireless industry to improve and catch up with the developed world, and for devices to become more widely available, please take a few moments as suggested in this thread to make your voice heard.
Verizon's lawsuit and now lobbying efforts are so intense because this has the potential to be the most revolutionary improvement for customers in years.
However, Martin is only one of 5 commissioners, and is probably friendlier towards Verizon's position than at least 2 of the other commissioners, as well as the FCC staff itself.
Verizon has no chance to actually win the lawsuit, the FCC is entirely within its rights here, it's a negotiating tool meant to strengthen its position. Their only shot to block this is with the FCC and this makes it sounds as they may sway Martin. So please, not only email Martin, but also the other 4 commissioners here:
Just implore them to support open access in the upcoming auction as originally proposed for the good of the industry and consumers, and to stand up to Verizon's self-interested lobbying and obstruction. Emailing all the above will take only minutes, can't hurt. Thanks.
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You'll take the crap we give you, and you'll LIKE it!!! IT'S THE NETWORK.
Yeah, well, it's not MY network anymore. Can you HEAR ME NOW, Verizon?
So when can we start rejoicing? Mark_A_K's original post in this thread was 3 1/2 months ago. I am thinking about dumping the i730 for the i760, but when I consider how much I am paying Verizon every month while VZW and the other carriers continue to hold back the technology and consumer choice and in VZW's case, have even crippled the phones. If I sign up with VZW again, I won't do a 2 year contract. I regret even a 1 year contract - especially if shortly after that Congress enacts legislation and/or the FCC auctions the 700MHz spectrum and opens the market for any phone over any network.
Anyone have any idea when we can see the "unlock" across the industry?
i think that is pretty strong that they are doing that! the handsets we could have gotten months ago on other cdma carriers would now run on vzw! it would be cool to see htc selling cdma devices directly to the public!
Does this mean I can run an iPhone on verizon in 2008 some time?
no... the iPhone is a gsm phone and verizon's network is cdma. in theory, you will be able to enable sprint, alltel, telus or any other cdma carrier handsets out there.
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