In the meeting this past week, I got a rare opportunity to ask someone in management a point-blank question. While I can’t write everything he said, I can share an interesting fact that was mentioned in his response.Carrier customizations take a lot of work, especially in the US. US carriers have some rather unique requirements for handsets. And even if the work is done to meet those very specific requirements, the carrier can come back and say “we’re not going to carry the phone.†While I don’t have any exact figures on what that some of that work runs, it’s wasted money all the same. I suspect that was one of the reasons that phones take so long to come out here in the US, if they come out at all, is carrier customizations for the US market.
Read the whole thing, it really hits home that Nokia just doesn’t want to waste their resources peddling to the carriers needs when they have so much more money to make elsewhere.
As a US customer: I don’t care. I import. You should too!
His idea’s for improving Nokia’s situation:
- More online retailers
- More physical shops (target indirect resellers)
- Direct from nokiausa.com, which I’ve seen done with some phones at least
- In Nokia Flagshp Stores
- Put some mobile phone vending machines out there
Jive perfectly with what I suggested less than 2 weeks ago.
Idle ideas are useless. Who will be the one that is going to step up and talk to the top brass within the company?
Is it going to be you PhoneBoy? Tommi? Phil? Jouni?
All it takes is one mobile phone maker to show Americans that they can get awesome, hip, advanced devices from someone other than their operator and the chain reaction will occur.
Other phone makers will follow. An industry will be born.