FIXZR

This article is tongue in cheek! But there may be some truth in it.

If today’s operators had to invent voice services, what approach would they take?

They could go for a horizontal infrastructure play, focusing on connecting individuals via a generic mechanism. Businesses and consumers would use the network for any and all types of conversation. It would start out as simple telegram displacement service and would find its way to becoming the everyday chit-chat mechanism we know today.

Or, they could decide to launch a vertically integrated approach. They’d sign deals with leading voice artists and have conversational themes people could sign-up for in bundles. They’d launch with something like weather chat and expand over time. The service could be merged with radio partners and lead to a 2 way interactive audio play in the fullness of time.

The point of the above example is to highlight what has become a widespread fear amongst telcos - that if they expose ‘infrastructure’ functionality to the wider world, without wrapping it up in a ‘higher value’ service, they will fail to capture enough value. This is of course the exact opposite to how internet players work today - they seek first to control the infrastructure layer, and then monetize from their position of strength (see Google, Facebook, even Twitter [but not yet]).