Lee Dryburgh

Vienna/Edinburgh

Telecoms Consultant/Student

Peter, I've been working hands on with 3G since the start of 2001 with the first roll outs (as a signalling/softswitch engineer).

Over the past 2 years I have been shouting the same message internally, that what is coming out of the marketing department will not be a success and that the operators need to quit the command-and-control citidel like approach with customers. Instead they need to co-create value with their customers.

Like you I have plenty surplus money per month, but gave my 3G enabled phone to my 10 year old daughter since she liked it's ability to record video.

I was pulled up at the latest 3G company I worked for, for carrying a black and white 2G phone. I was told to modernise to the companie's brand. I replied that all the services/charges on offer were poor in my opinion and not of interest. Furthermore I wanted the better battery life, simplicity, and size of a 2G phone.

I have been completely dissapointed with cellular operators in Europe which is incredible since they pay me and yet they cannot entice me to move beyond a 2G phone.

I did opt for a 2.5G (GPRS) datacard for laptop. But then they wanted £6/meg if roaming, and in Europe you are nearly always roaming, so I have not used it for around a year and a half!

The operators are blowing the game for themselves. They should be using this relatively "safe" period before disruption really hits them to align and to reinvent themselves into the new ecology that telephony is blending into (replaced by the Internet for transport, and a simple augmentation of eCommerce).

Before long technologies like Flarion and xMax will trample in the cellular space pretty much like Skype trampled into fixed line space.

The end is in sight for operators and that has caused myself much concern since they are the one's who pay for my reasonable lifestyle. Their inability to listen will be their downfall.

Take for example, the operator I have worked with for the past 2 years. I have told them at every service launch that it will not be a success. I know as a matter of fact each service was a financial loss. Also many of the services were technically fudged meaning very poor customer experience.

I am trying to work out where things are going and have just began putting thoughts at www.MyDoctorate.com

It was only just in the past 2 weeks that I looked at my phones and thought I fancy some new kit. I had money to burn. But a quick look at operators sites yielded "walled garden" Internet at stupid roaming prices.