Wireless data doesn’t ramp that fast here in the USA. The reason is simple. Lack of support.
My fiance is trying to get something done on her new Cingular Blackberry, but to get what she needs done she has to call Monday through Friday…I’ve been on hold and transferred to three different teams within Sprint for support on an issue related to the new killer PPC-6700 that does WiFi and PowerVision for now 45 minutes. Plus the VoIP shuttling of calls between different call centers shows how weak Sprint’s VoIP network is, as each transfer sees a degrading in call volume. How do I know, the music on hold is getting softer and softer, as are the voices of the support team people.
So far I’ve gone from customer service, to tech support now to wireless data support, where I guess the one person who handles the PPC-6700 is off getting coffee, as it’s been 20 minutes and so far no one has taken the call….
With 3GSM happening in Barcelona, and 2006 being the big push year for dual mode, and enhanced services that run on the data side of the house with UMTS and EvDO getting built out more and more, until the carriers commit to really being data centric, none of this will take on the kind of ramp that will justify the investments made in acquiring spectrum on a global basis.
That said, I bet companies like Sky Dayton’s new Helio, with their blonde hottie PR rep Brooke Hammerling, makes major news in this area. If the service is as hot as she is, expect the sign up rate to be smokin’!