Toward a Common Wireless Market (Perspectives‪)‬

Imagine a world where you can buy a mobile phone, and if you have problems with service--say, poor reception at home--you can move to a different service provider that offers better reception simply by making a call and asking for service to be transferred. No need to change your phone; no need to figure out if your new service provider supports your current device; no need to get your old provider's permission to leave. Nor would there be a cost linked to user choice. Currently, users who want to move from one service provider to another cannot do so without paying a substantial penalty, and they also have to absorb the sunken cost represented by their current cell phone and bear the cost of purchasing a new one. The key to this imaginary world is that all service providers would have networks that operate on a specified set of frequencies and provide mobile devices that are technologically standardized--very much not the situation in today's wireless environment in the United States. Along with promoting user flexibility, adopting "interoperable" networks and devices would bring other benefits as well. Cell phone users, for example, would enjoy better call quality in places where their service had been spotty, as carriers tapped into competitors' networks to roam in areas where their own coverage was poor. Prices would be lower, as carriers would be relieved of some of the cost of building expansive new wireless networks. Innovation in the device market would be encouraged, as mobile device manufacturers and developers (and especially smaller companies) were able to focus on designing new products that have to support only one standard.