Which Brand Will Customers Look For?

A few months back we had a good article discussing some of the difficulties Hutchison's 3 service was having attracting customers, where it was suggested (originally by Steve at The 3G Portal) that consumers cared a lot more about handset brand than carrier brand, and that Nokia was more poised to own the customer relationship than "3" ever would be. Now, here's another discussion on the topic pointing out the same issues and wondering how carriers should proceed? They can try to build walled gardens where they, and only they, determine what content you receive. That opens them up to getting the biggest amount of revenue from any content and services that go through the phone - but it's a risky strategy if others go for open access. The problem is the world is going to move towards open access, and the walled garden approach can't last. The carriers, however, can build strong reputations by offering higher quality service and better coverage. Most everything else flows out of their control. If they want to offer content and services on their own, it's going to have to be done carefully - as some sort of "preferred placement" or bundled deal.

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