[Serdev] contribution: SER module implementing Path extension(RFC3327)

[Greger V. Teigre]

Juha Heinanen wrote:
>> In the end, the customer will vote:
>> a few expensive mobile (IMS) based services or cheap Internet-based
>> services integrated with all the other services you are used to? I
>> think it all boils down to who will give the customer the best user
>> experience?
>
> sure and that is why i don't see any need to invest in ims.

For whom? If I were an operator, I would have hedged by allowing external 
application/service developers access to  my subscribers through a gate 
where I can charge wholesale. This is what Telenor (Norwegian incumbant) did 
on SMS and the SMS use just exploded giving a considerable amount of 
revenue.

>>     Here in Norway, you can get 3G Internet access at a flat monthly
>> price, bring your Symbian SIP softphone and you're online. The same
>> goes for any other TCP/IP based service...
>
> you are lucky.  perhaps i need to move 30 km to that side of the
> border. send me email privately and tell which operator is that.
>
> what i'm afraid is that many mobile operators will favor their own ims
> based services by charging lost of money for pure ip access.  in
> finland, for example, most operators charge eur 18 for 100 MB/month
> and if you go above that, the price skyrockets.  things may change
> when we get an all ip mobile service running at 450 mhz band by the
> end of the year.

I think operators realize that if they stick to charging a high price for 
bandwidth only without creating value-added services, they will loose in the 
long run. The current prices will be kept as long as the operators believe 
they can get away with it...

>> IMHO, Dragos' and Fermín' efforts will only strengthen SER's
>> position. I cannot see any risk that SER will be dragged into IMS
>> yet.
>
> i don't worry about ser's position.  i'm worried about the fate of
> open internet.  people all over the world try all the time hard to
> kill open internet and make it a walled garden.  ims is one of their
> building blocks.

I'm not too worried. The risk is higher if the Internet people ignore the 
mobile operators' needs to generate revenues on top of an expensive network 
and work against interoperation. Then the operators can be allowed to do 
their thing and the customers have no options...  We will see huge 
differences from country to country, though.  However, compelling services 
will win, and I will bet on the Internet applications developers, not the 
operators, to come up with the best services (in terms of willingness to 
pay).

g-)