The mobile broadband networks are slowly establishing. Beside that, the 3G devices are reaching the mass market. As 3G networks allow to use Voice over IP applications, Skype is becoming a serious challenger for the established Mobile Operators.
The drivers of this development are the decreasing mobile data pricing and the increasing 3G device penetration. If this hurdels didnt exist, we all would use Skye while we are on the road.
Since Nokia is acting as player in the mobile industry, we are presented new services, which are fancy to use but don’t change Nokia’s business model. At the end of the day the Nokia phones get paid by us, with the monthly bill. This is good enough as long as the revenues of the financing companies (Mobile Operators) are large enough. Unfortunately this fairytale is going to be ended soon. Why?
If Skype is using the data channel, which will be charge in the future with a flat rate, the Mobile Operators revenues will deacrease. As the Mobile Operators revenues are decreasing, the revenues of Nokia are decreasing as well. So far everything is logical.
Nokia is not only a device manufacturer, but also a server and network producer. Recently Nokia has announced new network software, which is able to filter out "not welcome applications". It is called "Peer-to-peer Traffic Control" software. If we look back in time, we can remember some repeating patterns. In the Internet industry the established market players have also tried to block new development. The innovative services have been established anyway. To make it short: This will happen also in the mobile industry. The only open question is: How does it end for Nokia?
