RCR Wireless News' Mobile Movers & Shakers 2008: PART 1
December 8 2008 - 5:59 am ET | RCR Wireless News
Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, is one of RCR Wireless News' Mobile Movers & Shakers for 2008.
In a scant 25 years, wireless technology has revolutionized the world. The cellphone is now a necessity; the network is now a conduit to friends, family, colleagues, TV, e-mail, maps, the Internet — the list keeps growing. The wireless ecosystem we enjoy today was not even a glimmer when the Federal Communications Commission issued the nation’s first cellular licenses in the early 1980s.
But we’re not “there” yet. Today’s wireless visionaries continue to innovate, to test new ideas and to push the envelope of technology and imagination.
In this inaugural special report on Mobile Movers and Shakers 2008, RCR Wireless News recognizes just some of the people who have been or hope to be instrumental in shaping the industry, leading it into new areas and creating for it fresh opportunities. In four parts, over the next four days, we'll list the 20 people who are watched by competitors and colleagues alike for hints on how wireless will unfold.
However, this list is by no means exhaustive, either in terms of nominees or categories. It leaves out many worthy candidates, a point that we want to acknowledge upfront. In fact, we received more than 400 nominations from readers.
It also isn’t a list of “winners.” Some of the companies represented herein have yet to experience financial or critical success.
Indeed, this list is just a starting point — for us and, we hope, for you.
So please enjoy our first attempt at assembling a linear list out of this messy, chaotic and topsy-turvy industry, even as we begin to take a closer look at some of the people who likely will be next year’s movers and shakers.
Stay tuned for our next batch of Mobile Movers & Shakers 2008, which will post first thing tomorrow. — Tracy Ford, Editor and Associate Publisher
Stay tuned for our next batch of Mobile Movers & Shakers 2008, which will post first thing tomorrow.
December 10, 2008 04:02 pm
Apparently Sprint needs to save all that advertising money, and focus more on customer retention. While everyone else posted solid 3q numbers, Sprint lost 1.3 million subscribers in the 3q alone. If that continues Dan's gonna be doing more moving than shakin.
December 9, 2008 04:07 pm
I agree with the overall sentiment that it will take some time to right the Sprint ship and Hesse seems to be getting the company going in the right direction - even as there is more work to do. I like the current Hesse commercials, especially the newer ones that are a bit more device centric. I don't think what was pasted earlier is accurate - he never starred in ads for ATT, and was the first to introduce flat rate national pricing something that is now common practice across the industry. He was also long gone from AT&T when they began to decline and then ultimately sold to Southwestern Bell.
December 9, 2008 06:02 am
What John Thain did in one year at Merrill:Mean Street: Why Merrill Lynch’s John Thain Deserves a BonusEvan Newmark, Posted by Deal Journal WSJ December 8, 2008, 2:45 pmhttp://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2008/12/08/mean-street-why-john-thain-deserves-a-bonus/trackback/
December 8, 2008 06:03 am
As a former Nextel employee who lost my job to consolidation it might be hard to convince you that my opinion here is remotely objective, but I'll offer you my two cents anyway. ANA is EXACTLY right about the current state of nature at Sprint. Nothing will change until the KC based stodgy and antiquated culture of stagnation is broken up some how. The contrast in corporate culture us Nextelians we discovered once the merge closed was shocking. Nextel, with an open door, all access, free flow of ideas, type of environment: to moving all the VP's and Directors to the isolation of top floor (they really did this at former Nextel locations). I wasn't bitter at all about losing my job then or now and hope only the best for Sprint and so many of my good friends who remain (that number seems to diminish weekly), and some of my investments that remain tied up there, but I am NOT at all bullish about a turnaround I’m sorry to say. Like the big three auto makers, I just don't think they have what it takes to make the changes that are necessary to regain a competitive footing. I don’t think they even know what their problems even are.
December 8, 2008 06:03 am
I have no opinion about Mr Hesse, he seems like a nice guy...but those commercials seem vague and without any real target. The youth market is the number one for growth and spending, and his appeal is definitely not to the youth. Classical music in the background, GQ overcoat strolling down a street in NY; lacks broad appeal. They have a message, which is good, you can do everything on your phone, but there is no catch for the commercial.
December 8, 2008 06:03 am
I would agree - it does take some time to turn the ship around. However the guy looks like an absolute doofus in the commercials and whoever decided it would be a good idea to waste money showing some old rich guy walking down a street or sitting at a table "talk" about his product rather than showing the product itself, should be fired. Also the culture within Sprint is absolutely terrible. The really good companies know you take care of the EMPLOYEES first - then the customers. Happy employees make happy customers. Sprint has done nothing but alienate and irritate a good portion of their work force.Their claim that in the layoffs they were sure to keep the employees who are valuable is BS. After the first round of layoffs the smart guys have been jumping ship left and right. There are still quite a few people left who know what they are doing and work hard, but for the most part everyone is in "coast" mode waiting to see what happens fearing they'll be next.
December 8, 2008 06:03 am
Constructive commentary is always appreciated, especially in articles that identify people that are "movers and shakers", as there's bound to be opinions for against those mentioned in the article.However, TJG's remarks are just inflammatory and foolish. The industry players are in a precarious position, and Sprint is no exception. Dan Hesse stepped in to the eye of the storm and took on the challenge of re-working and re-making Sprint, having to deal with a culture of intolerance of integration from the long before he arrived. You shouldn't blame Dan Hesse for things not changing "overnight" in the months following his arrival. Show me the long list of execs that took the challenge to step in to a rudderless Sprint in 2008... ...you can't. Hesse has simplified and improved the offer structure and he's working through org and operational changes that are necessary for the long term survival of the company. Hedge fund managers (usually with the attention span of gnat, and no operational experience) and people without an understanding of the time it takes to turn a ship around, will always point the finger without offering a solution.Rather than lambasting the one CEO that chose to step in to the fire, maybe you can provide some commentary that is constructive and insightful as to what a CEO could do to help Sprint get out fo the out of the fire. Seriously, we're open ears. Give us something of value.
December 8, 2008 06:03 am
Dan Hesse didn't accomplish much in his previous position with AT&T, other than star in commercials. If that is the measure of success, your list will get pretty long.Under Hesse, AT&T Wireless kept its faulty technology strategy and continued a disastrous CRM effort. It continously added subscribers at a higher cost than the revenues they generated. Fortunately, the company was sold off before it went bankrupt.
December 8, 2008 06:03 am
TJG, lucky for all of us, your just delivering pizzas for a living. No the mag has done its homework, has resources to the data and has reported accurately. Sprint has made quite a turnaround as a company within, though the stockholders have not seen the results as of yet. Turning around a "Titanic" takes a few miles and Dan hasn't even been at the helm for a year yet. If retailers would take note as to how Sprint is waking up and realizing that without customers, you have no shares. Take care of the customer and the rest will fall into place. TJG, maybe take a shot at running a company, if your as good at that as you are armchair quarterbacking, maybe you can save a company in 30 days? Worse case scenario, you get fired and pick up a $53 million severance check.
December 8, 2008 06:03 am
I guess credibility of your magazine is not important to you. Dan Hesse as a mover and a shaker, please. How does the leader of a company who has had recorded nothing but ever worsening net losses of customers rate anything but a designation showing him as a failure? Not to mention he has captained his ship to Titanic like results with respect to market cap. I know he inherited a mess, but he has shown no ability to change its course, and the time to begin proving he is any better than his predecessors is past. Did they pay you for the title?