CANNES, France—Content alone will not bring prosperity to the wireless industry, according to comments made by Michael C. Pousti, chairman and chief executive officer of SMS.ac, in a speech at this week’s 3GSM World Congress.
“During the Internet explosion of the 1990s, everyone was convinced that content would be king,” Pousti said. “Instead, e-mail, instant messaging and text chat currently comprise more than 90 percent of online activity … The point is, history seems to be repeating itself.”
According to Pousti, the wireless industry should work together to remove obstacles that are impeding customer adoption. For example, he specifically called on U.S. operators to announce an interoperability plan and he said the gap must be closed on existing and upcoming competing standards. “No, 3G and multimedia content are clearly not the answer—unless they are wrapped around communications and community,” Pousti emphasized.
Pousti’s speech followed SMS.ac’s announcement that its Web site, which is focused on wireless technologies that enable text and next-generation communications over all technology standards and across all networks, registered more than 3 million users in 10 weeks.
