Changed Landscape
Operators have enjoyed many years of exclusive access to both handset and end-user. Those days are gone as premium content is increasingly embedded on handsets; available through OS/manufacturer based portals (Blackberry App World, Android Market) and downloaded from independent retailers such as Getjar and GoMobile.
Walled gardens have gone the way of the dodo - WiFi availability has seen to that. So the options available to operators are becoming less attractive. They can embed games/content on handsets prior to distribution (expensive), deliver content through on device portals, over the air (cumbersome) or simply promote attractive options via their operator portals or by pushing marketing messages back to the handset.
None of these options have any chance of competing with the simple proposition presented through iTunes and, to some extent, Android Market.
Changed Landscape
The traditional 'walled garden' approach to Operator content is no longer relevent. Operators have to change with the times, and now...
OneAPI Initiative
Operators must collaborate to capitalise on this opportunity and move away from their 'silo' approach - the OneAPI initialtive is a good starting...
