Call centers: phone calls fall

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Starbucks: wireless coffee

Following the US trend of wireless connectivity, Starbucks (SBUX) is offering Wi-Fi Internet access for a fee at more than 2,300 stores nationwide. With competitors willing to offer the service for free, Starbucks is relying on its ubiquitous presence to make the venture profitable.

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Nextel: walkie-talkies make a comeback

US wireless operator Nextel Communications, best known for the walkie-talkie feature on its mobile handsets, has posted a healthy set of year-end results. As Nextel rolls out its services throughout the US, the company will be in an increasingly good position to capture more of the competitive wireless market.

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Motorola: only a short-term vision

While Motorola's new handsets are a further advancement on its increasingly strong portfolio, the company may be focusing too much on its short-term position. Its development strategy may leave it in an increasingly tough market without a niche area of expertise to fall back on.

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Mobile SFA: a game of patience in pharmaceuticals

Mobile enterprise solutions are starting to gain traction after a period of sluggish growth, as vendors look to gain a competitive advantage by developing applications for niche vertical markets. Mobile sales force automation in the pharmaceuticals industry offers one such opportunity. Up to now deployments have been limited, but in the longer term growth prospects look good. <BR /><BR />

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FedEx: going wireless

FedEx is making the latest move in a technology battle among the world's leading delivery carriers: it will replace its clunky and proprietary radio system with 40,000 new handheld PDAs, which will use AT&T Wireless' GSM network to transmit detailed package information. In so doing, it has beaten archrival UPS to the punch.

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B2E wireless: a comet in the dark US mobile space

Most see wireless technology and the US market as an unlikely match. This is often a fair view - but recent trends show that there is room for expansion in the enterprise space. Some vertical industries, in particular insurance, are among the early-adopters; big vendors are already preparing themselves for the take-off of enterprise wireless technology.

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Mobile provider options: services versus minutes

Another round of price-cutting in the US wireless phone market may not be the answer to generating additional revenues: consumers globally are as willing to pay for new services as for additional minutes. Even in markets where 3G technologies are some time away, services such as speech recognition could prove lucrative.

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Mobile number portability: a mixed blessing

Number portability could force US wireless operators to adjust their business philosophy significantly - moving away from 'trapping the customer' to making them the want to stay. But while switching should benefit many customers, the new handset purchases that it may require will offset its potential advantages for many others.

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Starbucks: my way is the eHighway

Starbucks' wLAN service now covers 1,200 stores. With more than 40 million 'mobile professionals' in the US alone, the new service could pay off - but it faces fierce competition from other ISPs and foodservice companies. Starbucks needs to ensure its network is reliable and competitively priced, and also ensure its marketing strategy is highly effective.

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