Jim Machi : Industry Insight
Jim Machi

November 2009

You are browsing the archive for November 2009.

Egypt's 3G Surprise

November 25, 2009

I arrived here for a customer event and there was no car traffic. I was surprised since I had heard how horrible it was. It turns out the country was virtually shut down when I arrived, since there was a World Cup qualifying match with Algeria going on. I have since understood well the traffic issues here, including how the lane lines are apparently there for "suggestion" purposes only.
  3G is also making big inroads here - I saw signs advertising 3G quite often.

T-Mobile and a Hamburger in Hamburg

November 18, 2009

I am in Hamburg to meet with customers - my first visit to this city. I finally ate a Hamburger in Hamburg! Previously, I have eaten a Frankfurter in Frankfurt, Peking Duck in Peking (Beijing), Buffalo Wings in Buffalo, Philly Cheesesteak in Philly (actually quite a few, considering I went to college there!), London Broil in London, and Parmigiano cheese in Parma. To complete my food city journey, I just now need to have some Genoa Salami in Genoa.

WalMart & Prepaid: The Ultimate Commodization of Mobile Services

November 11, 2009

I should not have been surprised, though somehow it still struck a chord with me. And especially since Christmas is right around the corner, I should not have been surprised. But when I read the press release that Wal-Mart is launching Straight Talk, prepaid mobile plans including voice, messaging and Web access, I was surprised. The industry is officially commoditized. 
  I certainly do not associate the Walmart brand with prepaid services, but then again I'm probably not the target audience.

You're My Blue Sky, Youre My Sunny Day

November 4, 2009

Nope, this blog has nothing to do with blue skies, though I have to say that when I was in Seoul, the weather was gorgeous. The title has to do with the actual writing of this blog. In order to have the Korea memories fresh in my mind, I wrote the blogs on my way back home, while I had a connection in Narita airport. During this blog, which is really about MMS as you'll see, I had my iPod going and "Blue Sky" from the Allman Brothers was playing.
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