Monday, December 16, 2013

The US wireless carrier market is firmly stuck in the past

Over the past year or so, there has been a lot of talk about how the US wireless market is leading the way globally and that a new dawn is coming for the carriers. This line of reasoning is mainly built on the argument that the carriers here (especially Verizon) are at the forefront with 4G LTE deployment.

I would beg to differ. I think the US wireless market is one of the last, globally, to be liberated from its bloated past and suffer a massive reality check. I see two major trends affecting the US wireless market in the short and medium term that spell trouble for the carriers and will be awesome for everyone else.

Sprint is dreaming...

According to Fierce Wireless and WSJ, Sprint is considering a bid for T-Mobile to bring the four national carriers down to three and ease competition.

If these rumors are true, I think it is extremely doubtful that this deal will actually happen for several reasons.