Over the walled gardens, direct to mobile consumers

From Business 2.0 Magazine, April, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO - As the wireless industry gathers this week in Las Vegas for the CTIA Wireless conference, opening this Wednesday, the mobile entertainment business is in the midst of a fundamental shift.

Until recently, carriers controlled the content their subscribers saw on their phones, tightly regulating the games, ringtones, and other content they could download. To reach subscribers, wireless publishers had to first strike deals with carriers to get on the carriers' mobile portals.

But, spurred by technological changes, content providers are now offering their products directly to consumers -- which is often niche content appealing to a specific demographic that carriers wouldn't offer to mainstream audiences. And carriers, eager to boost usage of the data services required to download and use this content, are tentatively embracing the trend by opening up their networks to independent wireless publishers.

Leading the way, is Hands-On Mobile....

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