Have mobile operators missed the ad opportunity?

September 26 2007: Might the mobile operators be getting scooped on their own service because they’ve failed to capitalize on the ad model? It’s an interesting question, and one that may be very relevant for a number of reasons. First, Fox and MySpace have both recently launched ad-supported free mobile versions of their service, which is (like it or not) creating an emerging over-the-top model for mobile. Second, it appears that portal-supported mobile sites offer a way of introducing mobile ads without creating a lot of customer pushback, or a situation where someone might perceive themselves charged for viewing an ad. The whole issue raises again the question of IMS and its value. Unless you can block a user’s Internet experience on a mobile device, you can’t prevent this kind of service-on-top relationship, even with IMS. This tells us that the operators may need to be thinking less about IMS and more about Web 2.0.

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MediaPost’s Mobile Insider