Michael Pousti is CEO of sms.ac, which has the largest user base in the world with millions of users across 170 countries. This makes him the next Bill Gates, according to me 
He gave the Keynote Address yesterday at Global Mobile Congress 2004 in Shanghai, China (reported in Prime Zone) and concerned himself with two main issues.
Firstly, using mobile phones as a payment tool:
You have mobile devices ready to emerge with significance as an extension of consumers’ pocketbooks and purses,” Pousti told conference attendees. “Mobile operators are uniquely positioned to benefit from revenue shares derived from even the smallest transactions. As a focal point of this nascent but exploding industry, it is important for operators to enter quickly into equitable revenue share agreements with third parties. (To operators) Open your billing systems and you will prosper.”
Too right, Michael. But they won’t listen, my friend.
Sometimes, I genuinely puzzled by operators. Sure, they’re an easy target in some ways. But these are giant, successful companies employing some of the brightest people of their generation in an exciting and vibrant industry.
So why can’t someone see the bigger picture? Or if they can, why aren’t why doing something to change?
I’m not just talking about billing here, but some of the basics I’ve written about before. Like actively encouraging innovation in the development community. Or making the handsets work out of the box.
I don’t have an answer for this.
Michael goes on to challenge the content industry too:
If your business has not already embraced an aggressive strategy to evolve to a mobile content or application company, drop most everything you’re doing and prepare your content for mobile. Just be sure to base your offerings on communication. It’s all about communications — not just content.”
Spot on, Michael. Content owners ignore the communication aspect at their peril. But this is kind of contingent on operators sharing revenues more fairly as well.
And finally, proving that the comparison with Mr Gates isn’t the least bit spurious,
Pousti also recommended that handset manufacturers partner with the largest mobile communities they can find. [Remember, his company is the largest such community] “The fact that the largest community wins has been repeatedly proven. Windows won because it grew both ends of the community –application developers and consumers.”
A man and a company to watch.
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