Sending Photos Phone to Phone: Challenges & Opportunities

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Many issues need to be resolved to encourage the adoption of mobile imaging in general and picture messaging in particular. Some have to do with the cellular networks, some have to do with mobile devices, and some have to do with the service providers - they need to simplify and reduce picture-messaging charges and they need to let us exchange pictures with anybody we want to, in particular with any other mobile phone, a capability generally referred to as Interoperability.

All are important and all are being worked on, but the issue that currently shows the least progress is the last one - interoperability. Real, seamless, and universal inter-carrier picture messaging seems to be an ever-receding goal. There have been some announcements - even in North America - but some of the arrangements don't work at all and those that do generally leave a great deal to be desired. Through interviews with carriers and infrastructure vendors, this report explores the technical and business challenges that stand in the way of interoperability. It also describes some of the alternatives and workarounds being developed to fill the gap between customer expectations and the current reality. 

View: Table of Contents, and Introduction (Adobe PDF document)

Analyst BIO: Tony Henning