The Wireless Value Web

Introduction

In the preceding chapter, we discussed the Value Web framework as a new tool for strategic analysis. If you recall, we said that Value Webs might be constructed to map functional departments within an organization, to plot companies and their environment’s constituents, or to map out entire industries. Depending on the insight that is sought by those who conduct the analysis, the Value Web framework is flexible enough to support a vast range of strategic analyses within or outside of the corporate environment. The previous chapter illustrated the approach using a fictitious company, Acme Financial. Acme was presented as an example of a firm that performed the analysis to better understand its immediate playing field. Taking the approach to an industry level, this chapter will walk you though a Value Web that CGE&Y prepared for the general mobile/wireless landscape in an effort to reveal the industry’s various segments and the types of companies represented in each.

The Wireless Value Web’s Origin
The work we are presenting in this chapter was prepared by the CGE&Y’s Mobile Commerce Center of Excellence. The Center maintains a staff of dedicated resources who continually monitor industries and technologies, including mobile and wireless, by identifying, investigating, and mapping companies, their offerings, and their movement within the space. Because the mobile technologies industry is relatively young, new players appear on a monthly basis, established companies frequently shift direction, and unprofitable ones disappear seemingly over night. Unless watched closely, the mobility landscape, and more importantly, any associated opportunities, can be difficult to pin down. What looks like an attractive niche today might be a dead end tomorrow. Thus, the purpose of the Mobile Commerce Center of Excellence is to always be fully aware of the latest seismic shifts so that the firm can offer its client base access to up-to-the-minute research and insights about the advances of the rapidly evolving field.
The Wireless Value Web is frequently being leveraged as a starting point when strategic plans and tactical courses of action are created for CGE&Y’s clients. Before attempting to set a general course of direction or craft specific initiatives for a client, the team must be clear about who is who in today’s mobile technologies space. Once the playing field is clear, the team can proceed with developing a mobile/wireless strategy and associated tactical initiatives, whether the client is a new company about to enter the arena, or an established organization that seeks to leverage these new technologies within its current operations.

Today’s Wireless Value Web
As of the writing of this book, the Wireless Value Web we present here reflects the industry’s status quo. There is no doubt in our minds that some of the companies mentioned in the following sections will have ceased to exist, whether they were acquired, merged, or simply went out of business by the time this book reaches your desk. Nevertheless, the general concept of a web of companies servicing the mobile technologies market space will likely remain in effect for some time to come—even if specific companies
come and go. Before we present you with some of the companies that mark today’s landscape, we need to briefly introduce a framework of organizing these companies.

Taken From : Enterprise Guide to Gaining Business Value from Mobile Technologies