Thoughts On Nextel....
Ok, ok everyone. Palm Sunday and Easter have passed and I have survived sufficiently to share some points of view about this "Next" telephone system that's being created under our noses.
I happen to think we are on track. New adds were in - not out of - the ballpark. But this was against a slowdown in new market openings. International development is underway - just wait for this baby to blow a cork. I think International growth will far outpace everyones expectations here. The majority of the world Nextel is aiming for has not enjoyed a rich telecommunications infrastructure that's filled with many competitors, etc. That's what we have here in the U.S. and just look at how Nextel is cleaning up. I think they're going to have to ramp up Int'l growth by a few factors to make this "real" for a lot of people. People will go bananas over Nextel's dispatch feature. Remember, most foreigners in these new markets Nextel is going after, have relied on very high cost wireless phones for most of their recent local communcation experience. I don't have a definite quote, but I hear the average existing analog cellular bills in Mexico and Brazil is much higher than here in the US.
"Next Telephone" system? Craig didn't change the name...for a reason. Just like most of walking stiffs of this world now know what an e-mail address is even though not necessarily how to obtain one, so too will we be looking back at this time when most people didn't know what Nextel was all about.
Why is this radio-dispatch so compelling? Who really cares or understands whats going on here?? User, users, users, users.....!! We are living in a "network" economy and when I think about what the Internet has done for the network technology industry it brings to mind what Nextel is currently doing in the wireless technology.
With Nextel, digital wireless data communication hits "the moment". You can operate in "real time". Just press the button and you are there. Brainstorm, "zap". Idea..."zap". Answer..."zap". Here, now, not later...after a voicemail, after a page, etc. I call this "zapping" someone. Zapping is hip. Zapping is new. Zapping is now. Nextel is now. The regular phone is, quite often, "later", yada, yada, blah, blah, etc. <<Paul B. - if you read this - send these things over to your PR co. for some upcoming new ads.>>
I am very content with Craig's vision. Sure, it seems wackey. Why all the attention to this "zapping?" To which I and many other Nextel users say "try it and see, you won't ever go back to basic cellular." That's not to say we don't need digital cellular. We do indeed. But in my business, when I am working with someone I need to bring in as a partner - so to speak - on a development project or whatever, I get him a Nextel phone and add him to my network, period. In a networked world, a Nextel phone is the perfect "networking" tool for doing more business, delivering better service, making things work and run more efficiently, etc. And to think we are still very much still in dispatch stage 101. Wait until we have full data feed capabilities to local networks, etc. The Nextel phone should continue to lead the way into an information and transaction mechanism in addition to its very useful role as the premier basic communication networking tool for businesses.
That's all I have time for today. If you want to know more about what I am doing with Nextel as a business tool you can "call me" - oh how quaint that sounds....! - just send me an e-mail and I'll give you my 800 number - and I can begin to bring you into this growing Nextel network in localities around the country. Chicago is my first market. New York is second. My initial focus is financial services. Smart Bandwidth is the company vehicle for this enterprise. We are just starting out, but this "Smart Tribe" is about 15-10 people strong right now.
Get Smart. Get Nextel. And good luck everyone! |
