“We don’t prohibit Skype calls on our network, but we think it’s only reasonable that our vendors won’t facilitate competitive services that run on our network.”
So explains an AT&T spokesman as to why the new Skype for iPhone works on Wi-Fi but not on the AT&T network.
Let's extend that further - since AT&T offers Navigator, its device partners should not encourage Garmin, Tom Tom, Google etc to write location apps for their platform?
Because AT&T offers Cellular Video and Mobile Music, its device partners should not allow competing video or music services on their own?
Because AT&T offers VoiceDial its device partners should not allow tools like Cyberon's Voice Speed Dial?
Mobile carriers always rue - "we do not want to just be a dumb pipe". So, make your application services more attractive. Price them right. Seriously would you pay $ 4.99 a month for a service to dial your numbers when you can already have it for free on your PDA? That is if you can find it after the feature masking carriers do to most devices. Make them easy to use.
And for pete's sake give up on the continual hypocrisy of "their apps" suck up bandwidth, but ours don't" and threats and changes to terms.
If you want to be taken seriously, get serious about mobile applications. Leverage the gold rush of mobile application developers