Entertaining the enterprise

One final observation about last week’s Wireless IT & Entertainment show put on by the CTIA: The event’s emphasis and the buzz it generated was firmly on the entertainment side of things. There was very little evidence of wireless IT to be found, except maybe in some of the conference sessions. Some show attendees didn’t see a problem with that, implying that the business side of wireless is less of a challenge and will come more naturally than entertainment in the form of wireless multimedia.

I don’t agree. The opportunity presented by the wireless needs of corporate enterprise operations should take precedence for most wireless carriers over applications for the mass consumer audience--not replace it, but take precedence. My concern is that the wireless sector may be getting caught up in the moment--a moment at which it appears that consumers have a new thirst for wireless data applications that will entertain them. That situation could change very quickly, consumers being the fickle audience they are. I hope it doesn’t, but it could.

Enterprises, on the other hand, are yearning to be untethered, and many of them are operated by IT managers that don’t know the first thing about wireless (or, in some cases, IT). They need wireless carriers to educate them on what applications can be made mobile--how workforce productivity and processes can be improved via wireless.

I’m not advocating a concentration on the wireless enterprise at the expense of the mass consumer customer segment. It’s not an either/or situation, because both sectors have considerable potential. I just don’t want to see the very achievable goal of mobilizing the enterprise drowned out by ringtones.

E-mail me at jmeyers@primediabusiness.com.