The Ten Commandments for Operators to work with Developers

I was reviewing some old slides last night and saw some material I put together nearly 3 years ago that made me both happy and sad.  Funny how three years later telcos are still struggling, whereas the consumer electronics / OS / web service providers have done and moved on…

1. Without direct Customer Access nothing matters

2. Do not charge, share in revenue stimulated

3. Mitigate device fragmentation – it’s the only technical issue

4. Keep the process Simple, Stated, Time-lined, Online and above all Followed

5. Create a class of Showcase Developers – quality matters

6. Focus on Enterprise as much as Consumer

7. Partner with the Platform Developer Communities

8. Market Showcase applications and those developers willing to share 50:50 rather than 70:30 in revenue

9. Accept Platform Developer Certifications (e.g. Java certified) wherever possible

10. App Store must be front and center of all operator customers’ experiences – just like Apple iPhone