Wouldn’t it be great if your mobile device wasn’t tied down to a phone company?
It’s not a dream and could actually become a reality sooner than we think. With less people holding actual voice conversations on their smartphones these days, choosing to text, email, or surf the web instead, who needs thousands of voice minutes monthly anymore? Well, according to Apple, they may soon have the solution.
Apple recently secured a patent that could wrest power away from wireless carriers by creating a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) system. Such a system would allow networks to bid against each other over wireless services provided to iPhone users.
The patent is called “Dynamic Carrier Selection” and here’s how it would work: a mobile device would store a network address and communicate with network operator servers. After receiving data from available network operators, the device or user would then select a carrier. According to the patent filing “In some situations, bids are received from multiple network operators for rates at which communication services using each network operator can be obtained. Preferences among the network operators are identified using the received bids, and the preferences are used to select the network operator for the mobile device to use in conducting communications.”
Apple could run a MVNO system which collects rate information from participating wireless networks within a region, then automatically select or allow users to select the best option. This would save users hundreds if not thousands from purchased minutes they don’t need or want, as well as providing stiff competition for carriers to offer the best rate available on an a’ la carte basis.
It’s a win-win for consumers — and for Apple. But how will the carriers feel about losing their gravy train?
