Again, U.S. Wireless Market is Intensely Competitive

More evidence that the wireless communications industry is highly competitive: Motorola is looking for more carriers for its new CLIQ smartphone. The CLIQ was launched this week exclusively for T-Mobile, but could be available through other wireless service providers early next year.

If Motorola can find another company to sell the CLIQ, T-Mobile (the 4th largest wireless carrier in the U.S.) may not see the boost in subscriptions they were no doubt hoping for. And consumers on other networks will benefit from an expanded portfolio of smartphones to select from. Most importantly, though, it would show that no governmental rules were needed to force “universal access” to the CLIQ. As I’ve written before, the wireless industry is already extremely competitive. Consumers are currently benefiting from fierce competition between manufacturers and carriers, which leads to lower prices, better quality, more features and services, and continually improving technology. To paraphrase Adam Smith:

“Give me that which I want, and you shall have this which you want, is the meaning of every offer; and it is in this manner that we obtain from one another the far greater part of those good offices which we stand in need of. It is not from the benevolence of the cell phone manufacturer, mobile application developer, or the wireless communication provider that we expect our cellular service, but from their regard to their profits.