Podcast and chat with T-Mobile’s Richard Warmsley Head of Internet on the Move

Rating: Duh! Its not mobile, it’s the Internet!

by Bena Roberts

Usually when I talk to mobile operators I have my analyst cap on; but increasingly I am being pushed into a new hybrid blogger category meaning that mobile operators simply don’t know what to do with me. But T-Mobile and Brands2Life got the mix just right today and after requesting a podcast – I got one within 2 minutes.

The candidate, the lovely Richard Warmsley Head of Internet on the Move.

This was my first chat with Richard and I have to say I found him warm, switched on and very very nearly edgy. (In fact, there is so much fresh new blood at T-Mobile it seems like the company had completely transformed in the past year).

Unfortunately, as we sat down to have a podcast, the battery of my trendy Sony ICE MP3 device died. But all was not lost – Brands2life popped to the shops (the best thing about being in central London) and we were all go again.

You can listen to the podcast below.

But after the quick three minute chat we got a bit deeper. I wanted to talk mobile search and competitive advantage. According to Richard T-Mobile’s competitive advantage for the mobile internet is:

• Leadership. The first company to launch an off-portal strategy in 2005
• Statistics. Because of experience T-Mobile knows what users want and can fulfil these demands
• Ambition. T-Mobile is going places and not only is there new blood there is a new vigour and uptake in services that can only guarantee success.

Mobile Search
• Google remains a popular brand and the face of Web ‘n’ walk
• Other types of mobile search might be in the pipeline but he is not directly involved
• The most searched categories used to be adult content categories this is no longer the case and T-Mobile is defining itself as a leader with Google in understanding what consumers want and that is how it has 500,000 subscribers.

Of course , I didn’t think that 500,000 subscribers was brilliant –but Richard said that he had been stringent with these statistics and it was only regular users on GBP 7.50 a month tariffs and that growth would be phenomenal.

Personally, I think the white label search is the way forward – but T-Mobile can be proud of what it has achieved – just as long as it makes sure that this is the start and not the end of a very long tunnel.

Podcast: Download tmobilewarmsley.DVF

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