AP has a story about the tend towards “quad-play”, from the angle of cable companies beginning to offer mobile phone contracts. While phone companies have a home-ground advantage there’s a few thing cable companies can do to even the odds, according to John Garcia, president of the Sprint-Cable Joint Venture, who said that in order for cable companies to compete they have to offer something new to the customer (and “one bill” doesn’t cut it). Garcias reckons the secret is to have the mobile phone interact with the cable companies other services.
“In addition to offering unlimited calling between a cable company’s mobile and residential phones—similar to a perk offered by AT&T and being tested by Verizon—the cable cell phones can display the cable TV guide, which is designed to look like the one subscribers see at home on their TVs…Video on demand shows, such as Comcast’s video dating service, could also show up on the phones.” There are also plans to simplify mobile e-mail and make it resemble the experience on a computer, and the ability to remotely program a DVR.