Mobile voice and data systems move into the realm of the reseller

Mobile voice and data systems will increasingly be sold direct by retailers and distributors, as well as resellers, who may understand business users' requirements better than handset makers and carriers.

A new report by analyst firm Informa Telecoms & Media suggests that specialist web sites selling handsets and over-the-air delivery of mobile software and content will lead the charge.

"The mobile industry has been moving away from a vertically integrated model controlled by operators and manufacturers, to a more complex horizontal, layered structure, creating new challenges and opportunities for distributors and retailers of mobile phones and data services," the report says.

Others believe that resellers can boost modest sales of specific enterprise-class mobile systems.

Mark Cope, head of mobile systems reseller Jem Telecom, which provides mobile email services based primarily on RIM's BlackBerry devices to UK businesses, said, "A mobile reseller can add products to its portfolio then back off all its sales to us; that's where we see a gap in the market. We can do the end-to-end deployment to make it all happen and manage the account with the operator."