Creating a culture of experimentation and risk is not easy in a heavy operations-centric business where the bulk of innovation is in marketing, not technology. In fact, most mobile operators out there are not technology companies at all. They are operations/retailing businesses, usually extremely good at what they do.
Most operators outsource the bulk of their technology requirements in one way or another. There is very little technology creation, if any. This is a problem if there's a desire to get into new areas of business where the competition are likely to be technology companies able to innovate in any direction that gives a clear strategic advantage. In some companies, like Google and Amazon, the amount of technology creation is quite stunning.
But much of the interesting technology creation is still with the outliers - those band of eager Web 2.0 start-ups who play and build at the same time. And it is here where my attention is going to be focussed with one initiative, which is related to working with start-ups in an innovative way.
This will be an exciting opportunity for any would-be entrepreneurial web developers. And this won't be the usual work-with-an-operator gig. As a developer myself with one of the longest records of working with mobile, I know all there is to know about the friction between operators and developers. Believe me, I don't hold back on my views in this area ;-)
Watch out on the blogosphere and twittersphere for some announcements in the coming month.