Container projects: The next chapter in handset customisation.

"The history book of the mobile handset industry has gone through two turbulent chapters to date; the first ‘naïve’ years of manufacturer rule ended abruptly in late 2002 with the launch on Vodafone Live! and the Orange SPV. In the second chapter, mobile operators in Europe and later in the US seized the upper hand in their dealings with handset suppliers. Without exception, OEMs and ODMs have been willing to produce customised handsets given a minimum purchase volume commitment. Operators had to develop new skills, adapt their organizations, foster multi-year relationships with OEMs and master complex processes of 6-month handset development. To overcome the many challenges existing today, the history book is entering a new chapter; that of ‘container’ projects."