Key Actors in the Mobile Telephone Industry: Feature Phone Years and the Rise of Nokia

Nagpal, P., Lyytinen, K. 2013. Key Actors in the Mobile Telephone Industry: Feature Phone Years and the Rise of Nokia. Review of Business Information Systems Fourth Quarter, Vol. 117, No. 4, 2013.

8 Pages Posted: 28 Jan 2014

See all articles by Pankaj Nagpal

Pankaj Nagpal

Arkansas State University; Case Western Reserve University

Kalle J. Lyytinen

Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management

Date Written: January 26, 2012

Abstract

We use historical data to study the feature phone (as different from smart phone) years of the mobile phone industry. This study relates to the years 1994 to 2004, at a time when the industry grew to a landmark of one billion mobile phones cumulative sales worldwide. Actor Network Theory (ANT) is used as a lens to understand the key alliances between selected mobile phone companies and other actants. In line with ANT, actants include consortia, service providers, and IT vendors. The leading mobile phone companies -- Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola -- display a number of characteristics and actions that have implications for the current and future state of the market. The study demonstrates the explanatory power of ANT. It is important to understand the earlier years of the industry to understand its current state, particularly with reference to Nokia and Samsung. The notion of path dependence suggests that these actors continue to leverage, or be weighed down, by their strengths and weaknesses traced back in history to feature phone years.

Keywords: Mobile Phones, Strategy, Alliance, Actor Network Theory, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung

Suggested Citation

Nagpal, Pankaj and Lyytinen, Kalle J., Key Actors in the Mobile Telephone Industry: Feature Phone Years and the Rise of Nokia (January 26, 2012). Nagpal, P., Lyytinen, K. 2013. Key Actors in the Mobile Telephone Industry: Feature Phone Years and the Rise of Nokia. Review of Business Information Systems Fourth Quarter, Vol. 117, No. 4, 2013., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2385773

Pankaj Nagpal (Contact Author)

Arkansas State University ( email )

2713 Pawnee
P.O. Box 1750
Jonesboro, AR 72467-115
United States

Case Western Reserve University ( email )

10900 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44106-7235
United States

Kalle J. Lyytinen

Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management ( email )

10900 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44106-7235
United States

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