In Japan, the complexity of the telecoms industry has reached such a high level, the government recently announced it’s support of a private sector initiative to license official experts in mobile technologies – these cell phone “sommeliers” would even have to pass exams to maintain their position.
The recent issue of Monocle explains:
Mobile phone “sommeliers” have been unveiled in Japan in a bid to guide customers through the baffling maze of technology on offer when choosing a new handset. The government announced its support of the private sector initiative to license a new breed of mobile phone experts who will need to pass exams. “We hope they will explain complicated functions and charge systems to consumers, much like wine sommeliers guide you”, announced a ministry official. Japan is a fitting setting for the launch of these sommeliers. Home to the world’s most advanced mobile technology, over 100 million people out of 128 million-strong population have mobile phones, including 96 per cent of the nation’s high-school students.
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I think it would be a fabulous idea for the ‘boomers and geezer’ market here in the US. How many times do I get pocket called from my FIL or an email about how to input a phone number on his cell? Too many to count.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:41 pm