• ZDNet UK, Wednesday, November 29, 2006 11 AM

There is no such thing as network neutrality on mobile phones. Mobile operators have the say over what Web content appears before their subscribers, much to the ire of mobile content makers.

Earlier this week, Chris Sacca, Google's head of special initiatives, criticized cell carriers for trying to prevent their customers from accessing certain Google applications. He revealed that operators have even lobbied the search giant to remove Google Mobile Maps, an application that gives users access to interactive maps, satellite images, directions and details about local businesses.

"They're inserting themselves in between you and an application that you want. I think that has scary, scary implications," he said, adding that while mobile operators claim to provide unlimited Web access, they block their users from using applications like VoIP or streaming video.

Internet media entrepreneurs warn that the mobile industry faces massive challenges if the carriers continue to keep their users tightly controlled. Others said that it's only a matter of time before open protocols get to mobile phones, which will rapidly transform the mobile industry.

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