The winds of change are blowing through the mobile industry.

Maybe it’s mobile penetration – now at 85% – forcing the need for new strategies. Maybe the Verizon-ALLTEL deal marks the end of an era of consolidation. Maybe it’s the iPhone, the mobile web, open access, or the inevitable shift from the telecom services model to the Internet service model, or all of these.

Whatever you attribute it to, fundamental change is happening, and as a consequence mobile operators — especially the Big Two — must broaden strategies beyond mere consolidation and control. From my perspective, operators who look to and learn to work with young, innovative companies may find themselves with a leg up on those who insist on retaining an antiquated “not invented here” mentality.

I work with many young companies, mostly in the mobile space, that are bringing exciting new products and services to market. I work with them on their strategies, and on a good day, help them win strategic deals with bigger companies, including carriers. Few young companies today dare build business plans around selling into carriers or relying on mobile operators for their success. The sad fact is that investors, at least in the U.S., reflexively steer clear of “carrier-dependent business plans.”

And, frankly, those few businesses which successfully sell into wireless operators had no idea of the length of the sales cycle when they started out, or they never would have pursued that path.

They know all too well the truth in the words of ex-FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, who said in this very publication “[The U.S.] is the last market in the world that people choose to bring a new wireless product to. Not second or third -- the absolute last.”

The U.S. mobile market is “behind” the rest of the world in innovation because large operators would rather build than buy, and have difficulty working with young companies. I see more calls coming in to the young companies I work with from global mobile carriers than from big domestic operators. These large, multinational carriers operate in highly-competitive markets where penetration can exceed 100%. They know what it’s like to compete with two or three other carriers fighting for the same subscribers. And to maintain an edge where they operate, they have established offices (or representatives) in the U.S., often Silicon Valley, who screen young companies, get to know them, and then open a dialogue between their headquarters or affiliates and these ventures. Whether seeking innovative features or services, leverage assets and services to create their own social networks (beyond calling circles) or to drive usage, global wireless operators see this as a strategic imperative.

Large U.S. operators also send executives and staffers to the many conferences and venture-sponsored beauty contests featuring the latest hot wireless start-ups. Unfortunately, these carrier representatives might have a conversation following a presentation, but rarely follow-up. Sadly, there are few advocates within the large U.S. carriers for outside innovation and investment. There is no process, no entry point. Instead, at times to an outsider it appears more that gatekeepers are tasked to keep entrepreneurs away.

Incoming calls to young companies are from smaller U.S. operators, not the Big Two that comprise nearly two-thirds of the U.S. market. Interestingly, independent U.S. operators, like the international operators, are more comfortable with young companies and are constantly looking for differentiators in their competitive environments.

All of this is a two-way street, of course. Executives with large wireless operators face major day-to-day challenges in running their business. Management can legitimately feel inundated by young companies, unscreened and all over the map, often clumsily seeking an indescribable relationship or preferential treatment with no apparent upside for the carrier. But large U.S. operators could be far more effective in working with small companies by following a few simple guidelines:

• Admit that you can't do everything.
• Hire people whose only job is to find and screen innovative young companies.
• Give them the authority to launch new products that compete with internal initiatives.
• Test new products rapidly with a sample of the subscriber base.
• Roll out successful products to the entire audience as fast as possible.
• Compete to be the best partner in the market for innovative start-ups.
• Think and act like a small company.

The U.S. can catch up with the rest of the world, and foster domestic innovation, if large operators follow the lead of the international carriers and some of the smaller, independent operators here in the U.S. The time is right, and the beginnings of these relationships are taking shape. Yes, maybe real change, finally, is on the horizon.

Whitey Bluestein, a 25-year telecom veteran, is a strategic advisor and experienced dealmaker who helps young companies develop strategies and win key deals with important companies. Bluestein currently works with clients in telecoms, entertainment, and mobile apps. More info available at www.whiteybluestein.com or contact him at whitey@whiteybluestein.com.