Microsoft Updates Live Search Mobile
By Jason Ankeny
Microsoft announced an update to its Live Search Mobile application for Windows Mobile-based devices, promising a series of new features that make it easier for users to find local businesses and receive maps and directions via mobile device. The Live Search Mobile upgrade includes:
LocateMe: A location-based feature that offers users their approximate location, even without a GPS-enabled device. Users may instantly search the area around their current location as well as view a map of the immediate area.
Query Autosuggest: During search query entry, the Live Search client will suggest completed queries from partial input.
Bird's Eye View Imagery: Aerial imagery of select urban areas from a natural angle.
Mixed Query: Business names entered as a location in the search field will still yield a search result, regardless of the user's default location.
The Live Search Mobile revamp follows a week after Microsoft announced a significant new mobile search partnership with Verizon Wireless. Per terms of the five-year agreement, Microsoft will provide portal, local and Internet search as well as mobile advertising services on Verizon devices--the partnership goes into effect during the first half of 2009, when Microsoft Live Search will launch as the default search service on new Verizon Wireless feature phones and smartphones. [FierceMobileContent]
Qatar Readies for World’s First Commercial Mobile TV Service Based on DVB-H
Qatar Telecom (Qtel), the leading telecommunications service provider, and Nokia Siemens Networks have signed the world’s first commercial Mobile TV deployment contract based on DVB-H and OMA BCast Smart Card Profile technology.
Nokia Siemens Networks will supply Qtel with state-of-the-art Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H) solution providing their subscribers enhanced TV viewing experiences on their mobile phones with the added flexibility of selecting their preferred subscription payment model.
“This agreement opens a historic new chapter for entertainment and connectivity in Qatar. This pioneering partnership with Nokia Siemens Networks will deliver a world-class mobile experience for our customers, providing them with the highest quality broadcasts directly to their phones,” said Adel Al Mutawa, Executive Director of Group Communications, Qtel.
A strategic partner for operators looking to deploy Mobile TV solutions, Nokia Siemens Networks will roll out a DVB-H solution with OMA BCast Smart Card Profile (SCP) for Qtel. With OMA BCast SCP, mobile operators are able to integrate the management rights for Mobile TV broadcast content, provided via DVB-H, into their existing infrastructure.
This comprehensive mobile TV solution includes software, hardware, consulting & integration, network design and implementation services. For the authentication of mobile TV subscribers, Nokia Siemens Networks is providing its One-BSF solution, forming a key part of Qtel's Unified Subscriber Database strategy for creating a common subscriber profile to be used for both mobile and DVB-H service.
In addition, Nokia, the infrastructure vendor’s parent company, will provide Nokia N96 handsets to test the first SCP compliant software that enables subscribers to choose from among a host of payment models and interactivity options. One of the main factors in winning this deal was the end-user insight that Nokia Siemens Networks gained from its close collaboration with Nokia.
“This innovation introduces ‘world firsts’ to the global communications community: Qtel will be the first operator anywhere in the world to commercially deploy DVB-H SCP. We will also be the first company to integrate the new Nokia N96 model into our deployment strategy. Both these historic steps will support Qatar’s wider goal of using the most advanced technology to support the growth of the knowledge economy,” noted Al Mutawa.
Adds Qais Esrawee, Head of Customer Business Team for Qtel Group in Nokia Siemens Networks, “We are glad to support Qtel to be among the first to launch mobile television broadcasts in Middle East and Africa. Our association with Nokia is a strong differentiator providing the research and end-user insight we need to help Qtel decide on the service dynamics such as ease of use, affordability and freedom of choice. Alongside our complete portfolio of complementary technologies, we can ensure Qtel’s subscribers enjoy a seamless end to end mobile TV experience.”
The solutions offered by Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks are based on the open DVB-H standards. They allow short implementation time as well as end-to-end capability, combining the equipment, services and devices to create a unique solution for mobile TV service providers.
Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks work with more than 30 operators worldwide on DVB-H implementations. Their commercial launches include Finland, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Netherland, Philippines, Switzerland and Vietnam. /PR
Mobile Internet Users Crave Access to Extra Mobile Services
BuzzCity (www.buzzcity.com), a provider of global wireless communities and consumer services, today revealed the results of worldwide research conducted with users on their portal, myGamma. The research examines which products and services will best meet the needs and interests of myGamma members over the next twelve months.
By surveying members' current spending patterns and upcoming life milestones, BuzzCity hopes to arm mobile web developers and advertisers with the information to design relevant WAP sites as well as products, services and promotional offers that appeal to mobile internet users.
Wireless consumers are eager to access new services via the mobile internet. From m-commerce to mobile banking, respondents seem keen to explore all available options, but are often unaware that particular services exist. For example, more than half of the survey respondents (51%) say they would use their mobile phones for financial services, if such services were available in their country, and one-third would like to be able to transfer money.
KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity, states: "Consumers want to make payments with their mobiles but many are not yet aware that these services exist. Signs point to a need for marketers to share more product-related information on the mobile internet."
m-commerce
More than half of those surveyed have made electronic purchases, with one in five having purchased items via mobile phone. Books, downloads and virtual gifts are the most popular items purchased. Items for online gaming are also in demand, as are other digital products such as movies and music. This suggests that myGamma users are becoming very comfortable with the digital lifestyle. Twelve per cent of users also express a significant interest in buying movie and travel tickets via mobile.
Mobile services
Money transfers and remittances are in high demand, with 37 per cent of those surveyed requesting access to these services. A further group of respondents would like to use their mobiles for enhanced banking services such as share trading and foreign exchange. Consumers would also consider using their mobile phones for day-to-day services such as ordering groceries, paying café or restaurant bills, and paying parking fees. One in ten respondents also wants more services from their telco carriers, with a number of respondents with pre-paid cards requesting top-up services via mobile.
The Future
As mobile internet usage continues to grow, insights from the survey point to a future where consumer demand for practical services will drive the uptake of m-commerce.
KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity, states: "Consumers want more news, information and search capability via the mobile internet. There is definite demand for more content and not just entertainment content. Users want access to practical information, such as classified ads for jobs or property."
KF Lai continues: "The future of m-commerce paints a rosy picture. The number of survey respondents that have made electronic purchases augurs well for m-commerce and e-commerce as it suggests the presence of a reliable logistics framework and the inherent consumer trust needed to make it all work, as well as the required enabling tools and technology." [FierceWireless]
SMS to Garner 83% of All Mobile Messaging Revenues through 2013
SMS will continue to maintain its lead as the highest revenue generator across all messaging categories, providing global service revenues of $177 billion in 2013. But in a recent report from ABI Research, regional differences will determine the success of messaging expansion into the Web, advertising, and the incorporation of mobile messaging within social networking media.
“Innovative companies are exploring opportunities for expanding mobile messaging access to Web sites as well as targeting customers with content and ads,” says principal analyst Dan Shey. “To be successful with these enhanced services, companies that supply mobile messaging products and services must understand the regional distributions for customer type, payment preferences, message delivery method, and usage.”
For instance, developed regions of North America and Europe have the highest messaging ARPUs, and send the most messages from the computer to the mobile device using IM; Asia-Pacific subscribers sign up for the most SMS alert services; and Latin Americans are heavy SMS users, but prefer pay-as-you-go for all messaging services.
Additionally, these regional differences will cause established messaging suppliers to reevaluate their business models.
“Device vendors and messaging platform suppliers serving the global market will have to manage across markets where growth is king – and other markets where product differentiation is king,” continues Shey. “This is a great time for smaller companies to develop new products and services individually and in partnerships to serve the niche needs of a region or country.” [ABI Research]
Nokia Welcomes Warner Music Group to Comes With Music
Nokia today announced that Warner Music Group will make its diverse catalog of new stars and legendary artists available through Nokia Music Stores around the world as well as through Comes With Music, a revolutionary way for people to discover and enjoy music offered uniquely by Nokia.
"Warner Music Group has been a pioneer in developing new digital music business models and we are very pleased to have them supporting both the Nokia Music Store and Comes With Music," said Tero Ojanpera, executive vice president and head of the Nokia Entertainment and Communities business. "Comes With Music enables people to access great content, provides artists to wider exposure with new and existing fans, and creates new revenue for all stakeholders."
"Nokia's Comes With Music service will be a significant step forward in the evolution of digital music. It's the first global initiative to fundamentally align the interests of music companies with telecommunications companies," said Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Warner Music Group's Chairman and CEO. "Through this innovative service and business model, all parties are equally driven to create the best and most comprehensive music offering designed to meet the ever-expanding consumer appetite for music and music-enabled devices."
Comes With Music is expected to launch in the second half of 2008 on a range of Nokia devices in selected territories. With a single purchase, consumers will have access to a year of exploring and downloading the music that they love, and be able to keep all their selections in their permanent library.
Warner Music Group content will also now be available through the Nokia Music Store. With millions of tracks from major artists and independent labels, the Nokia Music Store lets people enjoy music directly on their Nokia device or personal computer. The Nokia store, with its compelling combination of download and streaming services, empowers fans to connect to music they want, in the way they want.
Consumers can browse for new music, get recommendations or search for favorite artists, songs or albums all from the palm of their hand. Songs can be added to a wish list for future purchase or purchased immediately and downloaded directly to the mobile device. Purchased songs can also be transferred between a PC and a compatible Nokia device, regardless of which device was used to buy them.
The Nokia Music Store is available in Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden and the United Kingdom and is expanding to additional countries. /PR
MetroPCS Will Flash Existing CDMA Handsets
Consumers Can Now Activate Their Existing CDMA Handsets on MetroPCS' Network, Offering the Freedom to Enjoy the Nation's Most Affordable and Flexible Wireless Service
MetroPCS Communications, Inc., the nation's leading provider of unlimited, flat-rate wireless communications service, announces the launch of MetroFlash, allowing consumers to bring their compatible CDMA handsets to be used on MetroPCS' network. Coupled with its low cost, flat-rate unlimited wireless service, MetroPCS is further broadening consumers' freedom to enjoy more cost efficient, flexible wireless options. MetroFlash will eliminate for many consumers the requirement of having to purchase a new handset when signing up for MetroPCS service.
"Offering consumers the ability to join MetroPCS with their existing handset makes switching carriers easier - and more cost efficient - than ever," said Tom Keys, Chief Operating Officer of MetroPCS. "Not since number portability have consumers been offered such a convenient option in switching service providers. With the rising cost of gas and food, consumers are looking for ways to reduce expenses and the launch of MetroFlash, along with our flat-rate, unlimited low cost service plans, makes MetroPCS a more affordable wireless option."
Customers using MetroFlash will receive a free month of service, plus unlimited local, long distance, voicemail and text messaging for $40 a month and pay a $30 fee. The service will be available at all MetroPCS company owned stores and select authorized dealers in all MetroPCS markets, excluding Las Vegas and Shreveport/Bossier City. Consumers can go to MetroPCS or a MetroPCS company owned store to determine if their phone is compatible with MetroFlash.
MetroPCS' unlimited, flat-rate wireless, no signed contract plans range from $30 to $50 per month and allow subscribers to talk all they want, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week. Unlike most carriers, MetroPCS does not require a signed contract, which means that consumers can activate service without going through a credit check or paying a deposit. Many of the plans include unlimited features such as voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, text and picture messaging, push e-mail, mobile Internet browsing, mobile instant messaging, and Metro411, a voice-activated, premium directory assistance service. Additionally, MetroPCS offers unlimited family plans for an affordable low price.
With approximately 4.4 million subscribers nationwide, continued consumer demand for MetroPCS' affordable, flexible, predictable, unlimited, no signed contract, flat-rate wireless service has been the driving factor behind the company's expansion across the country.
Consumers can visit any of MetroPCS' authorized dealer locations and company-owned retail locations or visit MetroPCS' web site here to sign up for service plans, and choose from a lineup of wireless phones from the top handset manufacturers. /PR/FierceWireless
Chrysler Turns Cars Into WiFi Hotspots
By Sue Marek
Soon motorists will be able to check email and surf the Web without finding a local Starbucks or Internet cafe. Beginning in August, automaker Chysler is going to outfit cars with a dealer-installed system called UConnect Web that turns vehicles into WiFi hotspots. The system will be offered in most 2009 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeap vehicles. The in-vehicle wireless router will cost $449, plus installation of up to $50. Mobile Web access will cost about $29 per month after a $35 activation fee. Service will be provided by Autonet Mobile.
The UConnect Web device, which will be hidden within the car, will work only when there is a key in the ignition. It will use a cellular 3G network and promises download speeds between 600 and 800 kbps with upload speeds of 200 kbps. [FierceWireless]
Yahoo! Mobile Extends Asia-Pacific Reach
Five Mobile Operators Signing New Yahoo! oneSearch Partnerships
Yahoo! has just announced several new mobile initiatives for the Asia Pacific region, including five new Yahoo! oneSearch partnerships with leading mobile operators including Mahanagar Telephon Nigam Limited (MTNL, India), Hong Kong CSL Limited (CSL), Smart Communications Inc. (Smart, Philippines), Digital Mobile Phlis, Inc. (SUN Cellular, Philippines) and Vibo Telecom Inc. (Vibo, Taiwan), as well as strategic mobile advertising partnerships with Idea Cellular Ltd. (India) and Maxis Communications Bhd (Malaysia).
Additionally,
Yahoo! announced localized versions of Yahoo! Go 3.0 for India, Australia and Southeast Asia, including a local language version for Indonesia, and an English version of Yahoo! oneSearch with voice that recognizes regional accents. The company also announced the launch of new mobile widgets for the Asia Pacific region including Yahoo! Cricket, Yahoo! Answers and Showtimes (Yahoo! India Movies), as well as a MTV Asia mobile widget featuring news updates and music charts.
These announcements further demonstrate Yahoo!'s global momentum and unveil the next phase of the company's mobile strategy for the Asia Pacific region. Today's Yahoo! oneSearch partnerships announcement brings the total number of mobile search deals signed by Yahoo! worldwide in the last 18 months to over 60.
"Sixty signed Yahoo! oneSearch partner deals is a great milestone, putting us on our way to our goal of ultimately connecting the billions of mobile consumers around the globe with the best possible Internet experience," said Marco Boerries, executive vice president, Connected Life, Yahoo!. "Today's partnerships and product launches further Yahoo!'s global momentum and serve to reinforce our strong position in the mobile industry."
Study: Users Want Practical Mobile Applications
By Jason Ankeny
Consumers desire practical, utility-based mobile applications like mobile-optimized banking and travel planning more than basic entertainment services according to a new usage and attitudes study conducted by mobile web domain registry dotMobi and digital agency AKQA's Research & Insights unit. dotMobi notes growing consumer trust in the security of the mobile web, citing the volume of consumers demanding access to mobile banking and related m-commerce services.
In addition, roughly 90 percent of the 2,000 respondents said they would be more likely to select an airline with mobile check-in over one that did not offer mobile services, while almost two thirds of participants said they would consider purchasing theater tickets, take-out food and travel tickets on mobile.
dotMobi notes that consumer awareness remains a significant challenge: About 50 percent of respondents said they were unaware of the existence of websites optimized for the mobile platform, with 86 percent expressing interest in learning which sites are easily accessible via mobile device.
Moreover, close to 50 percent of respondents reported that their initial mobile web user experience was so poor that it made them "reluctant to access" the site or the mobile Internet as a whole again, citing poor site display and layout as the primary culprits. Only 2 percent of the survey participants who've purchased new handsets in the past six months selected an iPhone. [FierceDeveloper]
Centrino 2 With WiMAX Coming This Summer
Intel announced it will introduce its next-generation Centrino 2 mobile platform, code-named Montevina, July 14. The platform is expected to offer faster performance and longer battery life, and is long awaited by the WiMAX community as it incorporates both WiFi and WiMAX, although the wireless chips won't be available until August. In addition, the platform is 40 percent smaller so that it can fit in mini-notebooks.
Intel, as you remember, invested $1 billion in the new Clearwire WiMAX business, which includes Sprint, cable companies and Google. Intel is hoping WiMAX incorporated in the new platform will do the same thing incorporating WiFi did, spur adoption. However, Clearwire's rollout will be on a market-by-market basis with 2010 or even 2011 delivering a reasonable footprint in the majority of the top 200 markets. That doesn't worry Intel though.
"When we launched our Centrino WiFi platform, there weren't a lot of WiFi hotspots, but people still bought it even though by itself, WiFi was not ubiquitous," Intel Vice President Sriram Viswanathan said in a recent conference call. "Centrino was still successful. We expect the same with Montevina because there are other value propositions in the platform." [FierceBroadbandWireless]
Big Movies on The Small Screen
Industry struggles with pushing movies to mobile
By Colin Gibbs
A handful of mobile players are trying to cram the silver screen onto the third screen. But whether there’s a business case to be made for mobile movies is far from clear.
The first wireless films came online for U.S. consumers in December 2005 with a less than stellar cast: Sprint PCS (at the time) teamed with the Silicon Valley startup mSpot to launch a feature-length film service that spotlighted second-rate films such as “Short Circuit 2,” John Wayne’s “Angel and the Badman” and Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in “Road to Bali.”
Sprint Nextel Corp. has since built substantially on its initial offering, launching a wide variety of recent blockbusters, and mSpot now powers a similar service for Bell Canada. Meanwhile, plenty of others have made noise — while not necessarily making money — in the space. Blockbuster Inc. last year entered talks with all the major handset manufacturers to make it easier for consumers to watchfilms on their phones, according to news reports.
Motorola Inc. made headlines earlier this year with rumors that it will offer full-length movies pre-formatted for its multimedia devices, France Telecom unveiled plans to offer hundreds of flicks across the Web, cable and mobile phones, and MTV last year aired the feature film “Super Sweet 16: The Movie” on mobile before the film appeared on cable TV.
Read more -PCRWirelessNews
IMS Finding a New Home With LTE
IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystems) has been around for some time, and many infrastructure vendors have invested heavily in developing IMS capabilities, solutions and products. But market acceptance has been slower than expected. Now, with the 4G standards LTE (Long Term Evolution) and WiMAX taking shape, the IMS platform has been given a new role and a niche that will carry it a considerable distance into the future.
That is because some elements of IMS such as the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) and the Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF) are also key components in the LTE core architecture. Similar elements are also defined in WiMAX. These elements are required to enable the end-to-end QoS and dynamic charging capabilities required for the next generation of mobile data services.
“IMS, which enables the rapid creation and deployment of new services and applications, was rather slow to take off because operators weren’t quite sure how they were going to use it,” says ABI Research senior analyst Nadine Manjaro. “They struggled to find a business case for it. Now, the FCC in the United States has declared that winners of 700MHz spectrum must meet open application and device criteria. Verizon won most of that band in the recent auction, and will use it for LTE. Verizon launched its Open Development Initiative (ODI) based on IMS architecture called ‘Advance to IMS’ in March 2008. This interface for applications and devices will enable the openness that the FCC requires.”
Many operators and vendors are now moving to an open applications architecture: Sprint has mentioned it in reference to its application strategy and uses IMS as the base architecture for its High Performance Push to Talk (HPPTT) network scheduled to launch in June 2008. Nokia mentioned open devices and applications as a key initiative in its migration strategy. IMS will help to ease the transition to open development, and will be a fundamental part of future LTE and WiMAX networks.
These and many other aspects of IMS are discussed in ABI Research’s recent study, “IMS Core Networks: A Dynamic Service-Based Architecture”. It provides a comprehensive look at the IMS activities in wireline and wireless access networks, offering insight into how operators are using IMS, and its role in future network migration. [ABI Research]
Security Concerns are The Biggest Barrier to Enterprise Mobility Deployments
Apple’s iPhone has reignited the debate over ‘consumerization’ - when new technologies are introduced into the consumer market and then brought into the enterprise market - with employees determined to integrate their personal devices with their enterprise applications. However, IT managers are reluctant to take on the responsibility of managing these devices. This is according to a new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor.
The report “Enterprise Mobility: Trend Analysis to 2012”, predicts global enterprise expenditure on mobile devices will grow from $6 billion today to an estimated $17 billion by 2012, which highlights the need for IT managers to begin to implement mobile device policies as ever more enterprises look to expand their mobile workforces.
"Enterprises are fighting a losing battle against employees when it comes to mobile devices and they should consider supporting a limited selection of devices rather than banning them outright", says Daniel Okubo, technology analyst with Datamonitor and the report's author. "Allowing a range of the most popular devices will improve employee satisfaction and encourage more of them to embrace mobile devices and improve their productivity when away from the office."
Security concerns are the largest barrier to mobility deployments
Enterprises are understandably concerned about ensuring the security of their data. In a survey* conducted by Datamonitor to establish issues that are currently preventing enterprises from investing in mobility solutions, the majority of the 467 respondents rated security as the greatest barrier to adoption of mobility solutions.
Traditionally enterprises have allocated devices, such as the Blackberry, to employees to enable them to check their email and be responsive when they are away from the office. However, as other mobile devices like the iPhone are increasingly popular among end users, enterprises are finding that employees want to be able to integrate their personal device with their corporate email account and other applications. For many people their mobile device is a personal thing which they want to customise and keep on their person. They do not want one device for personal use and an IT issued device for work.
IT Managers need mobile device policies in place
So far very few IT departments have yielded to these requests and are refusing to be responsible for managing such a wide variety of mobile devices. However, the iPhone has set a new standard for device userability and the trend of ‘consumerization’ is going to continue.
“There is an element of fear of the unknown”, says Okubo. “Enterprises question how security will be managed and whether mobility technologies will fit into their current IT infrastructure. Technology vendors have a role to play by properly addressing enterprise pain points. ”
The ability to lock, wipe and remotely diagnose devices is crucial
The key issue is that regardless of device, IT managers need to ensure they have a clear policy on mobile devices and at least the basic security capabilities to lock devices remotely, wipe them back to their factory setting and block certain applications being loaded. Employees must be made aware that it is important to report lost or stolen devices immediately, and they should not use their mobile devices to transfer sensitive company data.
Carriers are now offering device management solutions
Carriers such as Vodafone have started realising the problems that many enterprises face in managing devices and have started offering hosted device management solutions. This means that if an employee loses their phone they can call their operator and they will wipe or lock it. Similarly if their phone is ‘broken’ they can contact their operator who can remotely diagnose and fix their device and install updates. IT managers should ensure they have these capabilities either through traditional security vendors such as Sybase or for smaller enterprises, perhaps a hosted solution from a carrier is more efficient.
Okubo concludes:
“As more enterprises look to expand their mobile workforces and equip their employees with mobile devices, the issue of device management is going to become increasingly important. The popularity of mobile devices in the consumer markets is forcing enterprises to consider how best to manage these devices in the workplace and they need to ensure they have clear policies in place to manage employee expectations.” /PR
Apple in Negotiations to Launch Mobile iTunes
Apple is reportedly in talks to introduce a mobile iTunes retail portal to expand the variety of ringtones, ringbacks and related music content available for the iPhone. Citing anonymous executive sources, The New York Times states Apple is in active negotiations with the four major record labels, with plans to launch the service in June, although probably not in time for the computing giant's annual Worldwide Developers Conference June 9.
At present, Apple offers ringtones as a 99-cent upgrade to its 99-cent full-track iTunes downloads--however, many of the 6 million tracks in the iTunes catalog are not available for ringtone conversion, and the firm is seeking to expand its inventory, at the same time introducing ringbacks. Apple is also negotiating to sell full-track downloads over-the-air directly from the iTunes store, although the major labels contend they should receive a larger kickback for OTA purchases than standard web downloads, where the wholesale price is about 70 cents.
To that end, the NYT adds that one label exec says the current negotiations offer the music industry the perfect opportunity to press Apple on some of their longstanding grievances with the iTunes model, most significantly their desire for variable pricing. [FierceMobileContent]
More Mobile Social Networking: Vodafone Acquires ZYB
Vodafone has acquired ZYB, a Danish company, for 31.5m Euros. ZYB has developed a social networking and online management tool for backing up and sharing contact and calendar information online. This acquisition represents part of an intelligent effort by carriers to facilitate the movement of social networking services from PCs to the mobile phone.
An increasingly important function of social networking services is to serve as a form of ad hoc unified communications for the general population. Consumers are using social networking services in order to maintain presence on a network, and mobile phones are an obvious extension of this effort. Services like Twitter and Jaiku were the first to gain widespread consumer adoption, and large generalist social networking services like Facebook quickly followed suit.
“Consumers will increasingly be able to move seamlessly between the PC and the mobile phone, keeping their friends and contacts aware of their movements as they choose,” said Ri Pierce-Grove, analyst at independent market research firm Datamonitor. “This has a number of positive consequences for providers like Vodafone. It increases consumers' use of data plans, and, potentially, provides a new source of revenue via advertising. Both mobile providers and social networking services are competing to find the right mix of platforms and partnerships in order to meet consumer demand.”
ZYB's upcoming Phonebook application is a clear move to ease consumers’ movements between PC and mobile devices, as well as to deliver some of the benefits of unified communications. One of the great advantages of social networking services is that they significantly reduce the effort of keeping in touch with friends and keeping contacts updated. By allowing users to share and backup content when they are on the move, to share calendars, and to make it clear when they are available for a phone call, services like ZYB are likely to meet with positive reception.
Enabling consumers to automatically communicate their location to their contact base is a risky move, and one which is meeting with initial resistance due to privacy concerns. However, with the right safeguards, presence-based social networking applications can succeed.
Whether or not this particular acquisition will succeed is not obvious; this market is still in its early stages and competition is intense. However, by moving into the social networking sphere, Vodafone is demonstrating that it understands which way this market is going.
Ri Pierce-Grove is an analyst on Datamonitor's Customer Interaction Team where she covers social networking and voice business technologies. She initiated and leads Datamonitor's social networking research area, where she focuses on how social networks become successful and what role they play in the enterprise. She is a highly regarded trend spotter and her work has been covered by major media internationally, including the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph, CBS Marketwatch, ITN News, Le Monde and CNET.
Alltel Chooses LTE: No Surprise, But Important Implications
Yesterday Alltel Corp. joined a growing number of mobile operators in committing itself to LTE as its 4G technology of choice. Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile, China Mobile, KDDI and Vodafone have also announced LTE plans. While Alltel executives cautioned that no budget had yet been allocated for the new network's deployment, and forecast a 3-5 year timeframe for its introduction, the announcement will be seen as another vote of confidence in LTE.
While not one of the big four US carriers - it is the fifth largest with over 13 million subscribers - Alltel has the largest network area which includes coverage in 34 states as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. Even more notable, it has roaming agreements with CDMA-based operators in the United States and Canada, some of which include EV-DO. So what does its LTE choice mean?"
It is no surprise that Alltel chose LTE as its 4G technology, since the carrier usually mirrors choices made by Verizon Wireless," says Nadine Manjaro, senior analyst at ABI Research.
"Alltel's choice of LTE will help to ensure greater rural coverage for small and mid-sized cities in the United States and Canada since the carrier already has data roaming agreements in place. This will complement other mobile operators' initial LTE buildouts in major urban areas. Alltel's choice of LTE also confirms ABI Research's recent pessimistic assessment of UMB's future."
Alltel's realistic timing for its LTE buildout is dictated by both financial constraints and LTE's level of maturity. The company's timetable for significant rollouts fits with others' deployments."This announcement provides a clear picture as to what network coverage will look like in North America in the long term," adds principal analyst Philip Solis. "
For the next five years we will see 802.16e mobile WiMAX pick up steam, with LTE right behind it. In five to ten years, LTE will surpass mobile WiMAX in subscribers, and IMT-Advanced-compliant networks will arise from upgrades to 802.16m mobile WiMAX and LTE-Advanced.
Mobile WiMAX will remain a competitive secondary air interface, but LTE will be the primary 4G network technology since all the top carriers in the United States except Sprint are supporting it. The more granular near-term picture of how 4G will play out is critical for all companies across the mobile wireless ecosystem which need to start planning for chipsets, devices, network equipment, and services."
ABI Research's upcoming report, "Long Term Evolution (LTE)" will offer comprehensive coverage of LTE and related issues and opportunities. It lays out the LTE timeline, operators' strategies, and migration plans, providing in-depth analysis of key technologies and their patent holders. It will also address security issues, and will include comprehensive market forecasts. [ABI Research]
Everyone Is Talking About Mobile Social Networking
Big opportunities. Big challenges.
eMarketer forecasts that mobile social networking will grow from 82 million users in 2007 to over 800 million worldwide by 2012.
"This population will comprise current online social networkers who are extending their digital lives to mobile as well as a growing number of mobile-only social networkers," said John du Pre Gauntt, eMarketer senior analyst and co-author of the new report, Mobile Social Networks. "Early reports suggest strong user demand for mobile social networks."
For example, MySpace recorded over 7 million unique visitors to MySpace Mobile in the US in the six months since launch. "It wasn't until we rolled out m.myspace.com that we got a sense of how powerful demand was for MySpace on cell phones," Brandon Lucas, senior director of mobile business development for MySpace, told eMarketer.
Read more - eMarketer
Mobile Social Networking Tops 4 Million Users in U.S.
More than 4 million U.S. wireless subscribers--1.6 percent of the total U.S. mobile consumer population--now access social networks via mobile device, according to a new study released by media research firm The Nielsen Company.
Nielsen finds the U.K. leads Europe in mobile social networking percentage, with 1.7 percent of British mobile subscribers (roughly 810,000 of all subs) visiting social communities during the first quarter of 2008. By comparison, only 0.8 percent of Spanish wireless subs (291,000 consumers) access social networks via the mobile web, followed by Italy at 0.6 percent (293,000 subscribers), France at 0.6 percent (255,000 subs) and Germany at just 0.2 percent (141,000 subs).
Nielsen adds that in the U.S., MySpace.com is the most popular mobile social networking site, logging 2.8 million unique mobile users in December 2007 while rival Facebook enjoyed 1.8 million unique mobile visitors.
However, in the U.K., Facebook leads all mobile social networking sites with 557,000 unique mobile users per month in the first quarter, followed by MySpace with 211,000 unique mobile users. Facebook and MySpace.com dominated most other European markets as well, although MSN's Windows Live Spaces led in Italy with 154,000 unique mobile users per month. [FierceWireless]
Sprint Expands Partnership With Google
Sprint announced a partnership with Google that promises to more deeply integrate the web services giant's applications into the mobile user experience. Per terms of the agreement, Google becomes Sprint's default mobile search provider--a search box enabling one-click access to Google search will also debut on select new devices shipping later this year.
New Sprint handsets and some existing smartphones will also feature the Google Maps for Mobile application, with location-enabled search and maps also on tap. In addition, Sprint will enable more efficient mobile access to Google-owned user-generated video site YouTube. The two firms said new mobile experiences and applications will follow.
Today's announcement is by no means the only headline pairing Sprint and Google. The operator is teaming with Clearwire on a $12 billion nationwide mobile WiMAX network backed by $3.2 billion in investments from Google as well as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Intel and Bright House Networks. Beyond giving embattled Sprint a huge boost in its battle with rivals AT&T and Verizon Wireless, the deal promises Google and the two cable operators significant input in determining the direction of mobile web access. [FierceMobileContent]
Mobile WiMAX to Level the Asia-Pacific Playing Field
While most Asia-Pacific countries are still processing spectrum bidding, manufacturers and application vendors are aggressively entering mobile WiMAX markets. As the market for mobile WiMAX expands, manufacturers are targeting new customer segments, and there will be a correspondingly huge opportunity in APAC regions.
“Because mobile WiMAX is aimed at untapped markets, almost all vendors including start-ups could be on equal footing with the larger, more established players,” says ABI Research senior analyst Andy Bae. “They will find significant opportunities in APAC.”
South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and New Zealand have entered into the mobile WiMAX kickoff phase by completing the spectrum bidding process. Japan’s WBP consortium intends to invest huge resources with a clear vision and service structure aimed at providing nationwide mobile WiMAX services.
”Mobile WiMAX is an ideal service format for developing countries in APAC to solve the ‘digital gap’ in rural areas,” Bae continues. “Further, operators in developed countries could deploy data-centric services with a cost-effective investment.”
Mobile WiMAX services will differ depending on penetration rates, service requirements, and government regulations.
While deploying commercial WiMAX services, operators such as Korea Telecom are crafting WiBro strategies for terminal types, tariff plans, and competition with HSDPA, strategies that might have implications for other regions.
South Korean vendors are starting to roll out WiMAX-equipped consumer digital devices such as game devices and portable media players. Consumer electronics will be the leading sector for shipments due to user demands such as UGC (User Generated Content). [ABI Research]
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