Mobile Serviceswatch issue 2008.01
22 January 2008
CONSUMER: Yahoo! signed a 16-country mobile internet deal with America Movil, as the internet giant’s oneSearch becomes the operator’s search service of choice. Verizon Wireless revealed that mobile email providers topped its Mobile Web 2.0 destinations, ahead of content and information providers. [pp.11,12.]
Mobile Serviceswatch
Issue: 2008.01
Covering: 11 December 2007 to 14 January 2008
Published: January 2008
Next issue: February 2008
Latest trends in monetising operator-centric mobile services. A unique monthly report for the industry.
CONSUMER: Yahoo! signed a 16-country mobile internet deal with America Movil, as the internet giant’s oneSearch becomes the operator’s search service of choice. Verizon Wireless revealed that mobile email providers topped its Mobile Web 2.0 destinations, ahead of content and information providers. [pp.11,12.]O2 UK revamped its O2 Active portal, in order to provide customers with easier access to mobile internet content. NTT DoCoMo is reported to be mulling an internet services partnership with Google, which would give the latter a boost in the Japanese market. 3 Australia is offering customers free access to certain content, in return for payments by publishers, while its market rival Telstra introduced free browsing services. [pp.13,14.]
AT&T’s FLO mobile broadcast plans were in the spotlight, as the operator appears to be nearing a commercial service launch. T-Mobile Hungary and Vodafone Hungary are trialling DVB-H technology, working with partners Antenna Hungaria and Nokia Siemens Networks, while the satellite member of the technology family, DVB-SH, is being tested by 3 Italy, with RAI and Alcatel-Lucent. Also trialling mobile TV technology is Singapore’s M1, with publisher MediaCorp. [pp.3,4.]
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India published draft mobile TV regulations, stating it will not mandate technology choice, and that both terrestrial and satellite-based platforms will be licensed. The United Arab Emirates is set to issue mobile broadcast permits during 2008, having appointed consultants to advise on the process. [pp.5,6.]
Apple’s widely praised iPhone was criticised for slowing mobile games growth, due to it diverting media-savvy customers from gaming-friendly smartphones. Verizon Wireless named its most popular titles, with old favourite Tetris topping the poll. [pp.7.]
T-Mobile USA came under fire after it appeared to be blocking social networking site Twitter, although it subsequently said this was a technical glitch, rather than policy decision. Helio trumpeted a “comprehensive YouTube experience” for customers, while Sprint is set to debut the new MySpace Mobile site. [pp.16,17.]
French operator Bouygues Telecom is piloting ad-sponsored instant messaging services. In the US, Verizon Wireless launched mobile banking, partnering with QUALCOMM-owned enabler Firethorn Holdings, to provide access to accounts at four banks. [pp.8.]
ENTERPRISE: T-Mobile UK named online retailer eXpansys as its first Premium channel partner, granting early access to products and “enhanced commercial terms”. O2 UK opened an Enterprise Centre of Excellence, to help channel partners target larger companies. Alltel revamped its business website, adding the Alltel Solution Finder to help customers locate enterprise products and services. [pp.18,19.]
INDUSTRY: Vodafone Group and Huawei partnered for the creation of a development centre in Spain, intended to deliver new products and services for group-wide deployment. M-commerce enabler Bango said that UK operators are making gains from opening the mobile web, with Vodafone benefiting most. [pp.20.]
Yahoo! updated its mobile internet play, announcing a new platform intended to help developers get content onto mobile devices, and refreshing its mobile homepage. Sprint named further Xohm partners, with Amdocs set to play a significant mobile internet enabling role. [pp.21-23.25]
Motorola announced its acquisition of Soundbuzz, to bolster its APAC mobile music service efforts. Buongiorno completed its acquisition of iTouch, creating a significant mobile entertainment content player, and Motricity completed its acquisition of InfoSpace’s mobile assets. [pp.24,26.]
The Mobile Marketing Association released its latest Best Practice guidelines for US consumer content services, with major US operators backing the recommendations. A new adult content regime was introduced in Australia, intended to provide common rules for internet and mobile services. [pp.27,28.]
ENABLERS: Research In Motion is facing a new legal action, this time brought by TeleCommunication Systems, claiming mobile email patent infringement. Mobile internet company Bytemobile announced a platform enabling operators to insert ads into off-portal content, generating revenue from wider mobile internet services. [pp.30.]
Further delays were reported for Nokia’s N-Gage mobile game service launch, with the debut pushed back due to unspecified “software glitches”. Microsoft added advertising to its US MSN Mobile portal. [pp.31.]
Vodafone Portugal trumpeted an anti car-jacking solution, using GPS and GSM technology to locate and monitor stolen vehicles. Ericsson and partners continued MBMS interoperability tests, as the technology nears market readiness. Nokia Siemens Networks held further LTE trials, while, in the US, broadcasters are piloting mobile TV-rivalling media platforms. [pp.32,33,34.]
TRENDS: The mobile marketing sector will be worth $24bn by 2013, according to forecasts from ABI Research, as new advertising models become more common. Subscription services will drive demand for mobile music, Juniper Research said. Major football events are driving content consumption in the UK, according to data from M:Metrics. [pp.35,36.]
BROADCAST AT&T’s FLO launch plans in the spotlight It was reported that AT&T will launch its FLO-powered mobile broadcast services “as early as possible in 2008″, with the debut slightly delayed as the operator looks to fine-tune its customer propositions.
Apparently, it will launch with eight channels, offering content from a range of tier-one providers, including CBS Mobile, Fox Mobile, NBC, ESPN, and MTV. Trials are said to be going “very, very well”, and it is looking to ensure the user experience is “absolutely optimal” before commercially debuting products.
Initially, services will be offered in 53 cities, with a combined population of 129 million people. The most likely launch window for products was seen as the Consumer Electronics Show 2008, held during January 2008, although this passed without fanfare.
It was not revealed which handset makers will supply FLO/GSM devices to AT&T, although two will be available at launch — LG Electronics and Samsung seemed the most likely names in the frame. Suppliers of CDMA/FLO terminals to Verizon Wireless include LG, Motorola, and Samsung.
AT&T’s choice of FLO over DVB-H means that the top two operators in the US are backing the QUALCOMM-developed technology over its internationally favoured rival.
[Engadget and mocoNews.net, 19 December 2007; Engadget, 10 January 2008.]
T-Mobile and Vodafone partner in Hungarian DVB-H trial
T-Mobile Hungary and Vodafone Hungary are conducting a trial of DVB-H technology in the country, in partnership with broadcast infrastructure operator Antenna Hungaria, and Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN).
Scheduled to run until the end of January 2008, the pilot will include a technical test and a common “friendly user test”, and follows a trial in spring 2007 conducted by Antenna and T-Mobile. The technical element will see the NSN-supplied DVB-H platform connected to the broadcast network of Antenna and the mobile networks of T-Mobile and Vodafone. The user test will see 200-300 guinea pigs providing data, which can be used to “help fine-tune the business model and identify the commercial service to be launched in the future”.
No timescales were given for the possible launch of end-user services.
[Nokia Siemens Networks, 8 January 2008.]
M1 announces Singaporean consumer DVB-H trial
Singapore operator M1 announced a partnership with MediaCorp to test consumer DVB-H services in the country. Pilots are scheduled to begin in the middle of the year, subject to regulatory approval.
An invitation to tender has been issued to vendors for infrastructure and devices, including for the trial efforts. M1 and MediaCorp, a Singaporean multi-platform media company, signed a mobile television partnership agreement during October 2007, building on previous joint work on 3G multimedia services.
” Mobile TV is an exciting new media that breaks the traditional boundary of broadcast television entertainment by making it conveniently accessible to anyone with a mobile phone. With the DVB-H promise of good audio-visual quality and interesting content from MediaCorp, the premier broadcaster in Singapore and the region, as well as other leading broadcasters, we will deliver a compelling mobile TV experience for our customers. It is this combination of the right technology and content providers that will create a viable mobile TV service. ”
– Neil Montefiore, Chief Executive Officer of M1.
[M1, 10 January 2008.]
3 and partners trial DVB-SH in Italy
3 Italy announced a partnership with Alcatel-Lucent and RAI, the Italian public broadcaster, to trial DVB-SH-powered mobile television services, the first outing in the country for the satellite-based member of the DVB-H family. The pilot is also said to be the first in the world for the technology that blends mobile and broadcast networks.
The first phase of the trial, which will run to March 2008, will validate the capability of the platform to deliver a large number of high-quality channels to users, in various usage conditions, using terrestrial infrastructure equipment. This will be followed by a second phase, where a helicopter will be used to emulate satellite equipment, with a longer-term plan to test in cooperation with a “major satellite operator”.
The work is taking place in Torino, and is being overseen by RAI. The cellular sites of 3 will be used to provide indoor coverage, while the broadcaster’s towers will provide outdoor and in-vehicle capabilities.
According to Alcatel-Lucent, 3 Italy was the first operator in the world to launch commercial DVB-H-based mobile television services, debuting the offerings in June 2006.
” For the first time in the industry, a broadcast mobile TV trial will showcase a network capable to satisfy the service needs of both mobile operators and broadcasters, spanning indoor, outdoor, and in-car mobile TV usage. We are particularly excited by this unique partnership with 3 Italy and RAI that will allow us to demonstrate the advantages for the Italian audience of Alcatel-Lucent’s Unlimited Mobile TV solution based on the DVB-SH standard. ”
– Olivier Coste, Chairman of the Mobile Broadcast activities at Alcatel Lucent.
[Alcatel-Lucent, 14 December 2007.]
Indian regulator releases draft mobile TV guidelines
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the country’s communications watchdog, published draft recommendations for the mobile television market in the country, following earlier consultations that received varying responses from players from the telco and broadcast sectors (Mobile Serviceswatch passim).
The guidelines back the creation of “a new class of mobile television operators using broadcast method”, indicating that, as in other territories, use of platforms such as DMB, DVB-H, and FLO, which require dedicated spectrum, will need separate licences. This will apply even if one of the companies involved already holds a telecoms operator licence.
Significantly, the regulator is not mandating a specific technology, other than that the platforms selected must be digital, and be based on “standards issued by the International Telecommunication Union, Telecom Engineering Centre of India, or any other international standards organisation/body, or any other standardisation organisation/body specified by the government of India”. This means it is not following the example of the European Union, which has all but mandated use of DVB-H, despite strong arguments from proponents of alternative technologies.
In addition, as a way of protecting customers, TRAI also said that licensees should ensure that their technology of choice allows subscribers to migrate to any other company using the same standards without changing handsets. This will mean that proprietary technology extensions intended to lock customers to certain service providers will not be permitted.
Also among the recommendations is that mobile broadcast network operators must share infrastructure with other such service providers, a condition that also applies to state-owned broadcaster (and DVB-H trial participant) Doordarshan. This is an area likely to cause some headaches, as companies will look to use the capital expenditure made in networks to offer a service differentiator, rather than investing in equipment that can then be used at no risk by rivals.
Two types of permit will be issued, for terrestrial and satellite-based systems, with companies only able to hold one type. Satellite services must be made available within one year of licensing, while for terrestrial networks a two-phase approach is permitted, serving at least one city within twelve months, and with all cities in the licensed region with a population of more than one million covered in four years.
The issue of mobile television licences will be through a “closed tender system” on the basis of one-time entry fees quoted by bidders. It did not state how many licences it is proposing, nor the timescale for the licensing process, although permits will be valid for ten years on issue.
The TRAI is now seeking further feedback from interested parties, as part of the ongoing regulatory process.
Multimedia services get green light
The TRAI also confirmed that telecoms operators holding existing licences can offer multimedia services in spectrum already allocated to them, for example over 3G networks, without the need for additional permits.
At least one stakeholder had argued that these companies were using frequencies allocated for voice purposes to offer value-added services, and were therefore in breach of the original licence conditions. The regulator, however, appears to believe that this is not an issue that requires its intervention.
[Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, 3 January 2008.]
Nine million customers using mobile TV in Korea
There were nine million subscribers to S-DMB and T-DMB (satellite and terrestrial) mobile television services in Korea by the end of 2007, according to a report from Telecoms Korea. The country has an estimated population of just under 50 million.
Earlier figures, from November 2007, indicated that free services are more popular than paid-for offerings.
[mocoNews.net and Telecoms Korea, 21 December 2007.]
UAE to license mobile TV by mid-2008 — report
According to reports, the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to issue licences for mobile television services by the middle of 2008, having appointed a consultant to advise on issues and procedures.
It is possible that only one licence will be issued, and it is still unclear as to when services will actually launch commercially. There are currently two mobile operators in the country, du and Etisalat, and some mobile broadcast trials are already underway.
[Xinhua, 3 January 2008.]
2 Consumer
2 Operator content deals
3 Broadcast
7 Games
8 Messaging;
m-commerce
9 Multimedia
10 Music
11 Portals
16 User-generated content
17 Voice services
18 Enterprise
18 Channels;
Platforms
19 Vertical markets
20 Industry
20 Companies
23 Events
27 Initiatives
28 People;
Regulation
29 enablers
29 Operator technology deals
30 Platforms;
Products
31 Services
32 Technology
35 Trends
35 Markets
38 INDEX
Symbols
3 Group, 24
Australia, 14
Italy, 4
Planet 3, 14
UK, 31
A
ABI Research, 35
Acision, 28, 31
Admob, 35
Adobe Systems, 2
Advanced Equities, 26
Alcatel-Lucent, 4, 18, 32
Unlimited Mobile TV, 4
Alltel Wireless, US, 2, 17, 19, 25, 27, 29
Amdocs, 25, 29
America Movil, 11
Claro, Brazil, 29
Antenna Hungaria, 3
AOL, 12
Apple, 7
Artificial Life, 2, 21
Aspiro, 21
Astraware, 20
AT&T, 3, 8, 10, 11, 25, 27, 28
Australian Communications and Media Authority, 28
B
BancorpSouth, 8
Bango, 20, 27
Bankinter, 9
Bharti Airtel, India, 24
BITE
Latvia, 2
Lithuania, 2
Bouygues Telecom, 8, 29
Break.com, 2
Buongiorno, 26
iTouch, 26
Bytemobile, 28, 30
C
Capcom, 7
CBS, 2, 3, 12
CBS Mobile, 2, 3
Cellcom, 29
Clearwire, 25
Colibria, 29
Comverse Technology, 29
D
Doordarshan, India, 5
E
eBay, 22
Electronic Arts, 7
EA Mobile, 7
Elisa, Finland, 29
Embarq, 28
Emitac Mobile Solutions, 18
Era, Poland, 29
Ericsson, 22, 29, 32
Etisalat, UAE, 6, 11, 17
eXpansys, 18
EXPWAY, 30
F
FIFA, 36
FirstBank, 8
France Telecom, 20
Mobinil, 20
Orange, 2, 9, 20
France, 9
Orange World, 9
UK, 2, 9
G
Gameloft, 7
Gartner, 37
Glu Mobile, 7
Google, 13, 21, 35
YouTube, 17
Grameenphone, Bangladesh, 18
Groove Mobile, 31
H
Handmark, 20
Harris Corporation, 34
Helio, US, 10, 17
Huawei Technologies, 20
Hungama Mobile, 27
I
ICO Global Communications, 32
IMIMobile, 27
InfoSpace, 26
INSIDE Contactless, 21
Internet Initiative Japan, 20
ITU, 5
J
Jamster, 27, 29
Juniper Research, 36
K
KPN, 8, 9, 26
BASE, Belgium, 8
L
LG Electronics, 3, 34
M
M1, Singapore, 4, 24
MagiNet, 21
mBlox, 27
McAfee, 25
MediaCorp, 4
Microsoft, 18, 30, 31
MSN, 12, 31
ScreenTonic, 30, 31
Millennial Media, 35
Miyowa, 8, 29
MMetrics, 36
Mobile Content Networks, 29
Mobile Entertainment Forum, 27
Mobile Marketing Association, 27, 31
mobilkom, Austria, 18
Mobitel, 11
MobiTV, 25, 34
Mobix Interactive, 28
Motorola, 3, 21, 24
Motricity, 26
MTN, 18, 29
MySpace, 2, 17, 22
N
Nawras, Oman, 9
NBC, 3
New Enterprise Associates, 26
News Corporation
Fox, 2, 3, 17
MySpace, 2, 17, 22
NFL, 7
NHL, US, 12
Nokia, 3, 21, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35
Enpocket, 35
Intellisync, 29, 30
N-Gage, 31
Ovi, 31
Nokia Siemens Networks, 3, 33, 34
Novarra, 15, 29
NTP, 30
NTT DoCoMo, 13, 15, 20, 21
i-channel, 15
interTouch, 21
O
Oman Arab Bank, 9
Oman Mobile, 18
Omnifone, 36
Open Mobile Alliance, 34
Open Mobile Video Coalition, US, 34
Openwave Systems, 28, 29
Opera Software, 15
Q
QUALCOMM, 3, 8, 23, 32
Firethorn Holdings, 8
MediaFLO, 3
R
RAI, Italy, 4
RealNetworks, 27
WiderThan, 27
Regions
Americas, 7, 11, 27, 32
Brazil, 29
North America, 26, 27, 32, 35, 37
US, 2, 3, 8, 10, 11, 16, 17, 19, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 34
APAC, 24, 27, 37
Asia Pacific, 24, 37
Australia, 14, 24, 28
China, 22, 24, 36
India, 5, 6, 15, 24, 27, 29, 31, 36
Japan, 13, 15, 35, 37
New Zealand, 18, 24
Philippines, 31
Singapore, 4, 20, 24
South Korea, 35
Taiwan, 24
EMEA
Africa, 27
Austria, 18, 30
Belgium, 8
Denmark, 21, 32
Dubai, 11
Egypt, 20
Estonia, 21
Finland, 21, 29
France, 9, 20, 26, 29, 32, 36
Germany, 29, 30, 32, 33, 36
Hungary, 3
Ireland, 10
Israel, 29
Italy, 4, 12
Latvia, 2, 21
Lithuania, 2, 21
Netherlands, 26
Norway, 21
Poland, 29
Portugal, 8, 11, 21
Serbia, 18
South Africa, 29
Spain, 2, 9, 29, 36
Sweden, 21
Switzerland, 30
UK, 2, 8, 9, 13, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 31, 32, 36
Research In Motion, 18, 26, 30
BlackBerry, 18, 26
Rock the Vote, 11
Rohde & Schwarz, 34
S
Samsung, 3, 34
Setanta, 2
Siemens, 3
SingTel, Singapore, 24
Optus, Australia, 24
Sogecable, 2, 9
Sony, 7, 22, 27
Sony Pictures Digital, 7
Sony Pictures Television, 27
Sony Ericsson, 22
Soundbuzz, 24
SpinVox, 17, 29
Sprint, 2, 17, 25, 27, 28
Xohm, 25
Starcut, 31
Streamezzo, 27
Sun Microsystems, 27
SunTrust Banks, 8
Superscape Group, 2
SwapDrive, 25
T
Tata Teleservices, 15, 27, 29
Technology
BREW, 15, 23
DMB, 5, 6, 32
DVB-H, 3, 4, 5, 32, 34
DVB-SH, 4, 32
Flash Lite, 2
FLO, 3, 5, 32, 34
GPS, 17, 32
HSDPA, 20, 33
IM, 8, 29
i-mode, 13
LTE, 33
MBMS, 32, 34
NFC, 21
WCDMA, 33
WiMAX, 25
TeleCommunication Systems, 30, 32
Telecom New Zealand, 18
Telefonica, 11, 20
O2, 8, 13, 19, 20, 28
O2 UK, 8, 13, 19, 28
TeliaSonera, 8
Telma, Madagascar, 18
Telstra, 14, 16
BigPond Mobile, 14
The Learning Possibilities Group, 19
T-Mobile International, 3, 16, 18, 27, 29, 31
Germany, 29
Hungary, 3
UK, 18, 31
USA, 16, 27
TOKYOPOP, 2
TRAI, India, 5, 6
Twitter, 16
TynTec, 20
V
VeriSign
Jamba, 27, 29
Verizon Wireless, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 12, 16, 27
Mobile Web 2.0, 12
V CAST, 2, 3
V CAST Mobile TV, 2, 3
VZ Navigator, 12
Viacom
MTV Networks, 3, 22, 27
Vip, Serbia, 18
Virgin Mobile, 26
UK, 26
Visa International, 21
Vodafone Group, 3, 8, 10, 11, 18, 20, 21, 26, 29, 31, 32
Hungary, 3
Ireland, 10
Portugal, 8, 11, 21, 32
Spain, 20, 29
UK, 20, 31
W
Wachovia, 8
Walt Disney, 27
ESPN, 2, 3, 12
Y
Yahoo!, 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 35
Mail, 12
oneSearch, 11, 23
YouTube, 17
Z
Zong, 30
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