Mobile Serviceswatch, issue 2008.05-06
23 June 2008
Tata Teleservices extended availability of its BREW offerings to its Virgin Mobile India subscribers, opening services to the youth market. Yahoo! announced a set of APAC operator partnerships, covering advertising and search services. Singapore’s StarHub launched location-based advertising services, enabling promotional SMS messages to be sent to subscribers within defined zones. [pp.14,15.]
Issue: 2008.05-06
Covering: 21 April to 23 June 2008
Published: June 2008
Next issue: July 2008
Latest trends in monetising operator-centric mobile value-added services. A unique monthly report for the industry.
SUMMARY
CONSUMER: 3 Italy is set to offer ad-funded DVB-H services, introducing a new business model into the European market. Orange France was assigned DVB-H frequencies, while mobilkom Austria inked a deal enabling it to offer mobile broadcast products; and Swisscom launched DVB-H services. In the US, AT&T finally launched its FLO-powered offerings. [pp.3,4,5.]
Singapore’s StarHub is trialling NTT DoCoMo’s Osaifu Keitai mobile wallet services, following a previous NFC pilot. Etisalat is testing NFC in the United Arab Emirates. Telefónica is to offer mobile banking services to customers in Latin America, although details were scarce. [pp.7,8.]
SingTel announced a new mobile multimedia service called mio TV on Mobile, offering an improved user experience. Orange France debuted a subscription music service, with an all-you-can-eat model that looks too good to be true. [pp.9,10.]
Orange Group and T-Mobile International were named as Nokia’s latest Ovi partners, joining the roster of tier-one operator groups supporting the services. Vodafone UK dropped its monthly mobile internet charges for new contract customers, sparking speculation as to what prompted its change of heart. On the other side of the Atlantic, Sprint named Google as its search partner of choice. [pp.11,13,12,14.]
Tata Teleservices extended availability of its BREW offerings to its Virgin Mobile India subscribers, opening services to the youth market. Yahoo! announced a set of APAC operator partnerships, covering advertising and search services. Singapore’s StarHub launched location-based advertising services, enabling promotional SMS messages to be sent to subscribers within defined zones. [pp.14,15.]
ENTERPRISE: Verizon Wireless introduced a mobile email offering targeting enterprise users with mass-market devices, while O2 UK launched managed email services for large enterprises. UAE operator Etisalat announced a subscription navigation service for BlackBerry devices. [pp.17,18.]
O2 UK launched an enterprise application programme, intended to meet the needs of corporate customers with “innovative and bespoke” solutions. AT&T partnered with software company Pyxis Mobile to target the financial services sector. [pp.18,19.]
INDUSTRY: AT&T settled a lawsuit concerning the activities of third-party content partners, raising questions for other US operators facing similar suits. Vodafone Group acquired mobile social-networking company ZYB, which offers services based on contacts in a subscriber’s mobile phone. UK advertising-funded MVNO Blyk trumpeted reaching the 100,000 subscriber milestone, six months ahead of target. [pp.20,21.]
Norwegian operator Telenor partnered with finance house DnB NOR to create an m-commerce-enabling venture, focusing on behind-the-scenes functions. Middle East-based operator group Orascom Telecom made an investment in mobile marketing company MyScreen, also naming the company as an exclusive partner. Telenor’s More Mobile Relations acquired 12snap-Lokomobil, rounding out the Nordic mobile marketing company through the addition of a Swedish presence. [pp.22,21,24.]
Sprint announced a deal to combine its WiMAX business with that of rival Clearwire, being joined by investors including Intel, Google, and a portfolio of cable companies. Google was also named as a “preferred provider” to the new Clearwire, gaining another channel to deliver advertising to subscribers. [pp.23-24.]
The Mobile Marketing Association published global advertising guidelines, following earlier availability of regional specifications. The Mobile Entertainment Forum announced an international social-networking effort, establishing several regional groups to explore this market. [pp.28.]
Releasing UHF television spectrum for mobile use could generate “at least $148bn” for the European economy, according to a report from Spectrum Value Partners, which was commissioned by Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone, among others. [p.29.]
ENABLERS: Research In Motion was reportedly close to resolving its issues with the Indian authorities, as the Irish government cooled toward BlackBerry services. In line with its BREW 2008 developer conference, Qualcomm announced its Plaza widget framework for mobile devices. Nokia launched its Advertising Alliance, intended to bring together various marketing product and service companies with advertisers. [pp.34,35,38.]
Sony BMG signed up to support Nokia’s Comes With Music device and content bundles, as there was continued debate over the business model behind the offering. Nokia continued the rollout of its Music Store, with debuts in Australia, France, Singapore, and Sweden. [pp.33,41.]
Telkomsel launched pre-paid BlackBerry services in Indonesia, moving the technology into a new market segment. Motorola updated its Good 6.0 mobile data platform. [pp.36,38-39.]
Microsoft added advertising support to its Windows Live mobile services, initially delivering display advertisements in four markets. Research In Motion partnered with Microsoft to integrate Windows Live services with the BlackBerry platform, while, on the enterprise front, RIM announced new efforts with IBM. [pp.41,37.]
France’s SFR looks likely to lead the market with regard to femtocell deployments, although it has remained muted on its plans. Telecom Italia, Huawei, and Qualcomm completed what was claimed to be Europe’s first MBMS field trial, stating the technology delivered better-than-expected results. Tata Teleservices picked Qualcomm and TeleCommunication Systems to supply an A-GPS platform. [pp.43,45.]
TRENDS: The mobile media market will double in value to $102bn by 2012, according to a report from analyst house Strategy Analytics, driven by a sharp increase in user numbers. The global market for Web 2.0 applications will be worth $22.4bn in 2013, according to Juniper Research. The US ad-funded entertainment industry will be worth $336m in 2013, the Mobile Entertainment Forum said. [pp.47,48]
Social-networking and commerce are driving mobile internet use, according to M:Metrics, with pronounced differences between the most popular sites on different sides of the Atlantic. Banks are set to throw their weight behind mobile commerce services in the coming years, according to a study from messaging services company Sybase 365. [pp.49.]
Presence is key to mobile messaging growth, according to platform company Colibria, building on similar capabilities offered by fixed-IM and social-networking services. Consumers are willing to accept advertisements in return for free mobile email services, according to vendor Critical Path, potentially providing an additional driver for use.[pp.51.]
Local search services will be used by 30% of subscribers by 2013, with ad-supported products key to driving growth, according to Juniper Research. Strong growth was predicted in the US mobile social-networking space, but players need to take a “balanced approach” to avoid overselling the nascent market, Frost & Sullivan said. [pp.54.]
EXTRACT
m-commerce
StarHub partners with DoCoMo for m-commerce trial
Singaporean operator StarHub announced a partnership with Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, to “explore a mobile wallet concept similar to Japan’s renowned Osaifu-Keitai wallet solution, for a near-future implementation in Singapore”.
While near field communication (NFC) technology is a current “hot topic” in mobile operator circles worldwide, in Japan such services are common place, supported by the main mobile operators and backed by a range of finance and commerce partners. The Osaifu-Keitai services are powered by Sony’s FeliCa technology, which has some differences to the NFC implementations elsewhere, and the Singaporean pilot marks the first outing for the technology in international markets.
StarHub has previously trialled the de facto international NFC technology, in partnership with contactless payments provider EZ-Link, and is “in talks with EZ-Link to explore the integration of the ez-link purse in the mobile wallet service”. It was not revealed why it has decided to explore the potential offered by Osaifu-Keitai instead, other than that it hopes the efforts “will help us to rapidly develop a premium infrastructure for contactless services and applications in Singapore, and create a mobile wallet offering that will appeal to our customers”.
” Singapore has the right pieces in place to enable the mobile wallet feature – factors such as high mobile penetration rate, the presence of a powerful contactless payment infrastructure, as well as savvy consumers. We are confident that this strategic collaboration will bring multiple synergies for both companies as well as accelerate the adoption of contactless services and applications in mobile markets globally. “
– Takeshi Natsuno, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director of the Multimedia Services Department, Products & Services Division, at NTT DoCoMo.
[StarHub, 16 June 2008.]
Etisalat to pilot NFC in UAE
Etisalat is to trial near field communication (NFC) technology in its United Arab Emirates (UAE) operations, working in partnership with Emirates Bank and National Bank of Dubai, and describing the effort as “the first of its kind in the MENA [Middle East and North Africa] region to introduce the near field communication technology”.
The service will enable Etisalat subscribers to make small purchases using their mobile phone as an authentication terminal, with payments subsequently debited from a bank account. The joint trial will involve “a select group of customers”, ahead of commercial service launches.
Etisalat has not named its technology partners for the trial, nor has it stated how long its pilot efforts will last before moving onto its commercial launch planning.
[Etisalat, 9 June 2008.]
Telefónica to offer m-banking in Latin America
Telefónica said it is to “bring banking services for the first time to some of the world’s poorest citizens in Latin America”, targeting the “175 million people in the region who have mobile phones but do not currently have banking access”, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank.
The operator group provided little in the way of detail for its plans, other than that it is set to begin rollouts from July 2008.
The initiative was announced by Matthew Key, Chief Executive Officer of Telefónica O2 Europe, at a UN Millennium Development Goals event held in the UK. Apparently, its Latin American strategy has been to encourage mobile service take-up among lower socio-economic groups, which is likely to include the under-banked.
” Building on a number of other major Telefónica initiatives aimed at reducing social and economic exclusion, the project’s principal aim is to improve financial access in Latin American markets by providing an m-banking solution to some of the most vulnerable in society — those groups that do not currently have access to banks or financial services. “ – Matthew Key.
[Telefónica, 6 May 2008.]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 Consumer
2 Operator content deals
3 Broadcast
6 Games;
Location-based services
7 m-commerce
8 Messaging
9 Multimedia
10 Music
11 Portals
16 User-generated content
17 Enterprise
17 Mobile office
18 Solutions
20 Industry
20 Companies
28 Initiatives
29 Markets;
People
30 enablers
30 Operator technology deals
32 Applications
33 Companies
34 Contracts;
Channels
36 Platforms
41 Services
43 Technology
47 Trends
47 Markets
57 INDEX
INDEX
Symbols
3
Australia, 2
Italy, 3
MusicStore, 30
Scandinavia, 31
UK, 20, 30, 49
12snap-Lokomobil, 24
A
Acision, 31, 55
AddictingGames, 2
AdMob, 28
Adobe Systems, 9, 33, 40
AIS, Thailand, 12
Alcatel-Lucent, 30, 43, 44, 45
Alox, 30
Alvarion, 45
Amobee Media Systems, 12
Anam, 31
AOL, 21
Apple, 10, 41
iTunes, 41
ARC Transistance, 41
Artificial Life, 24, 25
Aspiro, 24
AT&T, 2, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 19, 20, 32, 45
MEdia, 32
AxisMobile, 25
B
Bango, 23, 24
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, 23
BASE, Belgium, 8
BBC, 12, 49
Bebo, 12, 20, 21
Berg Insight, 50
Blyk, 21
BMW, 16
Boost Mobile, 12
Bright House Networks, 23, 24
BSkyB, 49
Bubble Motion, 31
Buongiorno, 16, 21
C
Cardinal Venture Capital, 24
ChangingWorlds, 30
China Mobile, 34, 45
Chunghwa Telecom, 2
Cisco Systems, 43
Clearwire, 14, 23, 24
CNN, 5
Colibria, 51
Comcast, 23, 24
Comverse Technology, 31
Consilient, 12
Craigslist.org, 49
Critical Path, 46, 51
CSL, Hong Kong, 15
D
deCarta, 24
Deutsche Telekom, 13
T-Systems, 44
DNB, Norway, 22
dotMobi Advisory Group, 26, 27
du, UAE, 10
E
Eagle River, 23
eBay, 49, 55
EMI, 2, 10
Emirates Bank, 7
Endemol, 29
Ericsson, 12, 29, 44
Essar Communications Holdings, 24
Etisalat, UAE, 7, 8, 18, 26
European Union, 29
EC, 3
Excelcom, Indonesia, 30
EZ-Link, 7
F
Facebook, 8, 12, 16, 21, 49, 51, 55
Far EasTone, 30
Femto Forum, 43
France Telecom, 43
Orange, 2, 4, 10, 11, 13, 20, 21, 22, 25, 28, 29, 43, 46
Frost & Sullivan, 3, 50, 54
G
Garmin International, 18
Gartner, 36
General Wireless, 25
Globe Telecom, Philippines, 31
go2 Media, 2
Google, 11, 12, 14, 21, 23, 26
Google Maps, 14
YouTube, 12, 14
GSM Association, 21, 43
H
Hands-On Mobile, 6, 40
Harris Interactive, 47
HP, 20
HTC, 20, 32
Huawei Technologies, 20, 31, 43
Hyundai, 16
I
IBM, 37, 38
Lotus, 37
Idea Cellular, India, 15
Ikivo, 33
Intel, 23, 43
Inter-American Development Bank, 8
I-play, 32
Ipsos MORI, 52
ITV, 2
J
Jibun Bank Corporation, 23
JLA Ventures, 32
Juniper Research, 48, 54
K
KamberEdelson, 20
KDDI, 12, 23
Chaku Uta Full, 12
Kirusa, 45
KPN, 25
L
LG Electronics, 5, 17
life
), Ukraine, 31
LiveWire Mobile, 30
Loudhouse, 49
Lucasfilm, 2
M
M1, Singapore, 30
Magnolia Group, 16
Neo Network, 16
MasterCard Worldwide, 22
Maxis Communications, 2, 15, 31
mBlox, 28
MEDIA BROADCAST, Austria, 4
MediaCorp, 30
MediaFLO, 5, 38
Microsoft, 10, 17, 20, 25, 32, 33, 37, 38, 41, 49
Direct Push, 17
MSN, 12, 41
Windows Live, 8, 37, 41
Windows Media, 10, 41
Mi-Pay, 34
Miyowa, 31
MMetrics, 49
Mobile Data Association, 29
Mobile Entertainment Forum, 20, 28, 48
Mobile Marketing Association, 20, 28, 29, 41, 53
Mobile TeleSystems, 25
mobilkom, Austria, 2, 4
Mobispine, 25
Mobitween, 6
Mobius Venture Capital, 24
More Mobile Relations, 24
Motorola, 17, 38, 39, 41
Good Technology, 38
Soundbuzz, 41
Motricity, 21, 53
Mowser, 26, 27
MTNL, India, 15
MyScreen, 21
MySpace, 12, 16, 49
N
National Bank of Dubai, 7
Nawras, Oman, 8, 9, 10
NEC, 5, 44
Neosistec, 6
Neuf Cegetel, France, 43
NeuStar, 30, 31
News Corporation
Fox, 2
MySpace, 12, 16, 49
NMS Communications, 23, 31
Nokia, 2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13, 20, 21, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44
Comes With Music, 33
MOSH, 40
Nokia Advertising Alliance, 35
Nokia Media Network, 35, 39, 40
Nokia Music Store, 41, 42
Ovi, 11, 13, 21
SNAP Mobile, 32
WidSets, 39
Nokia Siemens Networks, 31, 44
Nortel, 44, 45
Norwest Venture Partners, 24
NPD Group, 28
NTT DoCoMo, 7, 45
O
Obopay, 24
Omnifone, 23
Openwave Systems, 22
Optus, Australia, 2, 16, 20
Orange Group, 2, 4, 10, 11, 13, 20, 21, 22, 25, 28, 29, 43, 46
France, 4, 10
Musique Max, 10
Orange World, 10
Switzerland, 2
UK, 20, 22
Orascom Telecom, 21
Ovum, 11
P
Palm, 17, 20, 21
Paramount Pictures, 12
Pepsi, 16
PocketGear, 21
PocketNet Technology, 2
Procter & Gamble, 16
Pyxis Mobile, 19
Q
Qtel, Qatar, 11, 41
Qualcomm, 30, 36, 38, 40, 43, 45
BREW, 14, 23, 40
MediaFLO, 5, 38
Plaza, 38, 40
R
RBC Venture Partners, 32
RealNetworks, 30
Regions
Americas, 6, 8, 15, 28, 34, 54, 55
Brazil, 21
Canada, 15, 32, 34
North America, 6, 15, 28, 54, 55
US, 2, 5, 12, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30, 36, 41, 44, 47, 48, 49, 51, 54
APAC, 9, 15, 21, 28, 34, 41, 49, 55
Asia Pacific, 9, 15
Australia, 2, 9, 15, 16, 20, 42, 45
China, 34, 43, 55
Hong Kong, 15
India, 8, 11, 14, 15, 21, 28, 30, 34, 42, 45, 55
Indonesia, 30, 36
Japan, 3, 7, 12, 23, 27, 50
Malaysia, 2, 15, 31
Philippines, 15, 31
Singapore, 6, 7, 8, 9, 30, 31, 42
South-East Asia, 55
South Korea, 3
Taiwan, 2, 15, 30
Thailand, 12
EMEA
Africa, 21, 28, 34
Austria, 2, 4
Belgium, 8, 52
Czech Republic, 31
Denmark, 20, 24, 31
Dubai, 26
Egypt, 16
France, 4, 10, 28, 41, 43, 52
Germany, 3, 10, 41, 44, 51, 52
Greece, 21
Italy, 3, 16, 21, 28, 41, 51, 52
Middle East, 18, 21, 28, 34
Netherlands, 21, 33, 41, 52
Norway, 22, 24, 31
Portugal, 2, 10
Russia, 25
Scandinavia, 31
Spain, 6, 20, 25, 41, 44, 51, 52
Sweden, 24, 31, 42
Switzerland, 2, 5, 25, 31
Turkey, 31
UK, 2, 8, 11, 12, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 36, 41, 49, 51, 52
Ukraine, 25, 31
Remoba, 17, 30
Research In Motion, 17, 20, 22, 32, 34, 36, 37, 52
BlackBerry, 6, 17, 18, 19, 22, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37
Rhythm NewMedia, 20
RMV, Germany, 44
Rocawear, 12
Rogers Wireless, 15
RTP, Portugal, 2
S
Samsung, 2, 5, 17, 20, 23, 43
Sanrio Digital, 2
SAP, 36
Screen Digest, 3
SEGA, 6
SFR, France, 43
SIC Noticias, 2
Siemens, 44
SINA, 34
SingTel, Singapore, 6, 8, 9, 31, 32, 33
SMS Plus, 8, 31
SK Telecom, 30
SMART, Philippines, 15
Sony, 5, 7, 10, 12, 21, 28, 33, 44
Sony Pictures Television, 5
Sony BMG, 28, 33
Sony Ericsson, 10, 12, 21, 44
Spectrum Value Partners, 29
Spice Telecom, India, 8
Sprint, 14, 18, 20, 23, 24, 32, 43
XOHM, 14, 23
StarHub, Singapore, 7, 8, 15, 43
Strategy Analytics, 47
Sun Cellular, 15
Sun Cellular, Philippines, 15
Swisscom, 5, 31
Bluewin TV mobile, 5
Swisscom Broadcast, 5
Sybase, 34, 36, 49
iAnywhere, 36
Sybase 365, 34, 49
Symbian, 17, 41
T
Tata Teleservices, 11, 14, 30, 45
Technology
BREW, 14, 23, 40
DRM, 41
DVB-H, 3, 4, 5, 30, 31, 36
DVB-T, 3
FeliCa, 7
Femtocells, 43
Flash Lite, 6, 9
FLO, 5, 36, 38
GPS, 6, 18, 19, 30, 44, 45
HSPA, 21, 43
IM, 8, 12, 30, 31, 37, 39, 47, 48, 51
IP, 44
Java, 8, 25, 32, 33
LTE, 43, 44, 45
MBMS, 43
MPEG4, 44
NFC, 7, 22, 44, 50
UMA, 43
VoIP, 45
Wi-Fi, 38
WiMAX, 14, 23, 43, 45
Windows Media, 10, 41
TelcoBridges, 30
Tele 2, 31
Telecom Italia, 13, 43
TeleCommunication Systems, 30, 44, 45
Telefonica, 8, 13, 21, 25, 28, 29, 31, 46
O2, 2, 3, 8, 17, 18, 21, 24, 25, 28, 31, 46
O2 Germany, 3
O2 UK, 2, 17, 18, 24
Telenor, 22, 24, 28, 31
More Mobile Relations, 24
TeliaSonera, 25
Telkomsel, Indonesia, 36
Telmap, 46
Telstra, 9, 45
Mobile FOXTEL, 9, 45
TF1, France, 29
Thomson, 32
TIM, 25
Time Warner, 23, 24
T-Mobile International, 2, 3, 11, 12, 13, 15, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28
Germany, 3
T-Mobile Venture Fund, 24
t-zones, 2
UK, 11, 12, 24
USA, 2, 21
Trilogy Equity Partners, 23
TSM Nordic, 22
Turkcell, 28, 31
U
Universal Music, 2, 33
V
Vantrix, 34
Venyon, 44
VeriSign, 56
Verizon Wireless, 2, 5, 6, 9, 17, 20, 28, 30, 40, 45
Mobile Web 2.0, 48
VZ Navigator, 6
Viacom
Nickelodeon, 2
Vibo Telecom, Taiwan, 15
Virgin Mobile, 14
India, 14
Visto, 20
Visual Engineering, 44
Vivendi Universal
Canal + Group, 29
Universal Music, 2, 33
Vodacom, 46
Vodafone Group, 2, 3, 6, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 33, 44, 45, 46
Egypt, 16
Germany, 3, 10
Italy, 16
Netherlands, 33
Portugal, 2, 10
Spain, 6, 20, 44
UK, 12, 15, 24, 25
Vodafone live!, 10, 12
Vodafone Music Manager, 10
Volvo, 39
W
Walt Disney, 49
Warner Bros
Warner Music, 2
Wind, Italy, 21
X
Xora, 18
Y
Yahoo!, 8, 12, 15, 21, 47
Messenger, 8
oneSearch, 15
YouTube, 12, 14
Z
Zed, 23, 28
ZTE, 43
ZYB, 16, 20
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