Asia - Europe Business

Fourth French 3G License Application

Free Mobile, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iliad Group, filed an application on 28 October 2009 with ARCEP for the allocation of the fourth 3G mobile telecommunication licence in France.

 

Iliad Group wishes to be granted a mobile telecommunication licence to speed up the expansion of mobile multimedia technologies and meet strong consumer demand for more user-friendly, cheaper and more innovative offerings.

 

If selected, the Free Mobile project will give a boost to the French mobile technology market: it will trigger significant capital expenditure in France from 2010 and lead to significant job creation.

 

Lisa

Mobile payments -- going places

Telecom Italia and Starbucks have grabbed the headlines over recent days. Starting in 2010, Telecom Italia customers will be able to use their mobiles equipped with new SIM cards to buy tickets for public transport and trains, pay for parking, purchase ski passes, and other transactions via an app from their mobiles. 

 

Lisa

Orange France Launches 3G HSDPA Services

Orange France has launched the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) services in Toulouse and Bordeaux, using Nokia's HSDPA solution. Orange will be able to operate its network more cost-efficiently with the Nokia solution, and offer its customers faster data services and an enhanced service experience.

"HSDPA will offer significant speed and efficiency benefits to us and our customers. We are delighted with the excellent performance of Nokia's HSDPA solution, which supports us in bringing mobile broadband services to the market," says Nicolas Roy, Technical Director, Orange France.

In addition to WCDMA 3G and HSDPA infrastructure, Nokia has provided Orange with radio optimization services for optimal HSDPA experience.

"We are extremely pleased to further contribute to Orange's expansion to mobile broadband services," says Damien Santé, Account Director, Networks, Nokia. "We believe that HSDPA will be yet another improvement to the experience of Orange mobile users, not only in terms of higher bit rates, but also because of a better latency, enhanced usability of current applications and enabling new types of real-time applications, in particular in the enterprise sector. This means, for example, that a typical music song can be downloaded in 20 seconds with HSDPA, while it would last a bit less than two minutes with WCDMA."

In WCDMA 3G, Nokia has 63 customers to date. High-performing Nokia HSPA is a simple software upgrade to Nokia WCDMA networks, thus enabling a fast, cost-effective rollout. Nokia HSPA is made up of two key technologies, HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access), enabling true mobile broadband with breakthrough data speeds up to 14.4 Mbps in the downlink and up to 5.8 Mbps in the uplink.

Nokia HSDPA offers almost 10-times faster data services than current 3G networks, generating an enhanced service experience. Nokia is a leader in the HSDPA market, with a large number of HSDPA contracts. Many network operators have already opened their HSDPA networks with the Nokia solution.

Lisa

Bouygues Telecom Moves to 3G Mobile

Bouygues Telecom has selected Nortel as one of its suppliers for its national high-speed mobile internet and voice network. The advanced UMTS network, based on Nortel HSDPA technology, is being designed to provide customers in France with services such as high-quality live TV, high definition video on demand, MP3 streaming and multi-user mobile gaming when it goes live in early 2007. The new 5-year contract stipulates that Nortel is responsible for rolling out the network in 4 out of 6 of Bouygues Telecom's operational regions in France; including the Western, South Western, Northeastern and Mediterranean regions.

"We have strong ties with Bouygues Telecom, having supplied their network from their first GSM implementation through to our EDGE solutions, and now we will help them take the important next step to 3.5G," said Michel Clement, president of Southern Europe, Nortel. "Nortel's HSDPA technology allows mobile operators to provide new real-time services that increase the end-user's experience and helps build customer loyalty."

Nortel is currently a key supplier of Bouygues' EDGE and GPRS networks. The current infrastructure provides Bouygues Telecom with the appropriate foundation for the new network upgrade. It utilizes bandwidth more efficiently, which means it can relay cost-saving advantages to customers.

Nortel's HSDPA solution can provide connectivity at speeds up to 7.2 Mbps. The company achieved the industry's first HSDPA mobile call in January 2005. Nortel completed the first live test calls using a commercial handset solution for HSDPA in March 2005. In June 2005, Nortel became the first wireless network supplier to complete the TL9000 registration standard for Quality Management System Requirements and Measurements across its HSDPA, UMTS and GSM wireless infrastructure solutions.

In addition to Bouygues Telecom, Nortel has worked with a number of wireless operators on HSDPA deployments, including Orange France, Vodafone Spain in Barcelona (during 3GSM World Congress in February 2006), EDGE Wireless in the US, SKT and KTF in Korea, Partner Communications in Israel, and Mobilkom Austria.

Lisa

Hutchison 3G Austria To Fire Up 3G HSDPA

The Austrian mobile carrier Hutchison 3G (3), which is headquartered in Vienna, is relying on state-of-the-art technology from Siemens to build out its existing W-CDMA network. The carrier currently provides coverage for around 98 percent of Austria's population and offers W-CDMA services to around 50% of the country. By the end of 2007, plans call for some 95 percent of the country to benefit from the advantages of high-speed data access (HSDPA) technology - high throughput and transfer rates. The agreement between Siemens and 3 is based on a turnkey contract comprising supply of the W-CDMA technology and a Managed Services package. The order is worth an amount in the multi-digit millions.

Hutchison 3G is expanding its W-CDMA network in Austria and at the same time integrating today's fastest transport technology for wireless networks. High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is a method that speeds up data transmission in W-CDMA networks by eight to sixteen times. The transfer rates are between 2.4 and 7.2 megabits a second, with a theoretical maximum of 14.4 megabits a second. Networks equipped with this data accelerator offer major benefits to subscribers, who can dial into the Internet using their mobile phone or other mobile end device and use broadband multimedia services such as Mobile TV on the road. Long waiting times are a thing of the past thanks to HSDPA.

"There's nothing faster or better at present: HSDPA is the accelerator for W-CDMA networks and vital to ensuring that the latest broadband applications run smoothly. A key distinguishing feature of our solution is the fact that a software upgrade is enough to implement it in the network," said Christoph Caselitz, President of Mobile Networks at Siemens Communications.

A Managed Services package is part of the agreement. Siemens will plan, set up and partially operate its customer's network. The network operation service comprises network management and monitoring as well as maintenance work. Daniel Rui-Felicio, head of Carrier Service at Siemens Communications, sees a global trend: "More and more operators are putting the operation of their networks in our hands. They are doing that for two main reasons: They can keep their eyes focused more closely on their core business, and they know exactly what costs they can expect in the long term."

Hutchison 3G is the first carrier to sign a Managed Services agreement with Siemens in Austria. Competitors are also to be able to access the network. "Unlike some competitors, as a pure 3G company we want to provide a genuine full-coverage W-CDMA network. We are convinced that an open W-CDMA platform for rural regions will be a great asset in the future and a benefit to the Austrian economy," commented Berthold Thoma, 3's CEO.

Lisa

Nokia Powers SFR's HSDPA Network in France

French operator SFR has launched its High Speed Data Packet Access (HSDPA) network in Paris and Southern France. Nokia's HSDPA solution allows SFR to operate its network more cost-efficiently and offer its customers data services at speeds of up to four times faster than current 3G speeds.

"We are committed to introducing broadband mobile data services to our customers. They will benefit from download data speeds up to 4 times faster than current speeds available, offering for the first time a mobile experience similar to current standard DSL rates. Streaming video is a superb example of the benefits that HSDPA will bring to consumers. Already last year we demonstrated HSDPA services such as high speed streaming video, music download and business applications together with Nokia, and now the service is available to our customers," says Paul Corbel, Chief Technical Officer, SFR. "We are very satisfied with Nokia's HSDPA solution and their support in enabling us to launch our HSDPA service in Paris and Southern France".

"The Nokia HSDPA solution enables SFR to leverage their new mobile data opportunities and deliver exciting high-speed services to their customers, says Olivier de Percin, Account Director, Networks, Nokia. "HSDPA users can clearly see how much faster the mobile data services, such as streaming video, are and how good the quality really is. Together with the new HSDPA Nseries devices, this HSDPA solution will bring to the mobile internet what PCs and broadband brought to the fixed internet and will widely enhance the consumer's experiences in multimedia."

Nokia has delivered the HSDPA solution to SFR as part of a radio network contract extended in May 2006. Nokia uses it's unique, multivendor Nokia NetAct(TM) network to ensure the quality of service for HSDPA and has provided managed services, consulting and integration services from its business solutions portfolio.

In WCDMA 3G, Nokia has 59 customers to date. Nokia's high-performing HSDPA is a simple software upgrade to Nokia WCDMA networks, thus enabling cost-effective and fast rollout. In the first phase, Nokia HSDPA offers up to four times faster data services than current 3G, and consequently enhanced quality of service experience. Nokia is a leader in the HSDPA market, with over 20 contracts globally.

Lisa

Big Barriers to the Adoption of Mobile Value-Added Services

Yankee Group announced the results of its 2006 European Mobile Multimedia Survey, a comprehensive examination of European mobile multimedia trends providing valuable insight into current consumer behavior. Some of the major highlights include:

• User demand for mobile TV is modest. Only 11% of respondents said they are very interested in the service. Once confronted with the reality of how much the TV service is likely to cost (i.e., €15 or US $19 per month), 85% of respondents said they are less interested in the service.

• Full-track music downloads continue to dominate the headlines, while in reality user interest remains low. Only 5% of respondents are prepared to pay more than a 20% premium for full-track downloads. However, the typical premium today is 100%. Alternative music-related services are more interesting to the user and more likely to generate revenue in the short term.

• The industry must do more to convince users that browsing and downloading is safe and affordable. Almost 40% of respondents said fears over price dissuade them from downloading more ringtones.

However, mobile operators are overcoming the technical barriers to delivering many of their services. Picture messaging—which in the pastwas dogged by unreliability and poor ease-of-use—seems to have solved those problems. Respondents’ main barriers to using picture messaging are price and no need to send picture.

"The survey results illustrate that mobile operators have some pretty substantial barriers to overcome to drive growth in value-added services," said Matt Hatton, Yankee Group Wireless/Mobile Europe senior analyst. "Operators are pinning their hopes on advanced applications such as music and TV to drive revenue growth, but they still have a lot of technical, pricing and marketing issues to overcome to drive adoption. They’ll get there, but maybe not through the services they think."

This survey enables service providers, device manufacturers, content providers and infrastructure vendors to understand the status of mobile multimedia services in Europe today, and to identify the barriers limiting consumer adoption. It analyzes customer opinions about current and forthcoming services such as mobile music (including ringtones, ringback tones and full-track downloads), video/TV, gaming, video telephony, MMS and mobile browsing.

Lisa

Strong Future for Mobile TV

• As many as 50% of mobile users are interested in mobile TV and are prepared to pay on average €10 for ‘all you can eat TV’ - the potential market is huge even when based on conservative uptake

• Video calling is in its infancy with only 6% of the survey sample having used it already, however over 60% of those interviewed expressed both an interest in using the service and a willingness to pay for it

• Mobile advertising is a big turn off for most with over 65% of survey respondents expressing a zero tolerance attitude to what many consider to be spam, or advertising that you have pay for when ‘snacking’ on TV

A new report, ‘New Mobile Services - Europe 2006’, from Portio Research, the result of an extensive survey of European mobile phone users in early 2006, gives a resounding ‘thumbs up’ for Mobile TV. Significantly over 50% of those interviewed were interested in Mobile TV and were prepared to pay for it, at an average price of €10 Euro per month.

It is clear that mobile TV will create a market for more TV viewing in addition to that at home, delivering the notion of ‘TV snacking’ whilst on the move. News and weather for professionals commuting to work, celebrity gossip and game show updates for the young professional and music videos for teenage fans. Sports aficionados also appear to be keen to grab the latest action whenever they can. All the evidence suggests that even at conservative estimates the market potential is huge.

Video calling whilst still in its infancy obviously holds an attraction for many users particularly the teen market 85% of whom expressed a desire to use video calling in the future. Interestingly pre-paid subscribers were willing to pay more than post paid subscribers per call. Once again the research indicates a very attractive market with the potential for perhaps as many as 400 million Europeans using the service.

One of the most interesting findings of the survey is consumer attitudes to mobile advertising, with over 65% of those questioned expressing zero tolerance to what many consider to be an unwelcome intrusion into their mobile world. As well as being likened to e-mail spam, advertising was considered particularly unacceptable if it intruded on paid for time watching mobile TV.

The survey undertaken by Portio and encapsulated in this report provides many different insights into mobile user attitudes and trends across all major European markets. Italy and Spain for example turn out to be the mobile content hotspots whilst users in Denmark, France and Russia prefer to use content and services pre-installed on their phones. Men continue to prefer buying online while women prefer to go shopping for real. There is plenty of good news in this report for Mobile Network Operators and others in the VAS value chain, but there are also many caveats and recommendations for action, which they would be wise to heed.

Lisa 

3G Operator 3 Launches New Advertising Campaign

Mobile media company 3 launches a new integrated brand campaign this week, with the next in the series of its “West meets East” creative treatments. The campaign by WCRS takes the 3 brand to the next level of development – communicating 3’s propositions to a broad audience as the new standard for mobile communications.

Silk is the first in a series of ads focusing on 3’s core areas of communication, entertainment and information and will promote mobile TV, music and the internet as services that mobile users expect to get as standard on their phones.

Silk underlines the strength of 3's communication proposition. With the most advanced 3G network in the UK, 3 offers customers hours, rather than minutes of talk-time as standard.

Silk has a “50s Americana” feel, refreshing 3’s advertising theme with a flexible creative device that works through the line. The ad sees two lovers entwined in a stream of silk that binds them together on their separate journeys – emphasising the communication strand of 3’s strategy.

Silk first aired on terrestrial and satellite channels on May 1st. Production is by Traktor and media buying by Mindshare. The TV work will be supported by extensive outdoor, online and in-store activity.

You have seen this ? Please tell me...

Lisa

The Killer Application for 3G

The killer application for 3G is not about downloading content, it is about uploading content.

Every mobile phone operation which offers 3G is talking about how fast one can download content with their 3G connection.

The 3G mobile phone can do more than downloading and playing the downloading content.

It has a video photo camera mobile phone which allows users to take videos and photos of wherever they are, whenever they want to, as long the mobile phone doesn’t run out of batteries.

Hence, let users take photos and videos and let them upload the content to a community server, hosted by the mobile phone operator.

Thus, instead of the mobile phone operator looking for that killer application or content, let the users be the one providing the content.

The mobile phone is more than able to do this.

The moblog (mobile blogging) site at www.moblog.com.sg by Singtel is an example of how such upload approach has made MMS popular with users.

Singtel should also start looking at letting users upload videos recorded from the mobile phone and share it within the community.

Look at blogging, its about uploading.

Look at YouTube, its about uploading.

The next Internet generation will be the upload generation.

The mobile operators have to be really open with their 3G standards as it is hard to really find what upload speeds do 3G provide

Given the current Internet bandwidth themediaslut gets in Singapore, upload bandwidth is usually 3 times slower than download speeds.

It could be the same for 3G and thus the mobile operators should be looking at increasing 3G upload speeds too.

The optimum would be a 1:1 ratio of upload and download speeds.

The cost of creating such a server with storage space will definitely be negligible compared to the revenue earned from 3G subscribers.

Furthermore, the mobile phone operators could work with the big Internet players like MSN or Yahoo or Google to co-promote such uploading activities.

For example, what if Starhub worked with MSN Space to enable 3G subscribers to upload their .3gp movies on MSN space.

After uploading the content into Space, the 3G subscriber might instantly want to connect to MSN messenger and tell friends that a new video has been uploaded, though MSN Messenger immediately updates contacts of new content on Spaces. 

Now, the mobile phone operators will have people actually wanting to use 3G.

Lisa