Bharti Airtel appoints Gopal Vittal as Director, Marketing & Communication

By Editor on September 29, 2006 · Leave a Comment

Bharti Airtel, India’s leading mobile services company is appointing Gopal Vittal as Director, Marketing & Communication and Coral Borghesi as Director, Customer Service Delivery who will be part of Airtel Management Board and reporting to Manoj Kohli, the president of the company.

Gopal Vittal will play a key role in leading Airtel`s marketing and brand initiatives. His focus will be to sustain and enhance the organization`s positioning among its customers and key stakeholders.

Carol Borghesi will drive Bharti Airtel`s vision of becoming the most admired brand by the year 2010 through outstanding customer service delivery systems.

Gopal Vittal started his career with Unilever India and has 16 years of experience in marketing and sales. During his career with Unilever, he was responsible for conceptualizing, leading, piloting and rolling out Unilever’s largest rural marketing initiative, Project Bharat.

Carol Borghesi was the managing director of 21st Century Customer Experience, a division of 21C. She has extensive experience in telecom, retail and technology domains. She has set an example as a leader in United Kingdom and Europe, managing and transforming the customer service and customer related operations domain.

Manoj Kohli, President Bharti Airtel said, “Customer service excellence and innovation are two strategic pillars on which rests our vision of becoming the most admired brand in India by 2010. I am confident that Gopal and Carol`s rich experience will take our brand to a new high by setting new industry benchmarks“.

Source- http://www.myiris.com

Technorati : Bharti Airtel, India, Mobile
Ice Rocket : Bharti Airtel, India, Mobile

Filed under Mobile · Tagged with India, Unilever, United Kingdom

Bluetooth headsets never looked so good: Sony Ericsson HBH-IV835

By Editor on September 29, 2006 · Leave a Comment

Carrying a superslim wireless phone like a RAZR or Blade doesn’t look so hot if your Bluetooth headset is big and clunky.

Sony Ericsson’s new HBH-IV835 keeps your sexy phone looking sexy. It’s glossy black and silver casing complements its sleek, slim profile. It also fits in your ear, rather than hanging on with an annoying hook, which makes taking it on and off much easier.

The IV835 also features the latest technology: Bluetooth 2.0, Digital Signal Processing to filter out unwanted background noise, automatic volume adjustment to make calls come through loud and clear, and auto-pairing to get you up and running fast.

Source- http://www.popgadget.net

Technorati : Bluetooth, Ericsson, Handset, Mobile, Sony
Ice Rocket : Bluetooth, Ericsson, Handset, Mobile, Sony

Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Bluetooth 2.0

Mobile Advertising Worth $10 Billion By 2010

By AJ on September 28, 2006 · Leave a Comment

For marketers, mobile marketing and advertising has great promise – it combines the wide reach of television with the precision of direct marketing and the tracking potential of the Internet. Mobile marketing campaigns using SMS, and more recently MMS, have already helped to open up the eyes of the media world to the power of the mobile channel. Interactive TV and radio, product promotions using coupons and competitions, even charitable giving, have exploited this medium. But things are set to change as Internet style advertising, in the shape of display advertising (banner ads) and search, and even TV-style advertising, come to mobile.Consequently, the opportunities for marketers to reach and engage with consumers through this medium will expand even further.

Now, more than ever, marketers are looking for alternative ways to reach customers. Traditional channels for advertising, like TV, radio and print, are becoming less effective because consumers now consume information and entertainment very differently than in the past, due largely to the digitization of content and the increasing ease of access to the Internet. This is especially true of the highly coveted “youth” demographic – the 18 to 34 year olds with high disposable income, high brand awareness, and short attention spans.

According to a new study published by The Shosteck Group, mobile marketing and advertising could be an important driver of growth for mobile operators too. This would be due to its strong influence on the future development of the mobile Internet and the subsequent growth in demand for mobile content.

“Without a robust mobile marketing and advertising market, the prospects for the mobile Internet and in particular, mobile content – a potentially significant source of revenue for mobile operators – will be limited,” according to Jane Zweig, Chief Executive of The Shosteck Group, an international telecommunications consultancy based in Silver Spring, Maryland (USA). “A robust mobile advertising market could subsidize many mobile services (as advertising supports many TV and online services today), encouraging take-up and usage of mobile Internet services such as games, music, video and even TV. It should also attract important content providers.”

The firm analyzes this emerging market in its most recent study, and concludes that there is potential for this market to grow rapidly over the next five years. The study predicts that under the most optimistic scenario, the global market could grow to US$9.6 billion by 2010. However, the study demonstrates that the market may not generate huge revenues directly for mobile operators – less than US$2 billion by 2010 – but could facilitate the development of a much healthier mobile Internet, from which mobile operators can benefit.

“We believe that mobile advertising will be a necessary driver for the development and commercialization of the mobile Internet, just as online advertising has been for the ‘fixed’ Internet to-date,” said John Darnbrough, Senior Associate of The Shosteck Group. “It is our view that the two – mobile advertising and mobile content – are inextricably linked. The success of one will enable the success of the other and vice versa,” he continued.

But, the study argues, mobile operators must act now to ensure that the mobile marketing and advertising market prospers, and that they can fully exploit the opportunities it affords them. It warns that the robust and profitable development of this market will only be possible if the major players – operators, handset vendors, content providers, advertisers and Internet portals – collaborate effectively. It also predicts that the extent of this collaboration may be limited, as the motivations and objectives of some of the key players will inevitably conflict.

“Given the immaturity of this market, the fickleness and impatience of consumers, and the complexities and politics of the telecoms industry, we believe the next two years will be critical as other technology and market trends could prove to be barriers to the anticipated growth of this market,” said Mr. Darnbrough. “For example, a damaging consumer backlash against intrusive and unsolicited mobile marketing could occur if over zealous marketers fail to respect consumers’ right to privacy and inundate them with unwanted and irrelevant mobile marketing messages.”

The study concludes with concrete action items and recommendations for how mobile operators might profit from the emerging mobile advertising model. Additionally, it provides warnings for those along the value chain, that significant commitments and investments by major brands might not materialize, due to uncertainty regarding timing of key technology developments, such as the availability of ubiquitous, low cost and high speed mobile access; mobile broadcast TV; alternative DRM; and mobile payment systems.

“For sure, the hype is building but the mobile advertising market is still in its very early stages. There is little consensus on how long it might take for the market to reach the ‘tipping point,’ i.e. when, and indeed if, it reaches critical mass to become a mainstream mobile market in its own right,” said Ms Zweig. “The rewards are there but the question remains as to who benefits from them.”

Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Banner Ads, Marketing Campaigns, mobile channel, Mobile Internet Service, Mobile Internet Services, Mobile Marketing Campaign, Mobile Marketing Campaigns, Mobile payment, Mobile Payment System, Mobile Payment Systems, Online Services, Shosteck Group, USA

Marketization of telecom tariff is accelerating

By Editor on September 28, 2006 · Leave a Comment

The price war of telecom tariffs in China becomes increasingly intense. Taking Shanghai as an example, based on four-tier “GoTone 50″ tariff packages (12.5 cents per minute within the package), Shanghai Mobile has cut roaming tariff for calls to Hong Kong considerably with a highest discount of 70% since September. Shanghai Telecom also reduced phone bar tariff to 20 cents per minute for domestic long distance calls recently. Before this, Guangdong Mobile squeezed GoTone tariff and Guangdong Unicom was immersed in the tempest of “taking the lead in unilateral charge”, which aroused the expectation of consumers in this regard. Beijing Mobile, Beijing Unicom and Beijing Netcom started to downgrade tariff by way of tariff packages successively.

Tariff cut is the general trend and it represents the beginning of a new round competition in domestic telecom market, experts said, “in the near future, telecom operators will have a more drastic move.”

With the deepening of telecom tariff reform and marketization in China, domestic telecom tariff dropped markedly. Compared with the year of 2001, many options were open to domestic telecom subscribers for telecom business and tariff schemes and tariffs is increasingly falling. According to the estimates of Ministry of Information Industry, average tariffs in 2005 declined by 45% compared to that of 2001.

This is especially obvious in mobile communication tariff. Taking the brand GoTone of China Mobile as an example, domestic subscribers gained substantial benefits from tariff adjustment from bilateral charge f 40 cents per minute at the very beginning to 10 cents per minute in such regions as Shanghai and virtually unilateral charge with lower monthly price.

According to forecasts by Analysys International, with further tariff competition among mobile operators, future tariff for mobile communication will develop into a basic form of monthly tariff package (rental plus local and roaming charges). Basic voice communication tariff will become standardized and lower. As domestic 3G system (the third generation mobile communication) is to be launched, mere tariff competition among operators will evolve into all-round competition of service, content and brand.

A better understanding of the future trends of domestic telecom tariff requires acquainting with the history of telecom reform in China. Since the establishment of China Unicom in 1994, the competition has been introduced to China, resulting in structural adjustment of telecom tariff. After 1998, a series of significant reforms have been made in domestic telecom sector, including the establishment of Ministry of Information Industry, systematic realization of separating government functions from enterprise management, divesture and establishment of China Mobile as well as north-south division of China Telecom.

So far, the pattern of mutual competition, complementary advantages and mutual development on telecom business has been formed between the six large operators, including China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom, China Mobile, China Satcom and China TieTong that are running basic and value-added telecom businesses, and over 10,000 value-added telecom business operators.

During the structural adjustment, marketization of telecom tariffs is further accelerated. As for the long term objective of China’s telecom tariff reform, relevant officer from Ministry of Information Industry expressed that on one hand, perfect marketization formation mechanism of telecom tariff is to be established, “perfect market-driven price mechanism is to be established under the government’s macro control; government is to fix an upper limit to basic business with insufficient competition and close relationship to subscribers’ interests”. On the other hand, regulatory mechanism of efficient and fair telecom tariff is to be established, thus to “strengthen supervision on telecom tariff to protect consumers’ legal rights and maintain a fair and equitable, efficient and orderly market competition.”

Although marketization trend is the trend, Kan Kaili, a member of Expert Advisory Committee of Drafting Telecom Law, and Yi Mingyu, an analyst from CCID Consulting Company Limited, pointed out that inefficient competition posed a challenge to China’s current telecom market. Operators who were expected to be competitors have not given their full play, therefore the icebreaking of tariffs in some regions is constrained.

Xia Xueluan, Professor of Sociology from Beijing University, suggested that public participation should be strengthened so as to effectively promote competition. An officer from Ministry of Information Industry expressed that both telecom operators and subscribers can give their opinions to the competent authority on tariff standard including the “upper limit of basic telecom service tariff”. The competent authority will reinforce the supervision on behaviors that damage competition and consumers’ legal rights, assure consumers’ legal rights and maintain sound and orderly development of the industry.

With further deepening of telecom reform in China, marketization of telecom has been further improved. Domestic telecom subscribers are expected to gain more benefits. Only with the support from 700 million domestic telecom subscribers can Chinese telecom sector make the dream of being larger and stronger come true.

Source- http://en.ce.cn/Insight

Technorati : China, China Mobile, China Netcom, China Telecom, China Unicom, Mobile
Ice Rocket : China, China Mobile, China Netcom, China Telecom, China Unicom, Mobile

Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Beijing Mobile, China, China Satcom, Guangdong Mobile, Hong Kong, Monthly Tariff, Roaming Tariff, SatCom, Shanghai mobile, Shanghai Telecom, Tariff Cut, Telecom Law

Motorola KRZR K1m launches today on Verizon

By Editor on September 28, 2006 · Leave a Comment

We know the what, we know the who, now we can confirm the when — and happily, the wait isn’t a very long one at all. Motorola’s ultra-narrow KRZR might be old hat in some parts of the globe, but as of today, Verizon is the first American carrier to ship the hotly anticipated RAZR successor. After the Internet exclusive has run its course, brick-and-mortar sales fire up on October 5; regardless of where you pick it up, though, expect to shell out $200 (and two years of your wireless life) to head home with this little bundle of joy tucked under your arm.