Telenor and BCG study: mHealth to change the face of healthcare (Norway)
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in cooperation with Telenor Group, has now released the complete report on the “Socio-Economic Impact of Mobile Health”. The report explores the potential impact of mHealth solutions, such as how Norway can save $2 billion each year with remote monitoring solutions for the elderly and how Thailand can cure 40,000 cases of tuberculosis through SMS treatment compliance.
The report dives into the healthcare situations in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Thailand, Malaysia, Russia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. It presents potential solutions for each of these markets that are possible through mobile communications.
Jon Fredrik Baksaas, CEO, Telenor Group, has said that they commissioned this report because they wanted to better understand how their solutions can help improve the healthcare situations in the countries where we operate. For instance, how can they increase efficiency in modern healthcare through remote monitoring solutions that enable the elderly people to live longer in their own homes?
The most notable healthcare challenges faced in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro include their aging population and the rising costs of healthcare services. Solutions such as home monitoring aided by mobile technology can keep the elderly in their homes longer, easing the burden on care facilities. However, barriers to widespread mHealth solutions include privacy issues, interoperability challenges when sharing information electronically, and the lack of industry incentive when remuneration is often dependent on nights actually spent in the hospital, nursing facility or face-to-face consultations.
As countries in transition, Malaysia, Russia and Thailand face shared difficulty in ensuring proper maternal health and infant care, combating communicable diseases, and confronting new challenges such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Remote diagnostics and remote patient monitoring can be critical to bringing healthcare to the rural populations in these countries. However, the lack of common standards can prevent the spread of mHealth, along with limited commitment from regulatory bodies to ensure that mHealth happens.
Nations such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and India are struggling to deliver affordable healthcare to their citizens. Their resources are limited and much of their population is rural. mHealth deployment is currently limited in these countries, partly due to lack of awareness and action from the regulatory bodies. From maternal and infant health challenges to reducing disease, these countries need cost-efficient and widespread solutions that will help their citizens live longer and healthier. mHealth can fill these gaps, but access to mobile services needs to improve, along with government commitment and the creation of incentives to encourage the spread of mHealth.
Baksaas said that mHealth can be one of the keys to redefining and reinvigorating their struggling healthcare systems, as well as enhancing the healthy lifestyles and longevity of the citizens. The telecommunications industry is well-positioned to play a central role in the evolution of mobile health solutions worldwide.
Telefonica signs network sharing agreement with China Unicom (Spain, China)
Spanish telecom operator Telefonica has reportedly entered into a strategic partnership with China Unicom, wherein both operators will use each other’s networks to expand their coverage. According to reports, the deal will provide Telefonica access to China Unicom’s network in the regions of Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Australia, France and Sweden.
In return, China Unicom can reportedly increase its presence through Telefonica’s network in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, USA, Puerto Rico, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria Denmark, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland.
Reports suggest that Telefonica believes this agreement will help both operators expand their capabilities to provide telecom services to various customers in different geographic areas.
Telenor combines with Google to enhance Android adoption (Asia, Europe)
Telecommunications giant, Telenor has entered into an agreement with Google in an attempt to increase Android adoption. According to reports, Telenor’s Android users will be able to access an updated range of apps on the front page of Android Market, pay for them apps via their mobile operator. This will also benefit local developers by increasing the accessibility of their apps while helping them increase their revenues.
As per sources, the deal is expected to be launched initially in Thailand, Sweden, Hungary, Malaysia and Denmark, early next year, and subsequently cover all of Telenor’s international markets. The deal comes as a result of the ever-increasing demand for mobile content across the European and the Asian economies.
Reports suggest that Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President & CEO, Telenor Group has said that this deal between Google and Telenor is designed to inject even more energy into the Android ecosystem. Most importantly, it means that millions of Telenor customers will experience easier access to more and richer mobile content, as well as flexible payment solutions.
EU member states served notice to expedite implementation of new telecom regulations
25th May 2011 was the deadline set by the European Parliament and the EU’s Council of Ministers for the member states of the European Commission for full implementation of the new EU telecoms rules as part of their national law. Twenty of the EU member states have been sent information requests as to why they have not yet reverted with regard to the stipulated implementation of the telecoms rules.
Under the EU infringement procedures, the information requests are equivalent to letters of formal notice.
Under the ambit of the new EU telecoms rules, phones, mobile services and internet are taken into account with regard to rights of the consumers and businesses. The highlights of these rights comprise of customers being empowered to switch telecoms operators in just one day without changing their phone number, more transparency regarding the services customers are offered, in addition to securing their personal data online.
So far only seven Member States namely Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Malta, Sweden and the UK have confirmed the Commission of full implementation of the rules; a majority of the EU member states having notified the Commission of implementation to certain extents while the legislative processes are continuing.
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain constitute the twenty other Member States that are yet to respond to the letters of formal notice within two months, failing which or even not being convincing, the Commission stands to issue the concerned Member States, a formal request to implement the legislation. The second request will be the form of a ‘reasoned opinion’ under EU infringement procedures. Eventually, the matter will be referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
TeliaSonera comes on board the M2M cooperation agreement to join France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom
With TeliaSonera’s joining the initial alliance inked by France Telecom-Orange and Deutsche Telekom with regard to Machine to Machine (M2M) services, it represents the expansion of the growing cooperation among operators.
France, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg were brought under their coverage when the seed agreement was ratified, the first time by France Telecom-Orange and Deutsche Telekom in February 2011. Ever since, the Netherlands and the UK were also covered under the purview of this alliance as result of more operators joining in.
Presently, the footprint of the M2M cooperation agreement will include TeliaSonera’s geographical reach as well, represented by Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania.
Apparently, this multi-lateral alliance stands to enhance roaming services across countries where the stake holders operate, characterized by improved service quality as opposed to the initial services offered based on bi-lateral roaming agreements, concentrated within single markets.
The troubleshooting capability that the joined forces of France Telecom-Orange, Deutsche Telekom and TeliaSonera stand to muster is being seen as a key attribute of the agreement; expected to ensure quality roaming services to customers.
Wireless broadband subscriptions cross the half billion mark
In a study involving 32 developed countries, the reported figures reveal that the wireless broadband subscriptions had topped the half billion mark at the closing of 2010. It also highlighted an increase of over 10 percent as on June 2010.
As far as fixed broadband subscriptions are concerned, the number touched 300 million for the first time. However, growth slumped to 6% year-on-year; the slowest growth rate recorded since the process of collecting broadband data started by the sources, a decade back. It is understood to be a reflection of greater broadband penetration in addition to market saturation in a number of countries.
With 38.1 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, Netherlands and Switzerland top the statistics. Next, Denmark (37.7) and Norway (34.6) follow. One prominent highlight concerning fiber subscriptions is that the growth continues, making up for 12.3% of all fixed broadband connections. Japan (58%), Korea (55%), Slovak Republic (29%) and Sweden (26%) lead the charts in fiber subscriptions. On the other hand, DSL still happens to be the most widely used technology (57.6%); cable (29.4%) follows next.
Going by the wireless broadband subscriptions, Korea leads the pack with 89.8 per 100 inhabitants as Finland (84.8), Sweden (82.9) and Norway (79.9) trail close by. The data sources average stands at 41.6 while the total is just under 512 million.
According to sources, inexpensive, flat-rate mobile data plans are primarily instrumental in fuelling growth of mobile broadband. It has also been noted that resilience and an underlying strength saw the communication sector through the financial crisis thereby reflecting its vital role in the global economic dynamics.
Other notable factors that contribute to the sector’s robust health point to long contract durations of mobile operators, packaged offers of television, mobile and fixed telephony gaining unprecedented popularity in addition to an emerging perception that communication services are non-discretionary spending items. Households doing their best to cut spending are apparently, economizing in other areas instead; at least as an initial step.
The thriving acceptance of bundled services has also been instrumental in this prevailing trend by way of strengthening loyalty and preventing a big shake up – a big help for the operators at the time of the downturn. Bundled services stand to benefit consumers by bringing about lower prices and other bonuses like convenient billing, integrated services or customer assistance.
According to sources, however, bundled offers are accompanied by complexity making them difficult to understand thereby posing additional challenges for consumers who look to make informed decisions in terms of comparing prices etc. To add insult to injury, bundling stand to make it difficult for users to change providers or reject a service.
The sources also highlight the increasing significance of IPv6 as the hoard of unassigned IPv4 addresses has almost depleted. The importance of a quicker adoption by industry has also been stressed; seen as the only lasting solution to continue the capability of the Internet and keep on connecting billions of people and devices.
Telenor Denmark offers extra SIM card to data subscribers
Telenor Denmark presents a new offering in the form of an extra SIM card (DobbeltSIM) to its existing customers who are subscribed to a flat data rate .
With this, subscribers will be able to surf the web on both their tablets as well as smartphones simultaneously. The two SIM cards are packaged under the same data plan as a result of which customers only pay for one subscription.
According to a study, half of Danes believe that they will use the internet more through mobile devices within the next two years.
Telenor expects that in 2011 up to 200,000 Danes will buy a tablet which has the ability to use cellular data networks.
Aspiro launches WiMP version for iPad (Europe)
Aspiro’s Scandinavian music streaming service WiMP has launched a customized app for iPad in Norway and Sweden.
The new application is available for download on the AppStore, containing the complete WiMP music library with more than 10 mln licensed tracks, album lists, search and more.
WiMP aims at assisting users in finding their way via a huge library of music available through streaming. WiMP for iPad can be explained as a merger between the desktop and mobile versions.
It is customized to fit the larger screen with a tablet-adapted user interface. Additional space has been given to editorial content such as artist biographies, playlists with editorial descriptions and album reviews. It also displays related artists, making it easier for users to discover new music.
A number of improvements will follow in coming versions, both planned and user-generated. WiMP is growing fast and by the beginning of May had 200,000 paying customers in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Portugal.
HTC Flyer tablet hits major European markets
HTC has announced that the new HTC Flyer tablet is now available across major markets in the EMEA region from 13 May.
The device is available as a Wi-Fi only or a combined 3G/Wi-Fi model, and will also be available to buy in store and online from the HTC.com website.
The combined 3G and Wi-Fi HTC Flyer features 32 GB of onboard memory which can be expanded with a microSD card of up to 32 GB and will retail at US$914.89.
A second variant will be available for US$704 with Wi-Fi connectivity only and expandable 16GB memory.
From 13 May, the device will be available in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
NetCom alters roaming prices (US)
TeliaSonera’s subsidiary NetCom has announces that it has altered the tariff charges for calling within Nordic countries is now the same as the one charged for calling within Norway.
This offer is available for new and existing customers of Fastpris S/M/L/XL, Fastpris Data and FlexiTalk.
The new price applies for all mobile networks, not only TeliaSonera ones, in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. NetCom, as other TeliaSonera subsidiaries in Baltic and Nordic countries, also launched a new pricing model offering 90 percent percent lower prices for mobile browsing in the Nordic and Baltic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia).
Under the new pricing structure, NetCom customers can get a surf package that contains either 20 MB or 50 MB per day at a price of US$7.07 or US$14.33. Once this quota is used up, the customer can buy a new surf daily add-on of 20 MB or 50 MB.
