Wireless Federation

Vodafone inks data roaming deal with MobilKom (Czech Republic,Austria)

On 10.05.10, In Mobile, By Editor

Vodafone Czech Republic has signed a roaming deal with MobilKom for the CDMA network, which covers 75% of the population. Vodafone sells a â€˜combo modem’ for laptops which automatically connects to the company’s W-CDMA network in areas with 3G coverage and in other areas searches for the CDMA network. Vodafone’s 3G network coverage currently stands at 30% of the population, with 95% covered by EDGE.

The world’s largest mobile communications operator, with a presence in 28 countries, 17 of which are European, and the MobilKom Austria group, present in four European countries, have agreed to an exclusive cooperation. The collaboration is based on the Partner Concept.

According to Boris Nemsic, CEO MobilKom Austria and COO Wireless Telekom Austria, the company is entering into a partnership agreement, which will allow it to integrate into a global partner network without giving up company’s independence. The two operators will immediately initiate a joint strategic product development program in certain business areas, which will add to the respective strengths. For the customers, this cooperation means that they are being offered the best of both the worlds. The cooperation does not entail an equity investment by either company; both partners will continue to operate as independent companies.

According to Heinz Sundt, CEO Telekom Austria AG, for the benefit of the shareholders, this cooperation ensures that MobilKom Austria will continue to provide an attractive contribution to the financial performance of the Telekom Austria Group.

Vodafone inks data roaming deal with MobilKom

MLOVE details announced

On 04.13.10, In Mobile Marketing, By Editor

The details of the MLOVE â€˜ConFestival’ have been announced by the company’s organizers. The festival is expected to take place from June 23 to 25 in an ancient castle South of Berlin. The festival will see about 200 decision makers and futurists with a mobile background coming together to create their vision of the future of mobile.

According to ConFestival Director Peter Giblin, the MLOVE ConFestival is designed to encourage networking and provides the participants with the opportunity to really get to know each other in an informal atmosphere.

Their goal is to strengthen relationships between the mobile elite and thought leaders from other industries and disciplines.

The event will include speakers like Beverly W. Jackson, Senior Marketing Manager of the GRAMMY Awards, Nick E. Heller, in charge of Business Development for Google’s European Future Incubation Labs, Richard D. Titus, CEO of Associated Northcliffe Digital, and Media Strategist Jonathan MacDonald.

Filed under:Mobile Marketing Tagged with: ConFestival • Cuba • Europe • European • Goa • Google • Grammy • Mobile • Northcliffe • REAL

Golden Gekko unveils its share in Yellow Pages Mobile

On 04.08.10, In Mobile Marketing, By Editor

Golden Gekko, Mobile marketing firm has finally revealed its share enabling consumers in eight countries across Europe to access local and commercial search information from over 3.6 million businesses listed with Yellow Pages owner European Directories by developing a free, cross platform mobile service.

The service can be accessed in eight countries which are Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland and Denmark and is available via the mobile web and a mobile application for iPhone and Java-enabled handsets, for the initial period.

To ensure universal accessibility, the additional operating systems and platforms will be added over time. Golden Gecko and European Directories are also offering the service on a white-label basis.

According to Carey Bunks, Group Vice President of Mobile at European Directories, the work they have done with Golden Gekko has delivered truly best-of-breed mobile Yellow Pages search applications and services that provide an excellent user experience, and has demonstrated an enormous uplift in usage and leads generation.

Filed under:Mobile Marketing Tagged with: Denmark • Austria • Czech • Czech Republic • Europe • European • Finland • Gekko • iPhone • Mobile Yellow Pages • Netherland • Netherlands • Poland • Slovakia • Sweden • USA

Brunel University leads Mobile Policy-making Initiative

On 04.01.10, In Mobile Marketing, By Editor

An international academic consortium led by Brunel Business School has won million of pounds in EU funding to develop mobile phone technologies to involve citizens in policy-making.

The aim of the project is to develop user-friendly technologies and platforms which can be installed on mobile phones to allow the public to input directly into policy-making by giving feedback on issues affecting their daily lives.

The three-year UbiPOL (Ubiquitous Participation for Policy Making) has received a total grant of â‚¬2.7 million (£2.4 million) from the European Union, with £400,000 awarded to Brunel Business School, whose Dean, Professor Zahir Irani is co-ordinating the consortium.

According to Professor Zahir Iran, Dean of Brunel Business School, this project will develop a mechanism by which the public can access local government at their fingertips and, more importantly, give feedback and suggestions which can then be considered by policy-makers.

Filed under:Mobile Marketing Tagged with: Brunel • Europe • European • European Union • Iran

EU5 Countries witness growth in Smartphone Adoption: ComScore

On 03.31.10, In Mobile Marketing, By Editor

A new research by ComScore has revealed that Smartphone users in the EU5 (UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) have grown by 32 percent over the past year, to 51.6 million subscribers.

UK has recorded the fastest growth in the number of subscribers with over 70%, to 11.1 million subscribers. While it’s High-tier subscribers (those paying£35 or more a month) witnessed a growth of 60% year on year, mid-to-low tier subscribers (paying under £35 a month) grew by 76%.

France ranks second with the number of Smartphone subscribers up 48% to 7.1 million and Germany accounted for 8.4 million Smartphone subscribers (up 34%). While Spain has 9.9 million subscribers (up 27%), Italy, which has been boasting the largest number of Smartphone subscribers overall has showed the softest growth in the market with 11%.

According to Alistair Hill, senior mobile analyst at ComScore, Smartphones are generally seen as luxury devices that come with big price tags and high monthly tariffs, yet the largest segment of the market and the one demonstrating greatest momentum is actually the low- to mid-tier.

In his opinion, the growth in these tiers suggests that as Smartphones become more affordable to the majority of European consumers; their proliferation will increase considerably, and lead to a surge in mobile content and data consumption.

Filed under:Mobile Marketing Tagged with: Europe • European • France • German • Germany • Italy • smartphone • smartphones • Spain • UK

KT Corp, SK Telecom expected to enter Polish mobile market

On 03.25.10, In Mobile, By Editor

South Korean operators KT Corp and SK Telecom have shown interest in entering the Polish mobile market. According to Byung-Chul Won, a representative for Korean Eximbank, which provides financial support for Korean companies investing in Poland, the Korea Telecom is in talks with a potential Polish partner for developing new mobile services technology.

The duo is expected to be weighing up options including forming a joint venture (JV) with an existing network operator or talking an ownership stake in a local cellco, with possible targets P4 (Play) or Polkomtel (Plus).

SK Telecom is particularly interested in the mobile Internet market in the eastern European country.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Eastern Europe • European • Korea • Korea Telecom • Mobile • Poland • SK Telecom • South Korea • South Korean

EU facilitates the use of mobiles on European water

On 03.22.10, In Mobile Marketing, By Editor

New rules have been adopted by the European Commission which will make it easier for passengers and crew on ships in the EU’s territorial to make phone calls or send and receive SMSs even while they are out of the range of land-based mobile phone networks. The new rules, will pave the way for innovative applications such as remote monitoring of containers stored on-board.

According to EU Digital Agenda Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, Tens of millions of people who travel and work on ships anywhere in European territorial waters will be able to use their mobile phones without problems of interference as a result of the new rules just adopted by the Commission.

The Commission has come to a conclusion that the new rules will put to an end to the previous patchwork of 27 different sets of national legislation on mobile phone coverage on-board cruise liners, cargo ships and ferries in European territorial waters. It creates legal certainty for telecoms operators that wish to offer mobile services to their customers.

Filed under:Mobile Marketing Tagged with: Digital Agenda • Europe • European • European Commission • GSM • Mobile • phone • telecom • Telecoms

FCC approves Nokia C5

On 03.08.10, In Mobile Phones, By Editor

FCC has approved the recently announced Nokia C5. However an individual need not be too excited as this European version of the device, which 3G sings along 900 and 2100MHz3G bands. While AT&T works on 1900 and T Mobile on 1700 MHz, this move by Nokia to push the not for the USA device through FCC is obsolete, to say the least.

Not to be forgotten, the C5 is a low-cost smartphone. It comes with features like GPS, 3.2-megapixel camera, HSPA connectivity and Symbian S60. With an MSRP of $185 the model is expected to see the Finnish company moving tons of these in due course.

Filed under:Mobile Phones Tagged with: 3G • 3G bands • Europe • European • GPS • megapixel • megapixel camera • Nokia • smartphone • T-Mobile • USA

EU roaming cap to stay says EU Advocate General

On 10.02.09, In Mobile, By Editor

British Mobile operators are facing defeat in their battle against EU plans to regulate international roaming rates, after the EU’s Advocate General ruled that the price caps were valid.

Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and O2 are challenging plans by the European Commission to regulate roaming charges on voice calls.

Luis Miguel Poiares Pessoa Maduro, the Advocate General and a key adviser to the European Court of Justice, ruled recently that the regulation is in the interests of the internal market in which â€˜free movement of goods, services and capital is ensured’.

His decision is non-binding but in vast majority of cases rulings by Advocate Generals are heeded by the European Court of Justice. The final ruling will be delivered over the coming months.

Maduro said in a statement: â€˜The differences in price between calls made within one’s own member state and those made while roaming could reasonably be regarded as discouraging the use of cross-border services such as roaming.’

The case was referred to the European Court of Justice in 2007 by the UK High Court.