French mobile web users increased to 15.5 mn in 2010
A new research report has revealed that France had 15.5 million mobile internet users, defined as people who connected at least once a month, in 2010, 3.3 million more than a year earlier.
Half of the users are using “advanced services” (MMS, radio, video/TV, e-mail, instant messaging, video telephony) and nearly half have downloaded an app. The number of fixed internet users rose by 10% in one year to 38.3 million in December 2010, with some 24 million connecting daily, or 3.2 million more than in December 2009.
According to the report, every hour between 9:00 and 21:00, an average of 5.4 million people are online in France in 2010, versus 4.6 million in 2009. Social media have created a permanent connection to the internet, with over three quarters of internet users having consulted a blog or social network in December (32.1 million people) and 11.7 million people did so daily.
Internet users are increasing the amount of time they spend on such sites, rising to 5 hours 30 minutes, on average, in 2010 from 4 hours 10 minutes in 2009. Consumers are using the internet to seek others’ advice before buying products, with two-thirds of internet users sharing their opinions on products and services they buy by commenting on e-commerce sites, blogs, forums or social networks. There were 27.7 million online purchasers in 2010, 3.3 million more than a year earlier.
Online video is gaining more and more viewers, with video portals hosting professional and amateur productions attracting 24.5 percent unique visitors last year, nearly 60 percent of all internet users. In the mobile sphere, one in ten mobile phone owners watched video or TV content in the preceding month. Fixed internet podcast downloads were up by 26.5 percent year-on-year to over 14 million in December.
Azercell introduces special tariff packet for journalists (Azerbaijan)
Azerbaijan’s Azercell Telecom has launched new Mediacell tariff packet for journalists. As per the company, useful tariffs on-network calling will be applied for subscribers from March 4.
This tariff packet concerns people registered in Journals, TV, radio and internet publication. The users will get discounts on incoming and outgoing calls.
Mass representatives must submit the reference, press card and ID card to the customer services for joining the Mediacell tariff. All these subscribers will be given new number on this tariff. They can switch their number to the new tariff as well.
CBS announces the launch of music, video iPad apps
CBS Interactive Music Group has announced the availability of the Radio.com App for iPad and television assets to Apple’s latest device.
While the CBS Radio.com app provides iPad users access to more than 600 music, news and sports radio stations, the video programming for iPad is a station where in customers can watch streaming video content from the CBS television shows, including How I Met Your Mother,†Two and a Half Men,†NCIS,†The Good Wife†and The Late Show with David Letterman.â€
Apart from this, the users can also download the company’s Simon & Schuster application, where they can browse through more than 7,000 eBook titles, which will be sold via the iBooks store.
According to David Goodman, president of CBS Interactive Music Group, the application was launched in order to increase the visibility and availability of CBS Radio and Last.fm’s stations and content, as well as that of its streaming partners.
Vodafone and Swarovski join hands on Crystal Phone
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: According to the Austrian company, the fashion phone, called the Vodafone 533 Crystal (Crystal is part of Vodafone’s new “Catwalk Collection”), is crafted using a special coating to add brilliance to the Swarovski crystals. The handset comes with a crystal-inspired theme and animated start-up display. The phone features a 2.0-inch color screen, 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera, MP3 player, FM radio, Bluetooth and external memory slot. The price is not yet disclosed.
Local vendors lose out again as eMobile signs Huawei
The rollout of Japan’s newest W-CDMA nationwide mobile network by eMobile, the new mobile subsidiary of leading DSL wholesaler eAccess Ltd, is gathering pace and causing not a few surprises and disappointments among vendors.
eMobile announced late in July that it had selected Huawei Technologies from 15 global vendors as a second prime network vendor to work alongside Ericsson, which in March was awarded the contract for the nationwide core network and the 1.7-GHz radio network in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.
Huawei will start by deploying networks in Sapporo and Sendai. This is the first contract for Huawei or any Chinese network vendor in Japan, and it means that Japanese vendors have completely lost out on this pioneering 3.5G network business worth $3 billion to $4 billion. “The choice of Huawei was an extraordinary shock to Japanese vendors,” eMobile and eAccess CEO Dr Sachio Semmoto told Wireless Asia.
Japanese vendors are not the only shocked and disappointed vendors. Lucent Technologies was passed over yet again. One year ago Lucent appeared to be in pole position with eAccess after working on apparently successful trials combining HSDPA and Lucent’s IMS. Lucent was presented as eAccess’ partner in several high profile PR social and events.
Among the reasons cited for the selection of Huawei by eAccess are its strong product development skills, quality management systems in IP technology and small base stations.
eAccess has done an impressive job of fundraising for the new venture. eMobile now has equity and debt financing totaling 363 billion yen ($3.16 billion). The companies are planning to offer seamless IP-based fixed and mobile services with data services starting in March 2007 and voice services following in Spring 2008.
Putting up a state-of-the-art nationwide mobile network, of course, is costly and eAccess will struggle to reach the 85% coverage required by the government within five years under its present business-financing plan, even though the network will be IP-based.
NTT DoCoMo spent $20 billion on its W-CDMA network and Vodafone Japan around $10 billion on its latest network. From this perspective, it is easy to understand the decision to partner with Huawei, which has risen quickly by combining advanced technology with low prices.
eMobile’s ambitious strategy contrasts sharply with IP Mobile, Japan’s other mobile start-up, which announced that it has secured just over 4 billion yen to build its network. Non-Japanese vendors have also secured a significant part of the contracts so far awarded by IP Mobile.
Source- http://www.telecomasia.net.
Technorati : Asia, Cell Phones, Ericsson, HSDPA, Huawei, Japan, Vodafone, eAccess
Ice Rocket : Asia, Cell Phones, Ericsson, HSDPA, Huawei, Japan, Vodafone, eAccess
