RCom launches 3G services in Kashmir (India)
By Editor on February 25, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Reliance Communications has launched its 3G services in the three districts of central Kashmir and promised to cover the whole Valley in the next two months.
With the launch of the service, RCom has become the first private company to launch the service in the Valley.
According to Vivek Kumar, the company’s executive for the state, the north Kashmir health resort of Gulmarg and south Kashmir tourist resort town Pahalgam would be provided the 3G services within the next one month. While providing the 3G service in the Valley, the company was strictly abiding by the directives of the central telecom ministry and also the security guidelines governing such services. Recently, the company launched 3G services in Chandigarh, Punjab, Jammu and Mumbai.
The company executives added that with the 3G services in place, subscribers in Kashmir would have access to an Internet speed of 7.2 megabytes per second, 110 television channels, video conferencing, social networking and mobile cinema.
He concluded with the statement that Reliance Communications will lead the creation of a wire-free India through the launch of an affordable 3G service for all.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with 110 television channels, 3G, 3G Services, 7.2 megabytes per second, Chandigarh, India, Jammu, Kashmir, Mobile, mobile cinema, Mumbai, Punjab, RCom, Reliance Communications, Social Networking, Video Conferencing, wire-free India
Advanced Info 2011 EBITDA margin to ease to 45% (Thailand)
By Editor on February 23, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Advanced Info Service PCL expects its EBITDA margin to edge lower this year to 45% from 46.8% in 2010 due to an expected rise in handset sales, which yield narrower margins than services revenue.
According to Nattiya Poapongsakorn, investor relations manager, the company expects service revenue growth, excluding interconnection fee, at 4% this year.
Advanced Info booked a 7.9% growth in service revenue to US$2.87 billion last year.
According to Nattiya, Thailand’s largest mobile phone company by subscribers expects to gain around US$9.80 billion to US$13.70 billion from interconnection fees, down from US$19.64 billion last year. Meanwhile, data revenue is expected to surge 25%-30% this year, due to cheaper smart phones and the growing popularity of social networking.
Data revenue jumped 30.5% last year to US$490.2 million.
Nattiya added that the company has budgeted marketing expenses for this year at 2.5%-3% of revenue, which is higher by 2.1% spent last year.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Advanced Info Service PCL, EBITDA margin, Interconnection Fee, investor relations manager, Mobile, Nattiya Poapongsakorn, Service revenue growth, Smart Phones, Social Networking, Thailand
New business models based on mobile data are needed to drive growth worldwide
By Editor on February 18, 2011 · Leave a Comment
A latest research report has revealed that the worldwide telecoms market will grow from US$1.8 trillion in 2009 to US$2.4 trillion in 2014, at a 6% CAGR.
Mobile data services will continue be the main engine of growth, offsetting the continued rapid decline of wireline voice revenues. Mobile voice revenue is forecast to grow at a 6% CAGR, but the revenue from non-messaging and messaging mobile data will grow at much higher growth rates: 21% and 12%, respectively.
Mobile broadband will have the greatest impact in both mature and growth markets, but finding the right business models and managing costs will be the keys to operator success.
Operators in mature markets have to contend with largely saturated mobile markets. To increase average revenue per user (ARPU), they must look for new types of service to offer consumers – for example, applications and content – in order to tap into a different source of spending. Consumers in mature, saturated markets are likely to be at, or approaching, the limit for their telecoms services spending. The creation of new business models will enable operators to capture a greater share of content and applications revenue.
Mobile messaging services are becoming commoditized in mature markets. Usage will decline as other forms of communication, such as social networking, become more popular.
Operators in emerging markets will need to shift their focus towards increasing revenue as the rapid growth in subscriber numbers they have enjoyed in recent years begins to slow. They must also exploit the growth in handset data and content services – demand for these services will grow as content and handset functionality improve and 3G services become more widely available. Increased usage will drive revenue growth, if operators can monetize these services.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with 3G Services, average revenue per user (ARPU), CAGR, messaging mobile data, Mobile, Mobile voice revenue, non-messaging, Social Networking, USA, worldwide telecoms market
HTC to release two Facebook Optimized phones
By Editor on February 16, 2011 · Leave a Comment
HTC is about to launch two new smartphones keeping social networking as the main focus- the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa. Both the phones feature a dedicated Facebook button for one-touch access to the key functions of the Facebook service that are integrated throughout the HTC Sense experience.
According to Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business for Facebook, they have worked closely with HTC for several years on bringing Facebook to their devices. HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are the next stage. HTC has brought Facebook to these two new devices in an innovative way enabling people to connect and share easily whenever they want, wherever they are.
The Facebook button on HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are context-aware, gently pulsing with light whenever there is an opportunity to share content or updates through Facebook. With a single press of the button, users can update their status, upload a photo etc.
The handsets feature Android Gingerbread 2.3.3, the latest version, and use the latest iteration of HTC Sense to integrate Facebook throughout the HTC Sense experience. When a user makes a phone call, the dialer screen displays their friend’s latest status and photos, and even tells them if their birthday is approaching. The same updates are also displayed when users receive a call from a Facebook friend.
The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones will be available to customers across major European and Asian markets during Q2 2011. In the United States, HTC has signed an exclusive sales deal with AT&T.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Android Gingerbread 2.3.3, AT&T, Facebook, Head of Mobile Business for Facebook, Henri Moissinac, HTC, HTC ChaCha, HTC Salsa, HTC Sense experience, Mobile, Social Networking, United States
European consumers still cautious of high roaming costs
By Editor on February 9, 2011 · Leave a Comment
EU roaming regulation is having little impact on consumers’ mobile usage habits while abroad, according to a survey. Although 56% of respondents with a mobile phone stated that they were aware of the rules regarding roaming, 77% of them claimed that it had made no difference to how they used their mobile phone when traveling abroad.
Although there is introduction of legislation specifically designed to lower the cost of using a mobile phone within the EU, roaming charges appear to continue to weigh heavily on consumers’ minds. More than one-third i.e. 38% of online respondents indicated that they did not use their mobile phone at all while they were abroad, with 54% of these identifying the cost of usage as a reason for this.
Inspite of this current reluctance,the mass-market uptake of sophisticated smartphone devices continues to grow and there is a growing consumer desire to use mobile phones for social networking and micro-social blogging while abroad. Half of all online respondents with a mobile between the age of 18 and 34 said they would like to access some form of data service when traveling abroad, while 62 percent of these highlighted cheaper roaming rates as the factor which would encourage them to do so.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Abroad, EU, Europe, Legislation, Mass Market, micro-social blogging, Mobile, roaming regulation, Social Networking, USA
Arab World relays on mobile Internet
By Editor on February 4, 2011 · Leave a Comment
A survey has revealed that a significant number of Internet users across the Middle East and North Africa are accessing the Internet using their mobile devices and using mobile applications. The survey of over 12,700 internet users across the Middle East and North Africa found that half of all Internet users in the UAE used mobiles to access the Internet, with over 71% of mobile internet users in the region ranking email as their biggest mobile internet activity.
People are increasingly using mobiles as Internet access devices in the Middle East and are starting to access social networks as well as news, sport and other information services using their mobiles. The primary application for mobiles is still email, but over 85% of users have downloaded mobile applications for their devices and the spread of services being accessed is very wide. Social networking, in particular, is a strong and growing trend, with 40% of women who use the mobile Internet doing so to access social networks.
The survey showed some interesting differences in the way men and women in the region use their mobiles. Women were more active on social networking sites using their mobiles (40% of women do, compared to 33% of men) and were more interested in photo & video sharing and information on hobbies, while men were more interested in news and weather information. Women were also more likely to use online games than men.
With a new generation of smart mobile devices coming to the market, more people are expanding the ways in which they access Internet based applications and services. The growing popularity of mobile applications that access internet services will create significant new market opportunities for not only hardware vendors, but also for Internet publishers, service providers and marketing organizations across the region.
47% of Internet users surveyed said they intended to buy a tablet device in the coming quarter, while more of those already using the mobile Internet, 57%, having the same plan. 22% of all Internet users surveyed planned to buy an Apple iPad.
One of the key factors that has been inhibiting uptake of mobile Internet in the MENA region is cost. While 26% of people who choose not to use mobile Internet cite cost as the primary factor, only 5% say that not knowing how to access the Internet is stopping them. With smart phones using high amounts of data, it’s hardly a surprise that something like 41% of users in the GCC have unlimited data packages.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Apple iPad, GCC, internet, MENA, Middle East, Mobile, North Africa, Social Networking, UAE
Mainstream Mobile Operators consider Social Networking to lead by 2015
By Editor on November 16, 2010 · Leave a Comment
As per the recent study conducted by Airwide solution reveals that the majority of mobile operators believe that by 2015, social networking will overtake both voice and SMS as the most popular way to communicate over mobile. The survey was in responses from 31 global mobile operators.
In the survey, conducted by wireless analyst firm mobileSQUARED, operators were asked to choose what they thought would be the top five most popular forms of communication in 2015.
94% of operators believe that social networking will be the most popular form of communication by 2015, while 87% and 81% of operators believe messaging and voice respectively will continue to play an important role in communications, predicting that they will remain in the top three most heavily used forms of communication in 2015.
The study also revealed that these forms of communication will be harmonized rather than replaced by rising mobile internet usage, particularly from mobile social networking. The results show that mobile social networking will not only be primarily responsible for the continuing rise in mobile internet usage in the future, but it will be elevated to one of the core forms of communication.
The survey also unveiled that operators are keen to ensure increases in traffic and do not negatively impact their networks. 74% of operators believe that network quality will be critical to fostering loyalty with subscribers.
65% of operators believe that entertainment apps and services would drive messaging growth, 48% believed healthcare and 36% claimed education and finance (especially for emerging markets).
In addition, operators consider that in developed markets alternative forms of messaging will primarily be driven by enterprise services and machine-to-machine (M2M) messaging. 76% of operators feel enterprise services will be either important or extremely important, while 64% think the same is true for M2M messaging.
According to Jay Seaton, Chief Marketing Officer at Airwide Solutions, the survey has shown that while the mobile subscriber of the future is changing, its core mode of communication (text and voice) is likely to remain the same. Traditional forms of messaging will not be replaced. In fact, services such as SMS are becoming an integral part of social networking, and they will also underpin future innovation, particularly in areas such as mobile entertainment, mobile financial services, mobile healthcare and mobile education.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Airwide solution, Chief Marketing Officer, Education, healthcare, Jay Seaton, M2M, Mobile, Mobile Operators, mobileSQUARED, SMS, Social Networking, USA, Voice
Qualcomm buys mobile web company iSkoot
By Editor on October 14, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Qualcomm has acquired mobile web company iSkoot Technologies as it continues to expand into software, focusing on social networking, push messaging and voice 2.0. iSkoot will be a subsidiary of the QuIC, which in turn is a subsidiary of Qualcomm. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Qualcomm is primarily known for building base-band radio chips and processors that power mobile phones – most of the newest Android phones today use the Qualcomm Snapdragon application processor.
iSkoot has partnered with the company to bring social and messaging services to handsets, and promises to do so in a way that is forgiving of the carrier’s network and the phone’s battery. iSkoot controls social applications on feature phones from Verizon and AT&T in the US.
The company’s Kalaida Platform aims to reduce bandwidth usage by using managed proxy servers which trans-code and aggregate traffic and cut back on frequent data transmissions.
Kalaida supports push email, RSS, social networking and instant messaging and can also deliver real time notifications to feature phones, extending smartphone capabilities to lower end handsets.
iSkoot is now a unit of the Qualcomm Innovation Center subsidiary, which focuses on open-source software efforts. Moving forward, the iSkoot team will emphasize continued support to its existing customers, integrating its offerings with the Qualcomm products portfolio and developing open-source data management initiatives.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Android, AT&T, iSkoot, Mobile, push messaging, Qualcomm, QuIC, radio chips, RSS, Snapdragon application processor, Social Networking, U.S, USA, Verizon, voice 2.0.
Nokia unveils New Touchscreen Phones
By Editor on August 17, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Nokia has unveiled the ‘Nokia X3 Touch and Type’. The device is a combination of a usual phone keypad with a unique touchscreen display. The phone is expected to go on sale in the third quarter for around US$ 161.087, exclusive of taxes and subsidies.
The phone comes with a thin 9.6mm, including 5 megapixel camera with 4X zoom, 3G, WLAN, a music player and an FM radio.
According to the Executive Vice President, Nokia Mary McDowell, The Nokia X3 is a great example of bringing new consumer value to lower price points. The company has designed the Nokia X3 to be a touch and type device because ‘touch’ is ideal for functions such as setting alarms, smooth browsing and controlling applications like music and games, and ‘type’ is ideal for SMS and social networking.
RIM enters into handset top five overtaking Motorola
By Editor on May 4, 2010 · Leave a Comment
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: With increase in the sales by 45%, RIM has overtaken Motorola Inc. and has tied with Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd to become one the five biggest mobile-phone handset makers in the first quarter. The research has been conducted by International Data Corp as per which the Waterloo, Ontario-based maker of the BlackBerry got this push up due to the increasing enthusiasm in the consumers for smartphones.
2% drop in the market share of Nokia Oyj, the world’s biggest maker of mobile phones, was recorded which went down to 36.6 percent. Continuous decrease in the shipment of the handset for two years has been cited as a reason behind the downfall. Consumers seeking to use Internet applications wherever they want in addition to making phone calls have boosted the sale of RIM and Apple.
Motorola introduced smartphones last year that run on Google Inc.’s Android software and for the first time after BenQ Siemens was displaced by Sony Ericsson in 2005, any company (Motorola) has dropped out of the top five. With 21.8 percent of the global market, Samsung occupied the second spot and LG Electronics Inc. held onto third place with 9.2 percent of the market.
According to Francisco Jeronimo, a London-based analyst at IDC, last year it was clear to everyone that consumers want to have their e-mail and social networking applications on mobile devices and RIM was very well positioned to succeed there.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Apple, Blackberry, Ericsson, International Data Corp, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Social Networking, Sony
