What’s MWC Without the iPhone?
By Monica Alleven
BARCELONA—Several industry heavyweights were charged with tackling the open mobile ecosystem in a Mobile World Congress (MWC) keynote Tuesday that left some audience members amused and at least one man somewhat annoyed.
After each CEO – AT&T Mobile’s Ralph de la Vega; Nokia’s Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo; and Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer – gave a presentation, Walt Mossberg of The Walt Street Journal moderated a discussion that included questions about the Apple iPhone. During the Q&A session with the audience, one man from Denmark asked if U.S.-dominated panel could focus on the 99 percent of phone users around the world who are not among the tiny percentage of iPhone users.
Ballmer laughed, saying, “It’s OK with us,” referring to himself and Kallasvuo, who was sitting next to him. “I’m with you,” he said to the questioner, adding a lot of work still needs to be done to get the world talking about devices other than the iPhone. Apple doesn’t have a formal presence at MWC, but it’s nevertheless a dominant topic.
De la Vega added, however, that 99 or so percent of the people at Mobile World Congress are trying to copy everything Apple did with the iPhone. (Mossberg noted that some things actually do start in the United States, and right about that time, he said he was – honestly – given a note saying it was time to end the session, which had already gone about an hour over its pre-scheduled time.)
On a more serious note, de la Vega equated today’s incompatibility problems to that of SMS in the United States in 2002, before interoperability between operators. Once the interoperability was addressed and partnerships put into place, that part of the industry went from $26 million in revenue to $5 billion.
Today, customers want to use apps on any device without having to worry about the operating systems, he said. “We now have islands of applications,” and those islands will need to come down.
In an apparent reference to comments at MWC by former Vodafone Chief Arun Sarin, de la Vega noted that a year ago, industry leaders called for just a handful of operating systems. Instead, more have been added, bringing the number of operating systems to nine. Developers need some common standards and programming interfaces if the ecosystem is to be successful.
Ballmer said he doesn’t think the industry will have nine platforms for the next 10 years; it will probably shake out to a couple or three. But he also said many of the applications are merely front ends to Web sites, where people can buy all kinds of things.
The keynoters were tasked to address the complex issue: moving toward an open mobile ecosystem when many people hold many definitions of “open.” Kallasvuo, who at one point noted the vertical, closed nature of Apple’s iphone model, said going to an open model represents change, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Case in point: Nokia and Qualcomm, which for years have been bitter rivals in courts over intellectual property rights, struck a deal to work together to develop advanced UMTS devices. “Yes, with Qualcomm,” he lightheartedly emphasized to the delight of audience members.
Vodafone to Release Android Phone in Europe
By Luke Simpson
HTC has built Vodafone’s first Android-powered smartphone. Named the HTC Magic, it will be released exclusively for Vodafone in the U.K., Spain, Germany and France, and on a non-exclusive basis in Italy.
Vodafone’s relationship with Android started late last year when it joined the Open Handset Alliance, following in the footsteps of T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel. Currently there is only one Android handset on the market in the United States, T-Mobile’s G1, also built by HTC.
The Magic’s hardware includes a 3.2 inch QVGA touch screen, trackball navigator and 3.2 megapixel camera, but no qwerty keyboard. It will be bundled with a number of Google’s mobile Internet capabilities, including Google Maps, Google Search, YouTube and the Android-optimized Webkit browser. Users will also have access to the Android Market for apps and games.
There are no official plans for a U.S. release, but the phone is quad-band, allowing it to use the local 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands. However, Ross Rubin, an analyst with NPD Group, is cautious about Android’s growth in the U.S. market.
“The G1 helped get the word out about T-Mobile’s entry into the 3G network, but we haven’t seen sales of the G1 match other handsets such as the iPhone, BlackBerry or those running Windows Mobile.”
T-Mobile currently enjoys a monopoly on the local Android market, but that is only temporary, according to Rubin, with more Android handsets expected to compete.
MySpace Mobile Site Gets a Facelift
By Monica Alleven
BARCELONA—In its first big re-haul in two years, MySpace this week is launching a new version of its mobile Web site, in part to reflect the growing demand from users who own more sophisticated phones.
“We really see it as a way for our users to not only experience MySpace on the go, but record and share what they’re doing while they’re out and about,” said John Faith, president and general manager of MySpace Mobile.
The relaunch is designed to create a better experience for end-users as well as advertisers, bringing the mobile site in line with its other mobile offerings.
The mobile Web has made a lot of strides in the past two years, and people expect a richer experience, he said. MySpace expects 50 percent of its traffic will come from mobile devices in the next couple of years.
MySpace also announced plans to develop new applications for Nokia in the S60 Web runtime environment and Palm’s new webOS, first available on the Palm Pre. MySpace says it will be the only social network with applications supported on all smartphone platforms currently active in mobile social networking: iPhone, Google Android, Sidekick, Nokia, Palm and BlackBerry. One missing platform is Microsoft Windows, but Faith said there’s no specific roadblock there; MySpace continues to work with Microsoft on that.
MySpace counts 20 million worldwide members accessing its mobile Web site every month. MySpace’s CEO and co-Founder Chris DeWolfe will present the opening keynote on Thursday at Mobile World Congress.
inCode Evaluates Provisions in Stimulus
By Maisie Ramsay
Telecom-related programs will get $7.2 billion under the economic stimulus bill set for President Barack Obama’s signature today, with $6.39 billion of those funds targeted at promoting broadband access in rural areas with little to no broadband access.
“There are a number of wireless broadband startups that have been looking for funding to build out their businesses,” says Jorge Fuenzalida, vice president of technology consulting company inCode Telecom Group. “Many tier two independent local exchange companies covering rural markets picked up spectrum in their specific geographies. This additional funding from the government should create some energy there.”
The emergence of 3G (HSPA) and 4G (WiMAX and LTE) technologies and the capacity of recently auctioned spectrum bands have made the rural use of terrestrial wireless more financially viable since 2000. As a result, rurally-based and small local-exchange providers likely will seek funding to serve the estimated 10 percent of household customers that do not have a DSL-provisioned line, reports inCode.
These technologies, although optimized for mobile services, suffer no degradation in fixed deployment and offer superior spectral efficiency. While the fixed WiMAX standard will help incubate the market, its long-term viability may be limited due to a shriveled ecosystem and limited economies of scale, according to inCode.
The most viable spectrum bands for fixed wireless include 700 MHz, 2.3-2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz and AWS. The bands all have tradeoffs of propagation, geographic reach and cost-effectiveness to support Internet speeds of 3 Mbps or more.
The stimulus measure was praised for technological- and server-agnostic policies, the broadband map and its push to serve rural areas. However, concern remains over its failure to address the trade-off between affordability and high-speed service.
“… certain low-density rural areas may in fact best be served by fixed satellite or terrestrial wireless services that cannot charge competitive, urban-centric prices for high-speed (up- and downlink) broadband, no matter how efficient their technology,” say analysts from inCode.
The bill’s imprecise definitions of open access and net neutrality and aggressive timeline could also pose problems by pushing service providers to make short-term technology decisions that could be quickly superseded by better technologies.
The money will be dispersed over a number of years, with only 2 percent of the funds to be spent in 2009, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. Another 15 percent will be spent in 2010, with about 20 percent being spent every year from 2011 to 2013, and the remainder spent between 2014 and 2015.
The funds will be allocated by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
The NTIA will disperse $3.9 billion in grants and the RUS will hand out $2.5 billion in grants, loans and loan guarantees with the goal of accelerating broadband deployment to unserved and underserved areas. The funds must be used for infrastructure investments, with the NTIA grants stipulating a 20 percent match requirement.
The final version of the bill removed earlier provisions on minimum speed requirements, percentage allocation of wireless or wireline and definitions of the terms broadband, unserved and underserved.
GSMA to Offer Ad Metrics Service
By Monica Alleven
The GSMA expects to commercially launch an audited mobile measurement service in the United Kingdom the second half of this year, giving advertisers more insight on consumers’ mobile habits.
The data is aggregated, so no personal or individual information gets revealed. The GSMA is still contemplating where to go next with additional geographies, but it’s possible the United States could be a target, according to GSMA Chief Marketing Officer Michael O’Hara.
Advertisers and wireless industry leaders for some time now have called for better metrics reporting.
Paul Palmieri, president and CEO of Millennial Media, said his company applauds the GSMA for its advertising measurement initiative. Millennial participates in other industry efforts with the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and CTIA, and supports third-party measurement initiatives with Nielsen and comScore.
“The mobile advertising ecosystem is complex and nascent,” Palmieri said. “This major mobile advertising initiative, as outlined … is a large validation that the mobile advertising industry is a key global growth area in mobile. We wholeheartedly agree that data, and further refinement of standard metrics are the key to unlocking the brand advertising dollars that will power the growth of the overall mobile advertising industry.”
In other GSMA news, consumers and consumer advocacy groups should be happy about this development: The GSMA is progressing on its initiative to provide a one-charger-fits-all phone solution. By 2012, the majority of phones shipped will support a Micro USB interface. O’Hara said he doesn’t expect the scene to be dramatically different for CDMA-based devices, which are moving in the same LTE direction as GSM-based networks. The initiative is sponsored by a large operator community, including AT&T and T-Mobile, as well as handset makers like Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola.
Among the many green products being touted at MWC, the GSMA is highlighting wind and solar initiatives. Digicel is using wind and solar energy solutions to power more than 60 percent of its network traffic on the Pacific island of Vanuatu. Dialog is deploying 10 solar and wind-powered base stations in Sri Lanka.
More Apps Stores Unveiled
By Monica Alleven
As if there weren’t enough apps stores already in the works, you can now add two more. This time, they’re coming from vendors Amdocs and Comverse, and they’re designed for carriers.
Amdocs App Store provides an environment in which service providers and their third-party development partners can develop, sell and profit from digital applications and value-added services, the company says.
Amdocs executives say that as handset makers come out with smarter devices and more apps stores are offered, end-users are often associating more with the device makers than service providers, and carriers need to respond to that.
Naturally, many apps stores or services (Nokia’s Ovi) are tied to specific handsets. Amdocs says its store will be offered from a handset-agnostic approach.
Last week, Comverse also launched its Application Store for telecom carriers to introduce advanced services for subscribers.
Comverse says the store gives carriers the ability to address their subscribers’ appetite for new and better ways to be informed, entertained and connected. Comverse reviews each application and conducts testing, certification and legal reviews before hosting an application in its store.
Nokia Integrates Skype Client
By Andrew Berg
Skype and Nokia announced an agreement that will bring a pre-installed Skype client to Nokia handsets. The client will allow users to make free VoIP calls. Under the terms of the agreement, the Nokia N97 flagship device will be the first to incorporate the Skype experience in the third quarter of 2009.
The Skype client will be included in the address book of the Nokia N97, enabling presence – seeing when Skype contacts are online – as well as instant messaging. Nokia N97 owners also will be able to use 3G and WLAN to make and receive free Skype-to-Skype voice calls, in addition to pay-per-minute Skype calls to landlines and mobile devices.
The announcement leaves some scratching their heads. A Skype client that allows customers to make free, off-network phone calls isn’t necessarily a good thing for operators that carry Nokia handsets.
Allen Nogee, principle analyst at In-Stat, said the move by Nokia is probably just another way to sell more phones on the open market. “It’s low cost to put it on the handset, so why not,” he said. “Nokia’s in a position where they want to sell the most handsets. Overall, they’re going to make the operators mad, but then the operators have the power to take it off.”
In addition to the forthcoming N97 application, Skype is available on Windows Mobile and dedicated Skype phones. Mobile Skype is also available as a “lite” version for Android phones and about 100 other Java-enabled mobile phones from LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. The lite version, still in beta testing, offers only basic Skype features, including voice calling, instant messaging and presence notification, and won’t work over Wi-Fi connections, making a flat-rate data service indispensable.
Seven Throws Support Behind Android
By Monica Alleven
E-mail (and more) solutions provider Seven is letting the carrier and handset manufacturer communities know that its platform is Android-ready.
Seven company executives note that the first commercial Android phone, the G1 with T-Mobile USA, is very much Google centric, which makes it more difficult to use for the average user who wants access to a lot of other services beyond Gmail. “Android is a great operating system, but it’s very focused on a Google-centric world,” says David Ratner, vice president of Engineering and Product Delivery at Seven.
Seven’s software overlay runs on multiple devices independent of whether it’s Java, BREW, Android or something else, and it provides a platform whereby end-users can jump back and forth between their Yahoo!, Gmail, HotMail, Outlook or other accounts for those people who have more than one e-mail account.
Both Microsoft’s My Phone and Apple’s Mobile Me require the end-user to change his or her identify, whereas Seven’s philosophy is end-users should not have to move their data. “Seven focuses on synchronizing the data from where you currently have it,” he says.
Seven also differs from other e-mail and sync solutions, like the one from Funambol, in that it works closely with carriers and handset makers to embed its solution; Funambol is going direct to end-users.
Seven expects to launch on Android devices this year but is not announcing specifics at this time. The company already works with 130 mobile operators around the world.
Meanwhile, Isabelle Dumont, senior director of marketing at Seven, says the company has enjoyed momentum over the past year despite the economy – tripling the number of subscribers and getting its solution embedded on more devices, like the Samsung Instinct.
Exalt Announces $15 Million in New Funding
By Andrew Berg
Exalt Communications, a provider of licensed and license-exempt microwave radio systems for wireless backhaul applications, announced it has raised $15 million in Series C funding. InterWest Partners led the financing, joining existing investors Velocity Interactive Group and Trinity Ventures, which were full participants in the round, on the company’s board of directors.
“The Exalt team has developed microwave radio systems that enable its customers to break the customary bottlenecks associated with wireless transmission of voice, data and video,” said Khaled Nasr, partner at InterWest Partners.
In the four years since its founding, Exalt has successfully developed and delivered a new class of microwave radio systems to more than 500 customers, including wireline carriers, mobile operators, government agencies and enterprises.
Exalt licensed and license-exempt microwave radios are available in bands covering 2 – 40 GHz. The product family now includes Gigabit Ethernet interfaces and a high-capacity 5 GHz radio.
FirstNews Briefs for Feb. 17, 2009
Companies in the News: Motorola, MobiTC, Airwide Solutions, Direct2Mobile, Mojiva, Maximizer, Research In Motion.
• Motorola isn’t showing off any new Android handsets at Mobile World Congress, but it did deploy an LTE network over which it is demonstrating live LTE experiences on the streets of Barcelona. During the Motorola LTE drive tour, visitors are driven around to experience the performance of LTE in a real-life metropolitan RF environment, including site-to-site hand-over.
• MobiTV says it surpassed 6 million subscribers on its managed mobile media service. Available on more than 350 handsets across 20 carrier networks, MobiTV works with AT&T and Alltel in the United States.
• Mobile operators believe SMS will become the enabler that underpins next generation advanced services, according to a survey conducted by Direct2Mobile on behalf of Airwide Solutions. The operators that were surveyed claimed that they are seeking to use the investment they have made in developing their mobile messaging infrastructure to introduce value-added services such as mobile social networking, mobile applications, mobile broadband, IM- and presence-based services and the mobile Internet.
• Mojiva has added “single-click” purchasing power to advertisements on its mobile ad network, thanks to a new partnership with Billing Revolution, a mobile payments and billing solutions company. Consumers and merchants can instantly buy what they see in a mobile ad.
• Maximizer Software debuted Maximizer CRM 10.5 Freedom for BlackBerry smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM), enabling one-click, one-touch access to customer and sales information. The release was unveiled at the opening day of GSMA Mobile World Congress.
Filed Under: Infrastructure