Mobile web

18. Rob Conway, CEO, GSM Association

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:41:00 -0400

What makes him powerful: Not just a technology cheerleader or lobbying presence, the GSM Association trade organization has emerged under the leadership of Rob Conway as a major force in the worldwide development of the GSM platform. Since spearheading the GSMA's evolution to a board-led structure in 2003, Conway has established the group as a pivotal contributor to the creation and launch of new wireless services spanning from IM to video to the mobile web, nurturing an ecosystem that connects across networks and international boundaries. The GSMA also has taken the lead on introducing voice and text services in emerging markets, and at last count more than 3 billion subscribers--roughly a third of the overall global population--now use GSM products and services. The group's membership roster has accelerated in tandem with GSM's growth, and presently totals more than 700 operator members (including AT&T, T-Mobile USA and dozens of regional U.S. carriers) and 200 manufacturer and supplier associate members in 218 countries--in all, GSMA affiliates represent 86 percent of mobile phone connections worldwide.

But the GSM Association is about more than scale. Conway works side-by-side with member companies and other industry leaders on initiatives that impact all facets of the marketplace, from public policy to strategic initiatives to new revenue opportunities. GSMA efforts of note include the Personal Instant Messaging program, the GSMA Development Fund, Mobile Money Transfer (in partnership with Western Union) and the 3G for All campaign. Conway also masterminded the GSMA's signature event portfolio, highlighted by the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona--the 2008 conference attracted more than 55,000 visitors in all, and generated more headlines than any other wireless industry trade event during the calendar year. Look for the GSMA to continue playing a significant role in 2009 as Conway and his staff gear up for an inevitable skirmish with EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding, who has vowed to cut the costs of cross-border text messages by more than 50 percent. And although the global economic crisis may impact attendance at next year's Mobile World Congress, there's little doubt it remains the place to be for anyone with a vested interest in the wireless industry's future.

U.K. advertising authority bans iPhone ad

Sue Marek — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:11:34 -0400

The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority has banned an ad for the iPhone that promises users access to "all parts of the Internet" on their Apple device.

The TV ad shows a person surfing through holiday-related Web pages on the iPhone while a voice says, "You never know which part of the Internet you'll need ... which is why all parts of the Internet are on the iPhone."

The ad prompted two disputes with the ASA, both of which claimed the ad was misleading because the iPhone doesn't offer Flash or Java and not all Web sites can be seen in their entirety. Meanwhile, Apple says the ad is not misleading and instead refers to the iPhone's ability to offer "full" Internet access rather than WAP pages or the walled-garden approach.

For more:
- See this article

Related articles:
AT&T: 95% of iPhone owners surf the mobile web
Apple releases iPhone 3G fix

Mobilizing the Internet: Mobile Web 2.0

Sue Marek — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:29:20 -0400

Mobile Web 2.0 seems to be the latest catch-phrase to describe the newest iteration of the wireless Internet. Juniper Research predicts the mobile Web market will be worth $22.5 billion in 2013. But does anyone really know what Mobile Web 2.0 means? The definitions run the gamut from open networks to bypassing the operator. Clearly Mobile Web 2.0 encompasses things such as social networking, location-based services and anything else that drives mobile Web traffic.

At the CTIA I.T. & Entertainment show there will be a co-located seminar on Tuesday, Sept. 9 devoted to Mobile Web Strategies featuring speakers from Nokia, Yahoo, Ericsson, AOL and more.

Of course, key to Mobile Web 2.0 is the wireless carrier. You can get a chance to hear the wireless operator angle on Mobile Web 2.0 on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. during the "Mobile Web 2.0: The Carrier Perspective" panel featuring Mark Collins of AT&T and Ian McKerlich of T-Mobile USA.

AT&T adds 1.3M subs; wireless data revenue surges

Lynnette Luna — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:49:39 -0400

AT&T added 1.3 million subscribers in the second-quarter and said net income increased 30 percent as the company benefited from a surge in wireless data use. The operator posted net income of $3.77 billion, or 63 cents a share, up from $2.9 billion, or 47 cents a share in 2007. AT&T's wireless business, which is the exclusive operator of the iPhone in the U.S., saw its earnings jump 91 percent as revenue increased 16 percent. Subtracting merger-related costs, profits increased 39 percent.

Still, the 1.3 million net new customers added was down 8.4 percent from last year and below Verizon Wireless' 1.5 million subscribers it added during the second quarter. Verizon Wireless released some preliminary results yesterday. Churn dropped to 1.1 percent from 1.2 percent. Revenue from wireless data service increased 52 percent during the quarter, while ARPU (average revenue per user) also increased to 3.5 percent.

Meanwhile, Apple's new iPhone 3G, which went on sale earlier this month, might not boost earnings significantly in the third quarter as AT&T is now subsidizing the device significantly to make it available for $199. It's subsidy bill might reach as high as $720 million, and AT&T already warned that subsidy costs would hurt earnings by 10 cents to 12 cents a share this year and in 2009.

For more:
- check out the WSJ (sub. req.)

Related stories:
AT&T: 95% of iPhone users surf the mobile web. iPhone story
iPhone 3G revises AT&T data pricing. AT&T story

Less expensive phones driving mobile Web usage

Sue Marek — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:15:37 -0400

Smartphones may be getting the credit for consumer interest in the mobile Web, but in reality the less-expensive phones such as the Motorola RAZR and KRZR as well as several Samsung models are actually the most popular with mobile Web browsers. According to Admob research, nearly 36 percent of all mobile ads served up by the firm were sent to a Motorola phone, with the RAZR and KRZR coming up as the first and second most popular models. Samsung phones came in second at 14.1 percent. Article

Lowenstein: Who will be the next king of wireless data?

Mark Lowenstein — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:50:42 -0400

By Mark Lowenstein

I am very pleased to inaugurate this series of monthly opinion columns with Fierce Wireless, reprising the role I had for several years at Wireless Week. As many of you might know, I was most recently vice president, market strategy at Verizon Wireless. I have moved back to Boston and re-launched Mobile Ecosystem, the consulting firm I ran for five years following my role as leader of the Yankee Group's wireless practices.

So, let's get right into it with a provocative question: Name two or three companies who have built a substantial, sustainable business out of the $100+ billion in data revenues that the U.S. operators have reported this decade. Let's look at what has happened recently to some of the companies that were so instrumental in building the first generation of wireless data:

OpenWave: Operates mobile data gateways in more than 70 carriers around the globe, and its browser is on more than a quarter of the world's phones. Market cap is less than $100 million.
Verisign. Buying spree included M-Qube, which had emerged as the leading firm powering mobile marketing and off-deck content, and Jamba, one of the leading ringtone providers. Most of senior management team has left and the firm plans to divest of several wireless assets.
Infospace. Rode the ringtone wave for a time, but lost share in mobile portal business. Was acquired by Motricity in December 2007 for a modest $135 million.
Motricity. Along with Infospace, operates the "vending machines" and powers the mobile Web for the majority of North America operators. Yet this company has burned through some $300 million of its investors' money, has never reported a profit, and just laid off one-third of its staff.
Qualcomm (BREW). Qualcomm's BREW platform has successfully powered several leading operators' wireless data offerings. But the signals are pretty clear that signature operators are looking to reduce their dependence on BREW with the movement toward a more open development framework.
Handmark and Handango. These are two leading content aggregators that have done a respectable job of building a solid content library and some meaningful partnerships. Both have raised a substantial amount of money and are still looking to break out.

Now, here's another question: Thinking about all the companies you work with, the press you see, the columns you read, and the events you attend - who are the four companies that are receiving the most attention as key players in the next generation of wireless data? I would posit they are Google, Apple, MySpace and Facebook. Up there but trailing slightly behind are Nokia, RIM and Yahoo. And maybe Microsoft or AOL if combined with someone else to counter Google.

So here's what's interesting: device revenues aside (for Nokia, RIM, and Apple), few of this second wave of players is an incumbent in the wireless data value chain, and none is generating meaningful revenues today from wireless data content or applications. Also notable, if not obvious, is that the list is dominated by today's Internet kingpins, which is ironic because we've been saying for years that the mobile Internet will not be the same as the wired Internet.

Even though these companies are receiving plenty of hype and attention, their success in wireless is not a foregone conclusion. Their plans are based on the movement toward a more open, Internet model for the development of content and applications--and we are still in the very early stages of that. The monetization scheme is also highly predicated on the success of mobile advertising in various forms.

Some of the more exciting start-ups in wireless today are taking an Internet-centric approach to wireless. Look at how JumpTap and Medio, two companies with early traction in mobile search, are placing greater emphasis on advertising, or how AdMob is trying to be the "DoubleClick of wireless." And how about the seemingly dozens of companies that are taking a "widget" out of the Apple playbook (OK, I apologize) and are building, yes, widgets/tiles/applets for the mobile device.

Even as we discuss the evolution to a more Internet-like model, I think the "walled garden" will continue to be an important force. This vertically integrated approach still delivers a superior user experience, despite more limited content offerings. A good example: RIM's Facebook application is the best execution yet, in my view, of mobile social networking. But this only works on a Blackberry--and by the way, RIM is not making any additional money from this or any other app on Blackberry.com (yet). Hmmm...

What we could see is a "shifting" of the walled garden, to include some viable additions or counters to the operators. My view on the strongest contenders:

Apple. In addition to the iPhone, iTunes could become a powerful distribution mechanism for mobile content, as has happened recently with TV and movies in addition to music.
Nokia. We discount them in the U.S. because of their relatively low market share here. If you look at the moves they have made over the past three years, they are clearly looking to take on Apple and Google in the evolution of wireless.
Yahoo (along with someone). They are gaining traction with operators around the globe after years of false starts. They could be the closest the operators get to a true partner in search and advertising, especially if Google is perceived to be an increasing threat.
RIM. A dark horse candidate. They have maintained share in the smartphone market and are accelerating their product development cycle. But they need to play a greater role in the multimedia and applications universe. To compete on a larger stage, they will have to make some acquisitions, or develop more meaningful partnerships with the Internetarati.

So, for my first column, lots of food for thought...and debate. I'd love to hear your comments. Please feel free to email me.

Mark Lowenstein is managing director of Mobile Ecosystem. He can be reached at mlowenstein@m-ecosystem.com. Click here to subscribe to his Lens on Wireless newsletter.

Nokia: ROI from Internet initiatives won't come for two more years

Lynnette Luna — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:05:37 -0400

The world's leading handset maker Nokia said it doesn't anticipate seeing any returns on its investment in wireless Internet services until 2010. Nokia has invested a significant amount of money into services that include music and video to gain a competitive advantage over rivals and to sell services outside of the operator walled garden. But a return on investment won't come for two more years.

"We're going to continue to invest at that rate or more as we are in investment mode in 2008 and 2009. We look for 2010 to start to see where you go from investment mode... to getting more out than you're putting in," said Chief Financial Officer Rick Simonson during a telecoms conference in New York.

Nokia also addressed its sagging market share in the North American handset market, which dropped 9 percent at the end of 2007. Nokia said to look for some custom-designed phones for U.S. operators. And in line with the studies that show high-end phone sales are growing, Nokia reported that such devices are growing faster than its overall phone unit sales.

To find out more on Nokia's revelations about its handset business:
- read this article in InformationWeek

Cricket adds features to unlimited plans

Brian Dolan — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:59:14 -0400

Leap subsidiary, Cricket Communications has updated its flat-rate, unlimited service plans with additional features and minutes. The more expensive service plans ($40-$60) will now include unlimited text messaging to Mexico, which was previously a feature offered a la carte. The carrier also added unlimited Mobile Web browsing to its $45 plan and an extra bundle of 30 nationwide roaming minutes to the $50 plan. Cricket is now including Caller ID in all its service plans, too. Cricket is also adding a new $30 service plan to its lineup that includes unlimited minutes with an option to tag on text messaging or the Mobile Web.

For more:
- read Cricket's new service plans release

T-Mobile, Nokia renew deal for mobile web services

Fri, 02 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

T-Mobile and Nokia announced an agreement to collaborate on new mobile web and social networking services, two months after T-Mobile denied a plot to dump Nokia devices tied to the handset giant's Ovi mobile web service over concerns Ovi would cannibalize the operator's in-house content platform. Per terms of the deal, Nokia will customize its devices to integrate a dedicated suite of T-Mobile services, while the operator will offer the Ovi platform across a range of Nokia devices. The companies will also partner to enhance T-Mobile's MyFaves community service.

For more on the T-Mobile/Nokia deal:
-read this release

Related articles:
Nokia to officially launch Mosh in June
Nokia does the right thing with Spike Lee
Nokia opens the door on Ovi, new devices

Report: AT&T to cut iPhone price to $199

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

According to a report in Fortune, AT&T is planning to reduce the price of Apple's upcoming 3G iPhone to $199 through a $200 subsidy. Apple is expected to announce two version of the 3G iPhone, according to the report: an 8GB iPhone for $399 and a 16GB iPhone for $499. By reducing the pricepoints by $200, AT&T will be putting the popular handset within reach of more subscribers spending limits. Since iPhone users have proven to be heavy data users, it follows that recouping the subsidy wouldn't take too long for AT&T.

Since iPhone users already need to sign-up for a two-year contract with AT&T the rumored move brings up a few questions. The report claims Apple stores will not sell the subsidized iPhones. So why would anyone buy an iPhone from an Apple store? The phone is locked to AT&T, anyway. Is that $200 just to enjoy time at the Apple store? Under this somewhat unlikely scenario, perhaps, Apple will be selling unlocked iPhones at full price.

For more on the report:
- read this article from Fortune

Related:
AT&T: 95% of iPhone owners surf the mobile web
Apple counts down Top 10 iPhone web apps

AT&T adds 1.3 mil subscribers in 1Q

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

AT&T reported its seventh consecutive quarter of wireless revenue growth. Revenue's from the telco's wireless business were up 18.3 percent year-over-year for a total of $11.8 billion. Here's a rundown of the largest U.S. operator's key metrics for first quarter:

ARPU: Average revenue per user was $50.18 up 2 percent from the year-ago quarter. Retail postpaid ARPU growth was up 5 percent.

Data: Data revenues were up 57.3 percent to $2.3 billion from the year-earlier quarter. Data now represents 21.5 percent of AT&T's total wireless revenues, up from 16 percent in first quarter 2007. During first quarter customers sent 620 million MMS messages and 44 billion SMS messages.

3G: 11 million customers now have 3G devices. The company's UMTS/HSDPA network is available in 272 metro areas.

700 MHz spectrum: AT&T executives said that based upon the company's purchase of the 700 MHz spectrum assets of Aloha Wireless and its winnings in the 700 MHz spectrum auction, AT&T will have contiguous and unencumbered spectrum that will cover 100 percent of the top 200 markets and 80 percent of the U.S. population.

iPhone: iPhone continues to be popular with AT&T customers. Executives said during this morning's call with investors that the average iPhone ARPUs are in the mid to upper $90 range. More than 40 percent of the customers that purchase an iPhone are new to AT&T.

Unlimited plans: Prior to debuting its $99/mo. unlimited rate plan about 1.5 percent of new customers would sign up for rate plans at $99/mo. or above. Now about 4 percent sign up for the $99/mo. rate plan.

For more, see AT&T's earnings release.

Related stories:
AT&T to layoff 1.5 percent of employees. See this AT&T report
AT&T: 95% of iPhone owners surf the mobile web. See this AT&T story
AT&T, T-Mobile match VZW on flat rate, sort of. Read this AT&T report

Verizon Wireless: Messaging plans sans voice

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Verizon Wireless announced the availability of three new nationwide messaging plans promising customers unlimited messaging without an accompanying voice plan. According to the operator, the offers are targeted to meet the needs of subscribers who rely on messaging as their primary means of communications. Each Nationwide Messaging plan has unlimited text, IM, picture and video messaging: The Consumer Devices plan ($34.99 per month) includes mobile web access and data usage, with a per-minute voice rate of 40 cents, while both the BlackBerry and PDA/Smartphone plans are $54.99 per month, complete with email, web browsing and data usage as well as per-minute voice rates of 25 cents. Subscribers who sign up for the Nationwide Messaging plan will also have the option of adding email to their accounts for $5.00 more per month.

"We developed these messaging plans in response to feedback from our customers," said Verizon Wireless vice president of marketing Robert Miller in a prepared statement. "We have a growing number of customers, particularly from the deaf or hard of hearing community, who are using their wireless phones to communicate via messaging." -Jason

For more on Verizon's new messaging plans:
- read this release

Related articles:
Verizon debuts unlimited smartphone web browsing
Verizon: 20 billion texts sent in February

Verizon Wireless offers email/Web browsing plans

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Verizon Wireless announced the launch of email and web for Smartphone, a new management solution promising subscribers an unlimited data allowance for mobile web browsing and email. According to the carrier, the $29.99 monthly access plan supports up to 10 personal email accounts from service providers including Yahoo! Mail, AOL, Windows Live and Verizon.net. Email and Web for Smartphone is currently available on smartphones including the Verizon Wireless SMT5800, the Verizon Wireless XV6800 and the MOTO Q9m, expanding to other devices in the months ahead. -Jason

For more on the email and Web browsing plans:
- read this release

ALSO NOTED: No AT&T-CNN mobile TV exclusive?; Adobe merges units; and much more...

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Adobe merges mobile and platform units. Article

> MobiVentures acquiring Purepromoter. Article

> Gumiyo, HomeNet drive mobile web for car dealers. Article

> Intel Capital unveils another China fund with $500 million in it. Article

And Finally... Former professor invents Braille handset with vibrations. Article

Netbiscuits integrates SMS campaign tool

Mike Dolan — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:44:43 -0400

Mobile content transcoding software provider Dynetic Solutions announced the integration of customizable SMS services into its Netbiscuits mobile Internet development platform. According to Dynetic, the new short-message campaigning tool provides its own short code, enabling content publishers, marketing and advertising agencies, application developers and service providers to combine SMS services with their mobile web efforts to deliver SMS alerts, SMS newsletters and text-based content sharing services. Dynetic also announced further enhancements to the Netbiscuits platform, including the addition of new North American and Asian mobile handsets to its global device detection database.

The Netbiscuits platform enables applications ranging from mobile advertising landing pages to user-generated content community services--Dynetic targets Netbiscuits to partners like Internet auction giant eBay, which employs the platform to enable SMS bidding alerts and related mobile tools for buyers and sellers. "Our focus in on content adaptation and delivery," said Dynetic Solutions CEO Michael NeidhÃƒÂ¶fer in an interview with FierceMobileContent. "The emphasis is on how to create the optimal user experience on a phone--the market is full of companies that say they can transcode the web to mobile, but it's a new medium, with a smaller screen and different navigation, so you need to build an experience you think your customers will use."--Jason

ALSO NOTED: Alltel social video; CBS mobile discovery; and much more...

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> Alltel premieres Transpera's social video application. Article

> CBS Mobile launches mobile web discovery technology. Article

> I-Play lands Deal or No Deal mobile license for U.S. Article

And Finally... Ofcom approves mobile phones on aircrafts. Article

ALSO NOTED: Boost's mobile ad platform; Sprint's new mobile Web; and much more...

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> Sprint upgrades mobile web browsing. Article

> Boost launches mobile ad platform. Article

> Nokia premiers the mobile film making awards. Article

And Finally... Intel stretches WiFi signal 60 miles. Article

ALSO NOTED: Ofcom on spectrum; Ericsson delists in U.K.; and much more...

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> Handango, Carphone Warehouse ink retail deal. Article

> Ofcom announces spectrum plans. Article

> Ericsson to delist in London. Article

> Orange France launches high speed mobile service. Article

> Microsoft licenses Adobe Flash Lite for mobile web. Article

> 24 digital spinoff The Rookie comes to mobile. Article

> Sports Illustrated and Action Engine debut MySI Mobile. Article

And... Rest in peace Russell Shaw. Article

When will the tide turn for mobile content?

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:00:00 -0500

Last week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona I was hoping to hear some positive news in the mobile content space. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed.Ã‚Â

Instead I heard a lot more of the same complaints that have been plaguing the mobile content space for the past year. Growth is flat and mobile operators are still demanding a big chunk of the revenue share making it impossible for many mobile content firms to stay afloat. The direct-to-consumer model--once thought to be so promising--is not the moneymaker that many firms thought it would be because marketing to consumers is no easy task particularly if you don't already have brand awareness. Porting applications to devices is still costly and cumbersome but a necessity if you want to work with any of the tier 1 mobile operators.

In all, I heard a lot of frustration in the voices of the mobile content executives. What was once such a promising and exciting segment of the wireless business has turned into an arena full of dissatisfaction and disappointment.

But there are a few signs of hope on the horizon. Many are excited by the prospect of open networks in the U.S. and are hopeful that Verizon Wireless' pledge to open its network to any device and application in late 2008 will be a boon for the mobile content industry.

Others are hopeful that developments like Nokia's Ovi mobile Internet platform and Sony Ericsson's PlayNow platform will help drive more consumer adoption of mobile content and allow for more entrants into the mobile content space that until now has been very tightly controlled by the operators.

I certainly hope that between now and CTIA Wireless 2008 (April 1-3) there are some positive developments in mobile entertainment that will get us out of this gloomy place.Ã‚Â There are two developments that I've been anxiously waiting for and have yet to see come to fruition:

1. AT&T's much-heralded launch of MediaFLO's mobile TV service. It was originally supposed to launch at the beginning of the year. Rumors then swirled that it would launch earlier this month but that never happened.

2. Verizon Wireless' launch of Real Networks' Rhapsody America's music service. Last August Real Networks announced it would merge its Rhapsody music service with MTV's Urge music service and it would be distributed by Verizon Wireless.Ã‚Â It was expected to debut in early 2008. When asked about the status, Real Networks defers all questions to Verizon Wireless and so far Verizon hasn't responded to my inquiries. -Sue

Microsoft names Lees to lead mobile unit

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Microsoft will name Andrew Lees to head up its mobile division following the exit of Pieter Knook, who will take over mobile web initiatives for telecoms group Vodafone. The executive shuffling comes as Microsoft makes a major push into the mobile consumer market, a move typified by its bid to acquire web services giant Yahoo. According to The Wall Street Journal, Lees, a 10-year Microsoft veteran, will be named senior vice president in accordance with the promotion.

For more on Microsoft's mobile shuffling:
-read this Wall Street Journal article. (sub. req.)