The rise of Microsoft's view on Mobile Web at Vodafone.T
September 27, 2009
Vodafone updates internet portal services with Vodafone 360 | www.telecompaper.com
The launch of Vodafone360 is the latest indicator of Peter Knook's influence on Vodafone since his joining from Microsoft 18 months ago. Vodafone Internet Services are now trying to present a consumer face for Vodafone that sees it capable of utilising investment in 3G and 3.5G Mobile Broadband.The interesting element is that this will be the first two handsets in Europe that use the LiMo standard. One from Samsung and one from Huawei.
July 7, 2009
Orange and even O2 may bid against Vodafone for T-Mobile UK | www.rethink-wireless.com
Whilst the UK has two more mobile networks than it needs the big three all know that they would be helping it's closest rivals in removing the two small players. If T-Mobile were to be sold to a rival the actions of the Regulator are not know at this time but some action is expected. The best case is that the new owner would be expected to return the 3G license and spectrum the worse is that both 2 & 3G spectrum is handed over. Has T-Mobile put the business up for sale? The present book value for the business is some €3B following the write down at the start of the year. Since that time T-Mobile has seen a decline in revenues in the UK and a loss of business caused by the fact that they have been working without a CEO or CMO and so have been following the German strategy. This has further lowered the value of the business.
July 15, 2008
Mobile Payment Transactions Will Grow, Research Shows | www.billingworld.com
Whilst the US has seen an explosion in Mobile Banking it is yet to see the users trust the service for Payments. Payments needs to address not just the Banked but the Unbanked, in Africa Vodafone and MTN have established services that allow micropayments to be made to those that have no Bank Accounts. The ability to make person-to-person payments is something that sees the service grow. Qualcomms Firethorn service whilst signing a number of contracts is yet to launch. This service uses a Java Applet rather than SMS and Browser based technology to allow users to access multiple banks rather than a single bank. This thus should enable a better uptake of Payments rather than Banking Services. The Stakeholders in the Mobile Banking world are moving towards a mobile wallet that uses NFC based technology to allow users to "wave and pay".
July 4, 2008
European 3G subscriptions seen topping 100 million | www.reuters.com
The market is still fragmented. In the big five we still see a wide spread of take up as consumers are yet to be won over. The mobile networks are still to discover a range of products that make the investment pay off. This talks about terminals rather than handsets and so a slowing of sales of phones is offset by a boom in USB Mobile Broadband Devices.
June 25, 2008
Motorola Impresses With 5-Megapixel Camera Phone | www.informationweek.com
This is something that they should have launched 12 months ago. Failing that then we should have seen it in February at GSM World. The design is dated and the technology is out of date. This new handset is not going to have Networks placing orders outside of the US. At best this gets a C for effort.
Is Business a core segment to Nokia?
June 19, 2008
Nokia unveils new business phones | news.yahoo.com
With ever more of the business done by Nokia in the Emerging Markets just how important is a handset with such a rich feature set? The Blackberry like E71 whilst attractive suffers from a limited number of Enterprise Applications. How does these handsets fit into the OVI service?
Vodafone under the command of Colao can only be good news
June 18, 2008
Sarin Legacy Isn't All Aces | online.wsj.com
When Colao left McKinsey to help run Omnitel as the COO he showed that he was more that a "Strategy Man" working alongside Francesco Ciao he showed that he was someone vary capable at Operational matters. With Cioa gone, he steppped up to the CEO role and integrated the Omnitel into Vodafone. On his return to Vodafone he has spent the last 18 months getting ready to succeed Sarin by Optimising the network. Now with an Italian at the head you can expect to see Emerging Markets take a back seat as he follows the startegy of the Spanish Subsiduary and stimulates the market.
What Qualcomm is doing is building a Services Business
June 16, 2008
Qualcomm Creates Mobile Internet Strategy To Go Head-To-Head With Internet Giants | www.washingtonpost.com
Looking at the services businesses of Qualcomm and what you see is the development of a number of verticals. One of which is BREW; the others are Location, Advertising, Payments, Video. These services are aimed at helping to create Federations for particular services. Having created these Federations Qualcomm will be able to influence the strategy of Mobile Networks which will lift the spend on Handsets that run Qualcomm silicon.
Can Murdoch finally rescue Premiere?
January 10, 2008
German Return Match for Veteran Media Moguls | www.ft.com
Murdoch is back in Germany? (Potential) investors of Premiere and other German TV and cable assets ought to know: Is this a savy move of a shrewd businessman or a dull act of an aging tycoon to the only place in the world where he has, so far, failed.
December 26, 2007
Facebook to launch German version in 2008 | www.telecom.paper.nl
Facebook will follow Myspace and launch a German version of its service, some time in the first half of 2008. While Facebook has faced criticism in the USA for the way it introduced a new model of targeted advertising (Facebook Beacon), the issue of monetizing the user behavior of its members is much more sensitive in other countries, particularly in Europe.
Switzerland sues Google over Street View privacy concerns
November 13, 2009
Here Come the Droids! A brief review of Verizon Wireless' new Droid line-up.
November 11, 2009
October 30, 2009
Vodafone Orange Iphone Deal Ends Two Years Exclusivity Of O2 In UK
October 5, 2009
IPhone Coma Mode puts Apple in the ICU
September 19, 2009