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Mobile Entertainment & Commerce
...the analyst view
Edition Thirty Two - 15th August 2007 | |
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Will UGC make or break the networks?
A study by Juniper Research published this week shows that mobile network operators are very excited about the potential revenue generating ability of user generated content (UGC) in general and social networking based UGC in particular. They have looked at how many people use these online services and see dollar signs, even if only a proportion of those using the online versions of Facebook, Bebo and YouTube.
But is it that simple? There is no doubt that mobile offers massive potential to UGC — most handsets have a still and video camera built it and MMS and 3G allow content to be easily uploaded and distributed — but what seems to be missing is the fact that part of Facebook et al’s attraction is that its free.
Once again data charges and the murky issues surrounding the cost of accessing and, moreover, interacting with these sites via mobile must be something that has to be considered. Cheap data access will see mobile networks clogged with ‘cheap’ data traffic accessing these sites, at the expense of the rather more lucrative voice and SMS traffic that keep operators in swanky offices.
An ad-funded model, redolent of the fixed web, seems the obvious solution, but here there is a real danger that while MNOs can use access to these sites as USPs to cut churn, they run the risk of, in giving consumers cheap access to these free sites, simply entering in to a price war with one another and ending up as ‘dumb pipes’ merely delivering access.
Sure, they are trying to keep them as on portal products at present, but as consumers move more and more towards an off-portal model this will surely change. MNOs also have to be aware that many of these sites are pretty short-lived in their massive popularity. MySpace has pretty much had its day, growth-wise, while all attention this week is on Facebook. By October we will all be creating our own ‘minihompys’ — mobile home pages that we run ourselves.
There is no doubt that there is massive growth potential in UGC, but the knock on effect it may have could be immense.
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MNOs look to mobilizing social networking for next boom
Mobile network operators see social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo as the key boom area within the much vaunted user generated content (UGC) services market, suggests research published this week by Juniper Research, which values mobile social networking at nearly $3billion by 2012.
According to report author Dr Windsor Holden, end user generated revenues from social networking, dating and personal content delivery services will increase from $572million in 2007 to more than $5.7billion in 2012. Social networking will account for 50 per cent of this.
Currently there are relatively few mobile social networking interactions, with those that are operating running as on portal trials run by MNOs, most notably 3 UK’s SeeMeTV. The study finds that the number of active users of mobile social networking sites is expected to rise from just 14million in 2007 to nearly 600million in 2012, while the volume of downloads from mobile personal content delivery sites are expected to rise from less than 200million in 2007 to more than 9billion in 2012.
This growth will be spurred by the growth of off portal UGC sites which are free to use, funded instead by advertising. There will also be early growth driven by up take in developing markets where mobile technology is more prevalent than fixed web access.
“Even though social networking sites are in their infancy, the exponential growth experienced by a number of mobile service providers – in some cases achieved primarily through viral marketing – would seem to affirm that there is huge potential in this area,” says Dr Holden. “The key challenge now is for those providers to monetise that interest.”
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70% of consumers find today’s mobile marketing ‘useless spam’
The growth of mobile marketing could be hampered by mobile users already voicing concerns over spam. A study published this week, commissioned by Pontis, has shown that nearly two thirds of mobile users are fed up with mobile phone spam. Seventy per cent of those surveyed already found mobile marketing campaigns totally irrelevant to them, with only 11 per cent buying products as a result of receiving an offer from their operator.
This implies that a drastic rethinking from the advertising industry and the mobile network operators is required. At present, operators offer a commoditised transport service to advertisers, missing the opportunity to lock in high revenues through providing a marketing medium that protects subscribers, while supporting advertisers reaching the brand’s customers.
“Our research with [ad] agencies indicates that operators could generate up to 800 per cent increases in value of their wholesale messaging by using information they have in their networks today,” says Lorcan Burke, CEO of mobile security specialist AdaptiveMobile. “Instead, operators are encouraging their own commoditisation by even starting to expose the user’s phone numbers to content and application providers.”
Many agree with Burke and believe that operators need to directly tackle the growth in spam that arises through inappropriate and untargeted mobile advertising. The mobile operator owes a duty of care to the subscriber, and those that protect their subscribers first will have a significant competitive advantage — reducing churn and attracting new subscribers.
“Mobile marketing is a unique way for brands to communicate directly with their customers,” says Burke. “With advertising agencies seeking to create compelling campaigns that include the mobile channel, operators must address the perception of mobile marketing as “spam” and capture the real value inherent in their networks.”
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MTN Nigeria to provide mobile music services to 15 million African customers
MTN Nigeria, a leading network operator in Africa, is to offer its 15million customers across the continent a range of premium mobile content services, focused on international and local full track music downloads from major labels via iO’s Mobile Experience Platform.
MTN customers will now be able to instantly choose and download full-track music, in addition to other mobile content of their choice to a mobile device, via the MTN Loaded Portal. iO global already works closely with the four major International music labels.
These relationships and the iO mobile experience platform will enable Nigerian consumers to access a vast catalogue of international music, in addition to music from local record labels and associated accessories. The full implementation of the service is anticipated to launch within the year.
“As the leading network operator in Africa we continuously strive to provide innovative services that greatly enhance our customer’s mobile experiences,” says Bola Akingbade, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Nigeria. “Following the successful launch of the MTN Nigeria Loaded content WAP portal in 2006, we forecast strong growth in the mobile content space in the coming years and so were keen to work with a firm that would enable us to deliver robust end-to-end content management and delivery services.”
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Nokia Siemens Networks and Telefónica O2 Europe extend their multimedia messaging agreement
Nokia Siemens Networks and Telefónica O2 Europe have extended their existing frame agreement on multimedia messaging (MMS) for Telefónica O2’s operations in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Nokia Siemens Networks’ MMS solution allows Telefonica O2 Europe to continue its exciting portfolio of MMS services generating new revenues. The users of MMS-capable phones can send messages combining text, images, graphics and sound in a single rich message directly to other MMS terminals, e-mail addresses or even non-MMS capable phones.
Under the agreement, Nokia Siemens Networks will continue to provide and integrate an end-to-end MMS solution, including Nokia Siemens Networks’ Multimedia MMS Center (MMSC), Profile Server and Multimedia Application Gateway. Nokia Siemens Networks will also provide MMS support and maintenance services, and the networks will be managed by the multi-vendor, multi-technology Nokia Siemens Networks NetAct network and service management system.
“Our decision to extend the existing agreement reflects our satisfaction with Nokia Siemens Networks’ MMS solution and support services. We look forward to continuing our success in the MMS market and building our relationship with Nokia Siemens Networks”, says Andrew Tobin, Head of Messaging, Telefónica O2, in the UK.
“Nokia Siemens Networks is pleased to extend and renew the successful cooperation in MMS technology with Telefonica O2 Europe and we are proud to support their MMS leadership in the market. Our in-depth understanding of networks combined with our parent company’s profound knowledge of mobile devices gives us the advantage of covering the whole messaging chain,” says Richard Kitts, Head of customer business team Telefónica O2 Europe, Nokia Siemens Networks.
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Vodafone Fiji cuts ties with Australian parent to process own premium content and services
Vodafone Fiji is using Acision to deliver its diverse and increasingly mobile-centric population with speed browsing, mobile internet and MMS, as well as allowing the operator to locally process and handle advanced mobile services, instead of having to reroute them via Vodafone Australia’s systems.
Vodafone is Fiji’s leading mobile operator and is in a unique position to shape the country’s mobile data services. With a culturally diverse population that has broad recreational interests, from Bollywood films to rugby, Vodafone Fiji wanted to ensure it was providing its customers the best service and experience. Up until now, all Vodafone Live! and MMS traffic has been routed via the Vodafone Australia network, and the expense of long-lining content through sub-sea cabling has limited the amount of content available to Fijian subscribers.
Speed Browsing, Acision’s mobile internet solution ensures that internet content is delivered quickly to the user’s handset while Acision’s Easy MMS solution will enable Vodafone Fiji to support P2P, A2P and P2A multimedia messages for its customers. It is also an essential element in the increasingly interactive nature of mobile Web 2.0 and the potential that MMS provides for mobile blogging, both for uploading user-generated content and getting that content pushed. This will boost both browsing and messaging traffic.
Avanthi Senaratne, Chief Marketing Officer of Vodafone Fiji, commented: “The Fijian mobile content market is beginning to mature and it is important that we are in a position to capture these changing needs and have faster go-to-market strategies. With the market demonstrating such significant interest in mobile content services, it is a natural step for us to enhance our local support infrastructure for those services, with the aim of replicating the success that Vodafone Live! has seen in other markets. Based on its portfolio of world-class messaging and mobile internet solutions, and its global track record, Acision was the only choice for Vodafone Fiji when we looked for a strategic partner to help us deliver innovative services to our customers.”
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Chelsea FC offers fans ‘total interaction’ following mobile deal with InfoMedia
FA Cup winners Chelsea Football Club’s digital division, Chelsea Digital Media (CDM), is set to offer fans the ability to interact with their club through mobile, allowing them to access the latest news, buy tickets, get match reports and commentary, as well as purchase and download content such as wallpapers, animations, real tones and video content from Chelsea TV.
InfoMedia will be responsible for the distribution of ChelseaFC Mobile services across UK and Irish Mobile Network Operator portals as well as the hosting and management of a comprehensive off portal branded WAP service. InfoMedia will work with the business units within the club to create pioneering services to interact with their growing fan base.
Cas Knight, Managing Director of Chelsea Digital Media, said “almost every fan carries a WAP enabled handset these days, consequently we view our new cross-network mobile service as an important platform to connect the club and supporters. The WAP site has been designed to reinforce brand values and provide excellent quality of service to fans will only be a press of a button away from up-to-the-minute information.”
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GSMA Mobile World Congress 2007
12th - 14th November 2007, Venetian Macau
The only place where the best converge. The GSMA Mobile Asia Congress 2007, formerly known as 3GSM Mobile Asia Congress, is THE place to connect to the Mobile future! Mobile Asia Congress is a unique environment for leading companies to showcase the latest in mobile products and solutions, a place for the industry's innovators to develop new ideas and for its leaders to set out their visions for growth.
Contact us today to register for the most highly-regarded event in the mobile industry.
Hong Kong: + 852 2593 1286
UK: + 44 2077 592 315
Make the greatest, most effective investment in yourself and your company by being part of the most highly-regarded event in the mobile industry, the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress.
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Mobile Media Manager
Salary: £30,000 - £35,000 per annum, Netherlands
A key marketing role with the world’s leading mobile content player. Help promote the company’s content & services to 1.1bn consumers worldwide, via their mobiles. The Mobile Media Manager is responsible for the creation and development of a mobile marketing strategy for all WAP and mobile based services.
You will need to have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a similar position within the mobile space. You must have the ability to immerse yourself in all things mobile and revel in the challenge of positioning the company’s brand at the forefront of this developing space as well as having an understanding of how mobile can work in conjunction with all other media channels.
For more information and to apply please click here
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MORODO LAUNCHES MO-CALL, A LOW-COST MOBILE PHONE SERVICE
Morodo Ltd is pleased to announce the launch of MO-Call in the United Kingdom. This innovative service offers low-cost international calls from a mobile phone without the need to change number or network.
MO-Call works through a plug-in software application that can be installed on most mobile phones. Customers may download the plug-in, free of charge, from the MO-Call website www.mo-call.com. A Special Offer of GBP 3.00 credit is available for a limited time to allow new customers to trial
the service.
Morodo Managing Director Andrew Reid stated "Every Summer we see a variety of cheap call offers made by companies offering travel SIM cards or similar plans. MO-Call works on your
existing mobile phone, you can use it on holiday and when you get back home. There's no need to change your number and there are no subscription charges or minimum usage fees."
Vivendi Games Mobile Brings Robert Ludlum’s Best-Selling Novel and Upcoming Movie The Bourne Ultimatum™ to Mobile Phones Worldwide
Vivendi Games Mobile, a division of Vivendi Games, is bringing Robert Ludlum’s best-selling novel, The Bourne Ultimatum, to mobile subscribers in time for the upcoming movie to hit theaters in North America this week.
The Bourne Ultimatum mobile game is now available on phones worldwide and is part of Vivendi Games’ cross-platform release strategy based on the Company’s exclusive global license with Ludlum Entertainment. Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy video game from Vivendi Games’ Sierra Entertainment division will be available on console in summer 2008.
“The best-selling spy novel, The Bourne Ultimatum, by Robert Ludlum provides the perfect inspiration for an action-packed and intense mobile game,” says Paul Maglione, president of Vivendi Games Mobile. “Coinciding with the release of the latest movie, players will be able to experience the full rush and thrills of being Jason Bourne, the same way they are portrayed on the big screen.”
Price: £1490 (Single User) £1990 (Multi User) £2990 (Enterprise Wide)
This detailed report offers a complete analysis of the mobile user generated content market whilst providing vital forecast data on subscriber numbers and revenues up until 2012.
It segments the UGC market into three main categories including, Social networking, Dating/Chatrooms and Personal Content Delivery. The report also comprises interviews with key players, focused case studies and analysis from representatives of some of the leading organisations involved in this promising sector.
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