After months in the planning and design the MDA today has launched its new web site.
The new web site is a unique portal of mobile data industry and provides both MDA members and their potential customers a detailed understanding of mobile data related issues that could impact businesses and consumers in both positive and negative. The new web site will also provide that much needed insight into mobile data trends and new technologies, it will showcase innovation in mobile, share compliance and best practice, facilitate strategic alliances in both the UK and overseas.
To access the new web site go to http://www.themda.org/
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Towards the Mobile Olympics of 2012
Three potential mobile centric innovation enablers:
We live in a mobile phone centric world; in the UK we have had more network registered mobile connections than the total population for over two years.
Mobile phones in the UK also outnumber internet broadband connections by a ratio of 3 to 1.
This year, Mobile Internet usage is growing at a rate of 25% and in August over 17 million individual users connected to the mobile web.
The global figures are equally impressive with over 3.4 billion mobile connections in a world population of 6 billion and this figure is still growing significantly.
Towards a personal Olympics
Mobile phones in the UK also outnumber internet broadband connections by a ratio of 3 to 1.
This year, Mobile Internet usage is growing at a rate of 25% and in August over 17 million individual users connected to the mobile web.
The global figures are equally impressive with over 3.4 billion mobile connections in a world population of 6 billion and this figure is still growing significantly.
Towards a personal Olympics
As early as 2010, all new mobile phones will be mobile internet and mobile email ready and will have sophisticated camera functionality as standard. Mobile social networking and sharing rich moments with friends and family, will be a commonplace occurrence. Therefore visitors to the 2012 London Olympics will be recording and sharing their own personal memories of the games. This “of the moment” dynamic view will provide a great opportunity to experience the Olympics in a unique way, by creating for instance “MyGames2012” portal, where visitors can upload and share their Olympic experience in a controlled manner.
The site could include competitions for the best content/pictures/video and our Olympic athletes could also have a Facebook style personal contact area for their fans; ultimately we would have a unique national archive of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Mobile Media coverage
The Beijing Olympics had unprecedented internet media coverage and this included significant coverage for mobile internet devices. Big media organisations such as NBC, and the BBC provided live 24/7 mobile web, mobile alerts and mobile video coverage. In August the MDA saw a 500,000 increase in the number of mobile internet users during the two weeks of the Beijing games.
By 2012, tariff changes and device functionality will ensure Mobile Internet and streaming media will be being used on a regular basis by upward of 40 million Brits. This new wave of mobile consumers will put more emphasis on the need to produce innovative mobile content, from a medal watch for Team GB to action replays of the best action etc.
All of this means that the wireless operators must ensure that their capacity planning factors in the anticipated popularity of the Olympics. The wireless provisioning, in and around the stadiums, will need to encompass GSM based bearers as well as WiFi, WiMax and Bluetooth which can all be used to distribute local event-based content and information.
One significant consideration with media coverage is the cost associated with viewing this content, especially for the foreign visitor. Data roaming costs need to be transparent to the user or at a fixed cost throughout their Olympic experience.
Transport and Ticketing
Mobile phones are currently being used for purchasing small items and trials of mobile payment systems are proving to be successful, although by 2012 not all mobile phones will support the enabling technology known as Near Field Communication’s (NFC).
By 2012 we will be using our NFC enabled mobile phones on the underground and public transport systems of London as an Oyster card replacement. There are significant opportunities to combine mobile internet, GPS location and mapping to provide visitors to the games with travel plans (using public transport), avoiding congested areas, making reservation in hotels and restaurants, tickets for the games and real-time security alerts and warnings.
Examples of mobile content and public transport planning are already happening and the London Borough of Newham recently launched their own mobile portal, which allows their users to find a music gig or a restaurant and then plan a route via the public transport system. This type of application will be developed further to take into account location based services and mobile payments, to deliver a rich but intuitive solution for the Olympic visitor.
To try out the Newham mobile portal simply TEXT Newham to 65101
These are just three possibilities for the Olympics, however the opportunity for a mobile games is potentially limitless.
The site could include competitions for the best content/pictures/video and our Olympic athletes could also have a Facebook style personal contact area for their fans; ultimately we would have a unique national archive of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Mobile Media coverage
The Beijing Olympics had unprecedented internet media coverage and this included significant coverage for mobile internet devices. Big media organisations such as NBC, and the BBC provided live 24/7 mobile web, mobile alerts and mobile video coverage. In August the MDA saw a 500,000 increase in the number of mobile internet users during the two weeks of the Beijing games.
By 2012, tariff changes and device functionality will ensure Mobile Internet and streaming media will be being used on a regular basis by upward of 40 million Brits. This new wave of mobile consumers will put more emphasis on the need to produce innovative mobile content, from a medal watch for Team GB to action replays of the best action etc.
All of this means that the wireless operators must ensure that their capacity planning factors in the anticipated popularity of the Olympics. The wireless provisioning, in and around the stadiums, will need to encompass GSM based bearers as well as WiFi, WiMax and Bluetooth which can all be used to distribute local event-based content and information.
One significant consideration with media coverage is the cost associated with viewing this content, especially for the foreign visitor. Data roaming costs need to be transparent to the user or at a fixed cost throughout their Olympic experience.
Transport and Ticketing
Mobile phones are currently being used for purchasing small items and trials of mobile payment systems are proving to be successful, although by 2012 not all mobile phones will support the enabling technology known as Near Field Communication’s (NFC).
By 2012 we will be using our NFC enabled mobile phones on the underground and public transport systems of London as an Oyster card replacement. There are significant opportunities to combine mobile internet, GPS location and mapping to provide visitors to the games with travel plans (using public transport), avoiding congested areas, making reservation in hotels and restaurants, tickets for the games and real-time security alerts and warnings.
Examples of mobile content and public transport planning are already happening and the London Borough of Newham recently launched their own mobile portal, which allows their users to find a music gig or a restaurant and then plan a route via the public transport system. This type of application will be developed further to take into account location based services and mobile payments, to deliver a rich but intuitive solution for the Olympic visitor.
To try out the Newham mobile portal simply TEXT Newham to 65101
These are just three possibilities for the Olympics, however the opportunity for a mobile games is potentially limitless.
Friday, 10 October 2008
Your free invitation to Mobilise Your Workforce 8
Here is your personal invitation to hear how Enterprise Mobility is helping business to beat rising fuel costs & stay competitive
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 – hosted at Microsoft UK, Reading.
UK businesses faced with rising fuel costs and increasing competition are being offered the opportunity to see how Enterprise Mobility can help them to stay ahead and prosper, with the return of ‘Mobilise Your Workforce’, the UK’s premiere Enterprise Mobility event. This free event, hosted by TBS Enterprise Mobility, offers an unrivalled combination of best practise advice and expert opinion, and takes place at Microsoft UK in Reading on Tuesday November 12th, 2008.
‘Mobilise Your Workforce 8’ – http://www.mobiliseyourworkforce.co.uk/ is a one day event which will provide attendees with strategic guidance on the role mobile technology can play in a business, through to practical steps and real-world examples of how to make it a commercial reality.
The agenda features industry analyst presentations from Deloitte and Quocirca on the current mobile environment, and the role of Software as a Service in the mobile enterprise, plus a panel session on emerging mobile technologies with expert panelists from Vodafone, Motorola, Microsoft, Northgate IS etc.
Each session is supported by real life case studies presented by UK businesses who have used Enterprise Mobility technology to save energy, drive compliance and control costs, and to transform customer service.
To register for a free place at ‘Mobilise Your Workforce 8’, visit the TBS Enterprise Mobility Website at http://www.mobiliseyourworkforce.co.uk/
Friday, 3 October 2008
SmartPhone's and your business
One common dilemma businesses face that have not developed and implemented a mobile strategy, is the covert usage of Smartphone devices within their businesses.
Initially staff have these sexy devices because they look good, but after a while most of their owners will start to ask their business if they can be used to pick up email whilst there are out of the office and synchronise to their desktop PC etc.
If staff are asking for smartphones is a good sign - it shows they are keen to increase their efficiency. Smartphone’s are a great productivity tool – just as long as you have control over them.
I have documented below a simple approach to the problem.
Select a companywide device and usage policy
So before you give the green light, best you work out your longer-term mobile strategy. Otherwise, you’re likely to get covert deployment - Before you know it, they’re all at it and you’ve lost control. In fact, most of the handsets already used by staff are email enabled in some form – but not necessarily the right form.
You must therefore take control by establishing a policy whereby all handsets are approved and managed by your IT department. Having a smartphone strategy from the outset will save you a lot of hassle downstream. You’ll also be creating your first stepping stone on the road to enterprise mobility.
First, you must decide on a common mobile platform. Your employees may well be pushing for Blackberry technology, Windows Mobile or event the IPhone, all are good and will enable your staff to get much more than just mobile email and calendars. Using Smartphone’s, your employees will be able to send and receive emails, view and edit calendars and contacts, , browse the Internet, view maps, use GPS technology, and run industry-specific applications. having a range of devices with different operating systems is the wrong approach, thry the various devices avaialble and pick the one that best fits your business.
Productivity
Smartphone’s will also help increase productivity by speeding decision-making. Indeed research suggests that mobile email makes a huge difference to anyone who receives more than 50 emails a day and spends more than 20% of their time out of the office and will certainly ensure your employees stay in touch with colleagues, customers and vital information away from the office.
Security
One thing you must not overlook when implementing your mobility strategy is security. Each year, around 12,000 mobile phones are found in the back of taxis in London alone, which means you should ensure all data is secure and controlled in the event of a lost or stolen device.
A good way of doing this is to deploy a third party device management and security package. This lets you manage your Mobile devices in much the same way as you manage desktops, laptops, and servers – allowing you to enforce group policy settings, distribute software updates, and wipe data from mobile devices if they get lost or stolen.
Long-term benefits
Enterprise mobility has already made a huge difference to many organisations who have deployed it. The important thing is to plan your long-term mobility strategy, not just your immediate requirement for email and calendars. Think about how else it can help your business in terms of customer relationship management, sales and marketing, service, and trouble-shooting.
Enterprise mobility starts by taking the processes that go on within the four walls of your organisation and mobilising them. In your case this will be email, calendars and contacts, Organisations like mine can then help you develop your strategy further by mobilising other functions within your business - such as CRM, ERP, accounting and so forth. At the end of the day, there’s very little that can’t be mobilised.
Lastly, don’t simply view this as a stop-gap to satisfy those employees who are asking for smartphones. Think of it as the opportunity to make a positive impact on your business in the longer term. If you’re not planning for enterprise mobility, rest assured your competitors are.
Initially staff have these sexy devices because they look good, but after a while most of their owners will start to ask their business if they can be used to pick up email whilst there are out of the office and synchronise to their desktop PC etc.
If staff are asking for smartphones is a good sign - it shows they are keen to increase their efficiency. Smartphone’s are a great productivity tool – just as long as you have control over them.
I have documented below a simple approach to the problem.
Select a companywide device and usage policy
So before you give the green light, best you work out your longer-term mobile strategy. Otherwise, you’re likely to get covert deployment - Before you know it, they’re all at it and you’ve lost control. In fact, most of the handsets already used by staff are email enabled in some form – but not necessarily the right form.
You must therefore take control by establishing a policy whereby all handsets are approved and managed by your IT department. Having a smartphone strategy from the outset will save you a lot of hassle downstream. You’ll also be creating your first stepping stone on the road to enterprise mobility.
First, you must decide on a common mobile platform. Your employees may well be pushing for Blackberry technology, Windows Mobile or event the IPhone, all are good and will enable your staff to get much more than just mobile email and calendars. Using Smartphone’s, your employees will be able to send and receive emails, view and edit calendars and contacts, , browse the Internet, view maps, use GPS technology, and run industry-specific applications. having a range of devices with different operating systems is the wrong approach, thry the various devices avaialble and pick the one that best fits your business.
Productivity
Smartphone’s will also help increase productivity by speeding decision-making. Indeed research suggests that mobile email makes a huge difference to anyone who receives more than 50 emails a day and spends more than 20% of their time out of the office and will certainly ensure your employees stay in touch with colleagues, customers and vital information away from the office.
Security
One thing you must not overlook when implementing your mobility strategy is security. Each year, around 12,000 mobile phones are found in the back of taxis in London alone, which means you should ensure all data is secure and controlled in the event of a lost or stolen device.
A good way of doing this is to deploy a third party device management and security package. This lets you manage your Mobile devices in much the same way as you manage desktops, laptops, and servers – allowing you to enforce group policy settings, distribute software updates, and wipe data from mobile devices if they get lost or stolen.
Long-term benefits
Enterprise mobility has already made a huge difference to many organisations who have deployed it. The important thing is to plan your long-term mobility strategy, not just your immediate requirement for email and calendars. Think about how else it can help your business in terms of customer relationship management, sales and marketing, service, and trouble-shooting.
Enterprise mobility starts by taking the processes that go on within the four walls of your organisation and mobilising them. In your case this will be email, calendars and contacts, Organisations like mine can then help you develop your strategy further by mobilising other functions within your business - such as CRM, ERP, accounting and so forth. At the end of the day, there’s very little that can’t be mobilised.
Lastly, don’t simply view this as a stop-gap to satisfy those employees who are asking for smartphones. Think of it as the opportunity to make a positive impact on your business in the longer term. If you’re not planning for enterprise mobility, rest assured your competitors are.
Thursday, 31 July 2008
MDA latest SMS, MMS, MI figures Jan-May 2008
The Mobile Data Association (MDA), has announced its latest quarterly data report on activity from January - May 2008 for Text Messaging (SMS), Mobile Internet (MI) and Picture and Video Messaging (MMS) and identifies new trends in the way people are increasingly relying on their mobile phones.
General trends:
All three measured metrics continue to grow; SMS has again surpassed expectations with 1.4 billion text messages being sent in the UK every week. SMS has established itself as a true social connecting tool and continues to have mass consumer appeal, at the same time there are signs of SMS being applied in commercial applications which will see the volume continue to rise.
Mobile Internet has seen steady growth in the UK; 16.5 million people accessed the mobile Internet in May 2008. This represents a 25 per cent growth since May 2006, indicating an average 4,500 new users every day.
Picture and video messaging (MMS) is showing excellent and sustained growth, with volumes rising steadily supported by some interesting seasonal peaks. 10 million picture messages are sent every week in the UK and year-on-year growth is at 30 per cent.
The growth can be attributed to a number of factors such as; the increased number of mobile devices with picture and video messaging capabilities and the emphasis placed on ease of sharing images via the mobile networks.
Seasonal highs include December when new devices are purchased; this resulted in a massive 52 per cent increase or an extra 19 million messages in December 2007 alone. Other seasonal trends which will be monitored this year, following spikes last year, is the use of picture and video messages sent while on holiday, the ‘Wish you were here’ effect. Will this spark the end of the traditional postcard? The MDA will be assessing the figures during July and August this year and will report on them later in the year. (October 2008)
What does the future look like?
The outlook for mobile data usage remains very positive. The moves by mobile operators to offer all inclusive tariffs will stimulate further growth and with predicted lower roaming charges, this will also drive usage. The MDA expects to see SMS growth of around 30% in 2008.
New operator pricing combined with new function-rich, Internet enabled devices such as the iPhone and Nokia N95, are key to driving adoption of mobile Internet access. There are powerful signs all around that mobile Internet access will supersede traditional PC access; a recent US study indicated that iPhone owners were responsible for 1 in 1,000 web page views last month. The MDA predicts that mobile Internet will become a true rival for traditional desktop Internet access, with growth of around 20% being seen in 2009.
In our next report in October 2008, the MDA will report on the rapid growth of mobile data usage driven by ‘dongles’, the 3G GPRS devices used to connect laptops to the Internet via the mobile networks.
Assessing the findings of the MDA’s Q2 report, Rob Bamforth, Principal Analyst at Quocirca, said: “It is well understood and been demonstrated in recent years that the mobile phone has become one of the three most important items people carry – along with keys and a wallet or purse – when heading outside. For business or personal use, it is no longer simply a mobile equivalent of the fixed phone, but a pocketable tool for remote control and connection across several modes of communication.
The access and sharing of snippets of information while on the move has become part of working and personal lives. It started with voice, then expanded to text – which as MDA figures have consistently demonstrated has grown astronomically over time – and now most recently has grown into richer messaging media and mobile access to the Internet. While these are still in their early stages, with some aspects of the technology still evolving, adoption looks set to follow similar paths to other communication and media formats.”
Q2 2008 Statistical findings
The MDA reports are unique as they report historical user data, not estimates or predictions, the figures are aggregated from all UK mobile operators.
The report highlights three key areas of mobile data usage:
Text Messaging (SMS)
Headline: The British love affair with texting continues
Number of person to person text messages sent in the UK:
Per month 6,467,070,000
Per week 1,492,400,769
Per day 212,616,000
Key facts:
25% Growth Quarter on Quarter (Q4 2007-Q2 2008)
30% Growth Year on Year (May 2007 to May 2008)
The growth of text messaging continues to defy expectation. The growth curve is set to continue as new devices promote messaging applications at the centre of their functionality. 1.4 billion text messages are now sent every week in the UK alone.
Steve Reynolds, Chairman of the Mobile Data Association comments: “Text messaging has been without question one of the great success stories of the mobile age both for the industry and consumer. With announcements this month around reduced cost of sending and receiving text messages abroad, this type of mobile operator action will only act to stimulate further growth. In 2008 we are increasingly seeing other applications come into focus for business and consumer use. Mobile e-mail and instant messaging represent new communication mediums but mobile operators need to simplify set-up and access to encourage adoption.”
Picture and Video messaging (MMS)
Headline: Wish you were here, say it with your mobile this summer
Number of person to person MMS messages sent in the UK:
Per month 46,516,405 (During May 2008)
Per week 10,734,555
Per day 1,529,306
Key facts:
MMS has seen a 30% year on year growth
10 million picture messages sent every week in the UK
Steve Reynolds, Chairman of the Mobile Data Association comments:
“Picture and video messaging volumes are gathering real pace. The proliferation of camera enabled devices has been key, but improved and automated settings around MMS set up have made the process simpler for the end user. The mobile phone now goes with us all everywhere; the seasonal trend of sending holiday messages is testament to that.”
Mobile Internet (MI)
Figures relate to number of unique visitors accessing the Internet from their mobile phone during the stated period:
Number of Mobile Internet users
May 2006 13,140,000.00
May 2008 16,425,000.00
Average number of new users per month 136,875 (between May 06 and May 08)
Per week 31,587
Per day 4,500
Key facts:
Mobile Internet usage has grown 25% in the past two years.
Steve Reynolds, Chairman of the Mobile Data Association comments: “There remain a number of challenges that mobile operators need to address to accelerate the growth of Mobile Internet. The MDA is calling for greater price transparency on the costs associated with using the Mobile Internet. The findings of this report suggest a real consumer appetite, but confusion over costs may be holding back growth.
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