comScore Focuses on Mobile Financial Services

comScore has released its inaugural study of the mobile financial services industry. The comScore report, ‘Mobile Financial Services: The Market Today & Opportunities for Tomorrow’, looks at the current state of the industry and mobile financial users, and highlights areas for potential growth in this rapidly evolving market. In conjunction with the report, comScore is hosting a supplemental webinar on 30 July, which will provides additional industry insights from comScore’s analysts.
The report leverages multiple comScore data sources to provide a comprehensive view of the mobile financial services market, including an overview of the current US mobile landscape, and insights into the mobile banking, credit card, insurance and brokerage sectors.
The report notes that mobile financial services adoption is highly dependent upon device technology and high bandwidth (3G) networks. A study of how mobile users access their banking accounts found that mobile web browsing ranked as the most popular method for both Smartphone (44.%) and 3G users (53.%), followed closely by mobile applications (48.1% of 3G users and 40.6% of Smartphone users).
The relative parity among usage of browsers vs. applications for access to mobile banking indicates the growing importance of ease of use for accessing accounts and conducting transactions. Interestingly, the percentage of mobile bankers who used SMS for access to their account information was substantially higher among 3G users (41%) than Smartphone users (25%).
“The increasing adoption of Smartphones and access to 3G networks, along with the rapid development of mobile apps, have created a fertile environment for the acceleration of mobile banking,” says comScore Senior Director, Marc Trudeau. “A seamless mobile banking user experience is necessary for this behaviour to take hold, and the convergence of the aforementioned technologies is now making mobile phones a viable access point for personal banking transactions. Financial institutions hoping to capitalize on this quickly emerging consumer banking trend need to be ahead of the curve and understand how consumers are using the mobile channel today, and how they would like to use it in the future.” 
The comScore report offers an insight into the usage patterns of mobile financial services users, including their preferred points of access. 31% of mobile customers access their financial accounts primarily from home, even though many households have PC-based Internet available as well. Another 25% conduct transactions when running errands, while 15% do so during their commute. 9% of respondents indicated that they primarily access their accounts while on vacation, and 8% do so primarily while travelling for business.
You can get more information about the report, and register for the webinar, here.

Orange in DRM-free Music Move

Orange is to offer up to 2 million Digital Rights Management (DRM)-free music downloads for customers across Europe in a major refresh of its dual mobile and web portal service, the Orange Music Store. 
The new-look ‘Web and Wap’ music store went live in the UK last week, giving customers access to over 700,000 DRM-free tracks through a simpler interface. In a gradual roll-out, Orange will convert its entire catalogue of 2 million tracks from rights-protected to DRM-free. 
The Orange Music Store, first launched in 2005 and present in nine markets, already gives customers dual access on web and mobile to the full catalogue of 2 million downloadable tracks from the world’s largest record companies, including Universal Music, Warner Music, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music, as well as prominent indie labels.  
All the tracks that appear in the store will now be DRM-free. Customers only need to make one payment to receive two files: a DRM-free MP3 file for the PC and an over-the-air (OTA) download for the mobile phone. They can then use their purchased music however they like, whether listening to it on their mobile phone, sharing it with another PC, burning it to CD or transferring to a personal MP3 player.
Following the UK launch, the new DRM-free Orange Music Store will open in France, Switzerland, Romania, Slovakia, Portugal and other countries throughout 2009. It will have a clearer and simpler format, with enhanced browsing and navigation to make it easier to discover and download music.
“There’s huge consumer appetite for music on the move, and with our DRM-free music catalogue and the new-look Music Store, we have effectively removed all the current barriers preventing customers from enjoying music the way they want to,” says Orange Vice-President of Music, Laurence Le Ny. “By providing a more seamless experience across PC and mobile, our music partners can make their content available to millions of European customers, letting them enjoy a vast collection of music any way they want.”
At launch customers can enjoy DRM-free music through the new portal. In the next phase, the Orange Music Store will also feature improved search, faster billing processes, personalized recommendations, user community features and more.

Smith Takes Orange Brand Role

Orange UK has appointed Ian Smith as its new Head of Brand Communications. Smith will be responsible for Orange’s advertising, digital and media strategy. He replaces Spencer McHugh, who has been appointed UK Brand Director of Orange. 
Smith joined Orange UK in 2003 as Advertising Manager, moving up to the role of Head of Media, where he delivered a number of successful campaigns across all media, and appointed MEC to handle Orange’s media planning and buying business. In September 2008, he took on the role of acting Head of Brand and Sponsorship Partnerships where he led Orange’s strategy in this area and maintained existing partnerships including Orange Wednesdays, the Orange British Academy Film Awards and Orange RockCorps.
Smith’s previous role as Head of Brand and Sponsorship Partnerships has been taken by Hattie Magee.

GSMA RCS Goes Live in S. Korea

The GSM Association (GSMA) has revealed that the world’s first interoperable enhanced communication service, incorporating key elements of the GSMA’s Rich Communication Suite (RCS) specifications, is now a live commercial service in S. Korea. The GSMA’s RCS initiative is supported by some of the world’s leading handset vendors, core network vendors and mobile operators, including KT and SK Telecom, who joined the initiative to provide an interoperable service solution in S. Korea.
The services offered by the three S. Korean operators include KT’s ‘show moov’, SK Telecom’s ‘Mobile Messenger’ and LG Telecom’s ‘OZ messenger’. These services commercialise key features of RCS, such as phonebook-driven buddy lists; presence capability that includes taglines and status; and voice calls and messaging.
KT’s ‘show moov’ client application is available for mobile and PC platforms, enabling users to access RCS services from mobile and fixed terminals, which is a key feature of the RCS specifications developed by the GSMA. In addition, SK Telecom and KT are actively collaborating with fixed-line services. SK Telecom’ s mobile messenger, for example, is linked with one of Korea’s most popular messenger services, ‘Nate On Messenger’.
“We are delighted that three leading mobile operators in South Korea, KT, LG Telecom and SK Telecom, have together launched the world’s first commercial service incorporating key elements of the GSMA's Rich Communication Suite,” ssays GSMA CMO, Michael O’Hara. “We live in a world where users want to access and share information at any time, any place and from any device, and the GSMA’s RCS initiative provides operators with the ability to launch a variety of new and enhanced communication services that fulfils this need.”
The GSMA says its RCS initiative will provide an exciting, feature-rich portfolio of communication services that operators will be able to offer their customers. RCS unleashes the communities hidden in a user’s phone book and with one simple click, enabling the user to share lifestyle experiences and emotions using rich content such as images and video amongst their closest ‘buddies’.
Developed by the collaborative efforts of leading mobile operators, vendors and telecommunication companies, RCS service features for the end user include an ‘Enhanced Address Book’ with presence and capability indications; ‘Rich Call’ facilities to exchange different types of content during a call; and ‘Rich Messaging’ that expands on traditional instant messaging.
SK Telecom and KT are active participants in the GSMA’s RCS initiative. The GSMA says their interoperable commercial services in S. Korea will provide significant opportunities for feedback, which will assist the creation of new use , s the RCS specification focus moves into the PC-to-mobile domain.  
Further announcements on RCS trials and launched commercial services are expected around the world in the coming year.

3rd Space Delivers Ad-funded Video for Reliance

Indian telco Reliance Communications has announced a partnership with UK mobile marketing firm, 3rd Space Services, to launch ad-funded videos on its Reliance Mobile platform. Under the tersm of the agreement, 3rd Space will supply mobile video content to Reliance Communications. It will also offer premium content such as ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’, Bollywood songs and films, and sports content. The service will be available on every data-enabled handset within the Reliance network. Customers will have access to the content in exchange for watching an ad embedded within the video.
“Our tie-up with 3rd Space will be mutually beneficial,” says Krishna Durbha, Head of Value Added Services at Reliance Communications. “It will not only increase the viewership, but also the revenue for both companies. Besides, the application offers outstanding video quality hitherto not experienced by mobile users, and will be accessible on every handset in our ecosystem. Our initiative will act as a launch pad for ad-funded videos in India, with more exciting things to follow.”

The Mobile Channel

Condor Ferries has hired mobile agency Incentivated to provide a text service to keep passengers informed about any disruptions to their journeys this summer. The service will provide passengers on both sides of the Channel with SMS alerts about departure times and sailing conditions. 
Condor Ferries has been working with Incentivated to provide a text message service to passengers since the end of October 2008. Condor operates fast cat ferries between Poole and Weymouth to Jersey, Guernsey, St Malo and Cherbourg. Each year it carries some 900,000 passengers and 200,000 passenger vehicles.
The SMS service is used to notify customers of any changes to the schedule and updates about sailing conditions. It enables Condor staff to send out bulk messages to a target list of recipients from the customer database and complements existing telephony services and the Condor website.
“Condor Ferries contacts customers by SMS message and phone advising them of important changes to sailings which affect them personally to minimise any inconvenience and allow them to modify their travel plans should they wish,” says Condor Ferries’ Operations Manager, Capt Fran Collins. “These texts and calls are a key part of our customer service programme and a significant investment on Condor’s part in infrastructure and staff time: we believe we set an industry-leading standard in providing proactive updates to passengers.”

"Emerging" Markets May Have Emerged, says Frost

The mobile communications markets in Eastern Europe are growing strongly in terms of both usage and revenues. Defining these markets as emerging may no longer be accurate, as they are demonstrating high growth and looking for new opportunities.
That’s the conclusion of new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, ‘Mobile Communications in Eastern Europe: A View on Key Markets’, which assesses the market situation in Eastern Europe through an analysis of six key markets: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Turkey. The report is part of Frost’s Mobile & Wireless Growth Partnership Services programme.
“Eastern European markets are fully penetrated and are rapidly adopting mobile broadband solutions,” notes Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst, Saverio Romeo. “The mobile phone is becoming critical for fast connectivity and innovative services, effectively substituting the lack of fixed infrastructures.”
The main challenge to the industry currently comes from the economic recession. The lack of credit for investments and the decrease in consumption will slow down the growth experienced by Eastern European countries. Moreover, regulatory limitations can hamper future developments.
Frost believes the mobile industry’s response to this scenario consists of two main actions.
“Services and processes’ optimisation, in order to efficiently use existing resources and reduce the need for capital investments is critical,” says Romeo. “Equally important is pursuing technological and strategic innovation through synergic cooperation between participants with different know-how with the aim to offer disruptive solutions to consumers at reasonable prices.”
Cooperation between regulatory authorities and the industry to overcome the challenges of the market will be vital, Frost believes. It says that cooperation between public sector and the industry for high-intensive investments, mainly infrastructures, will enable sustained market expansion.
For a virtual brochure, which provides a brief synopsis of the research and a table of contents, email: joanna.lewandowska@frost.com with your name, company name, title, and contact details.

Tosh TG01 Launches on Orange

Orange has been unveiled as the exclusive network partner for the Toshiba TG01 handset in the UK.
The TG01 offers users a 4.1” W-VGA screen, and comes with an exclusive pre-loaded film trailer for the forthcoming summer blockbuster ‘GI Joe’. It is also the first handset to be sold in the UK which has 1GHz of processing power, offering fast mobile Internet connectivity.
The handset is the first from Toshiba to be part of Orange’s Signature Series and comes with quick links to the best of Orange TV & Video, Orange Maps (Orange’s own satnav service which utilises the TG01’s inbuilt AGPS), and the Orange World mobile Internet portal.
The TG01 will be free to customers who take out a £39.15 per month, 24-month price plan. The package includes 1,200 any network call minutes, unlimited texts, Orange Maps, and inclusive anytime Internet browsing, and is exclusive to Orange in the UK.
“We’re really pleased to have teamed up with Toshiba to bring the TG01 exclusively to the UK,” says Francois Mathieu, Director of Devices at Orange UK. “We believe the TG01 is a prime example of manufacturer innovation, and is a device that is at the very top of its game, which will allow users to make the most from their mobile experience.”

Co-op Uses Mobile to Campaign for Journalists' Release

UK retail group The Co-operative is calling for the release of young video journalists (VJs) who risked their lives to tell the story of the 2007 Saffron Revolution in Burma. Co-operative Members and the public are being encouraged to ‘Free the VJs’ via the film’s website, postcards in cinemas, twitition (a Twitter petition) and by texting ‘Free the VJs’ to 87103. The digital campaign is being delivered by digital marketing agency Substance, supported by mobile messaging company Mediaburst.
Burma is a nation of fear and poverty despite its wealth of natural resources. Its rulers are intolerant of free speech and many of the journalists and activists shown in the award-winning Burma VJ film face prison sentences of up to 65 years.
The individuals imprisoned include Htin Kyaw, Su Su Nway, Ohn Than, Si Thu Maung and Ko Win Maw, together with over 2,100 others in Burmese jails, including Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who have been imprisoned simply for peacefully calling for democracy and freedom in the country.
The Co-operative does not trade with Burma. Co-operative Travel has delisted the country as a tourist destination, and The Co-operative Bank will not finance any organisation supporting the Burmese regime.

i-Free Supports Stella's Russian Movie Campaign

Russian mobile marketing firm i-Free has been engaged as the mobile partner for a ‘Movie World Bonus’ promotion run by premium lager brand Stella Artois.
The campaign, created by ad agency Progression, invites consumers who buy promotional packs of Stella to text a unique code under the cap to a Shortcode, or to enter the code on a promotiojnal website. In return, they earn credits, which can be exchanged for gifts, including T-shirts with quotations from the movies; DVD-cases; and beer glasses. In addition, the consumers with the most credits are entered into a weekly prize draw to win a DVD player.
“The SMS channel provides extra convenience for participants, making it possible for them to log in their code right now and right here,” says Progression Project Manager, Aleksandr Filatov. “This log-in method gives greater freedom and mobility for the users.”
Over the past six years, i-Free has been successfully marketing mobile services to major FMCG-brands, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Chupa Chups, Gillette, Duracell, Reebok and Foster’s.

Felltech Launches Outbox SMS

Felltech has announced the launch of its ‘OutboxSMS’ SMS Gateway server. A rack mounted appliance that sits inside the firewall, OutboxSMS enables organisations to use SMS as a means of communicating with customers, employees and partners, by integrating SMS with existing email communications.
By connecting to a LAN, OutboxSMS enables individuals inside businesses to send text messages by email so that time sensitive, urgent, confidential or other types of alerts and messages can be sent to customers, key workers or wider distribution lists. The system also allows replies to text messages it sends to be routed back to the sender’s email, so that these can be noted and correspondence continued by text or phone. Because OutboxSMS operates from inside the firewall, says Felltech,  it provides better security and control, as well as reduced running costs, compared to using an SMS service provider.
OutboxSMS has a point-and-click administration screen, which allows easy configuration of the message routing tables. Messages are routed according to the rules in the routing tables, which control how incoming messages are matched, and what is sent out in the outgoing message. With a powerful message routing system, incoming messages are matched by mobile number, email, or matching text in the subject or body of a text or email message. Once a message has been matched, either the original message can be sent out, or a template message can be sent. When email-to-SMS messages are sent, a record of the message is stored in OutboxSMS so that when the SMS recipient replies, the reply message is sent back to the sender's email address.

Admob Stats Reveal Extent of iPhone Browsing

With the Apple App Store celebrating its first anniversary this Saturday, 11 July, mobile ad network AdMob has released figures showing Apple’s share of the global, UK and US mobile markets, and consumer usage of iPhone apps. The latest stats reveal that the iPhone now accounts for almost half of all mobile web traffic in the UK.

iPhone Apps:

• The top iPhone apps had more than one million users in the UK in May 2009
• 5% of iPhone apps in AdMob's network had more than 100,000 active users in May 2009
• 14% of iPhone apps in AdMob's network had between 10,000 - 100,000 active users in May 2009
• 27% of iPhone apps in AdMob's network had between 1,000 - 10,000 active users in May 2009

Thomas Schulz, MD EMEA for AdMob, says that with more than 50,000 apps added to the App Store in the first 12 months, it is becoming increasingly hard for developers to capture the attention of consumers.
“Many developers are now using mobile advertising to drive downloads of their applications,” says Schulz. “Not only is this boosting sales of paid-for apps, it is also helping developers to monetise the traffic generated by their free applications.”

AdMob’s traffic figures reveal the massive disparity between Apple’s share of the Smartphone market – around 8% globally – and its share of the mobile web browsing market in May 2009, as detailed below:

UK:

• 48.7% of ad requests came from Apple handsets (iPhone and iPod Touch)
• 28.4% of ad requests came from the iPhone
• 282,493,761 ad requests from users in the UK

US:

• 45.1% of ad requests came from Apple handsets
• 25.7% of ad requests came from the iPhone
• 3,804,373,544 ad requests from users in the US

Global:

• 31.4% of ad requests came from Apple handsets
• 18.6% of ad requests came from the iPhone
• 7,997,946,483 ad requests from users around the world

With operators and handset makers launching App Stores, some question whether Apple's domainance will continue. Andrew Bud, Chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum, told Mobile Marketing Magazine recently:
"I believe Nokia’s Ovi store will be far more significant. With the App Store, you can reach 2% of the population; the Ovi store can reach something like 40%. One is a nice boutique, the other is Tesco.”
Given the way in which Apple has singlehandledly created the mobile apps market, however, it would be a brave man to bet against them.

Gameloft Selects Ericsson IPX

Mobile games developer and publisher Gameloft has selected Ericsson IPX to provide it with WAP, web and SMS payment services.
Gameloft has appointed IPX to help it expand its sales of mobile games into new countries, specifically Germany and the US. It was looking for a payments aggregator with the global reach to support its growth. Gameloft chose IPX to provide payment and messaging services due to Ericsson’s global presence, excellent service and extensive range of services offered. Local market knowledge and competitive payout rates were also deciding factors when selecting IPX.
Using IPX Payment clearing services, Gameloft can offer its customers a range of methods to buy mobile games, including WAP billing via their phone’s browser as well as SMS billing and the option of buying direct from the Gameloft website.
IPX is also providing bulk messaging services to Gameloft to enable the company to send messages to customers. IPX is also propviding SMS Shortcode services which enable customers to purchase games directly via SMS. Gameloft is also using subscriber information services from IPX in several markets to identify users from their mobile phone number. This allows the company to offer subscription-based services and a personalized user experience by linking this information to its CRM system.
“The Global reach of IPX’s payment services, especially in covering both the US and European markets, was a key factor for us, allowing us to continue to expand our distribution network,” says Gameloft Project Manager, Dario Urbani.

MindMatics Launches m³ Self Service Platform

MindMatics has launched its m³ self service mobile platform. It’s a browser-based platform that MindMatics says enables small and medium sized enterprises to run their own mobile marketing campaigns.
It’s a modular system with components for SMS-based competitions, mobile portal access, content downloads, PIN services, reverse auctions and mobile CRM. Each module can be individually activated.
During the platform’s development, care was taken to ensure simple and intuitive operation, so that users without any previous technical knowledge could set up their own live mobile service within minutes. The platform also offers a comprehensive extensive reporting function, which displays and compares all relevant campaign data in real time. The reporting module is available for all MindMatics customers free of charge.
MindMatics says its 10 years experience of implementing mobile marketing campaigns and services has gone into the development of the m³ platform. It says that selected customers, who tested the platform in advance, were impressed by its multiple service functions and ease of use. The Berliner Fox Mobile Distribution is, alongside MindMatics’ subsidiary company CLANMO, one of the first organisations to utilize the comprehensive CRM possibilities. Christoph Ranaweera, Supervisor for Technical Country Management at Fox Mobile Distribution, says: “We have evaluated numerous platforms from different mobile service providers. With the MindMatics m³ platform you can practically feel the amount of technical experience this service provider has to offer. Our cost efficiency requirements are met completely with the mobile CRM solution.”
MindMatics specialises in network operator-based micro-billing services. The company enables around 3.1 billion people in 60 countries to effect small payments or register votes via SMS. MindMatics also offers a global SMS dispatch infrastructure. The company has offices in Munich, Cologne, Vienna, and London.

GTEL Selects Comverse

GTEL Mobile, a new mobile operator in Vietnam, has deployed the Comverse ONE Billing & Active Customer Management solution, a converged billing system that is designed to help differentiate the operator from other telecom providers by offering flexible billing models and a 360-degree view of the customer, regardless of touchpoint.
Established last July, GTEL Mobile is a joint venture between Vietnam’s GTEL Corporation and VimpelCom, which provides telecommunications services in Eastern Europe. Vietnam’s telecommunications industry has recently been growing at 20 to 25% annually, and the country now has more than 50 million mobile service users.
GTEL Mobile has also deployed a portfolio of Comverse HUB Value-Added Services, including SMS Center for text messaging, MMS Center for multimedia messaging, Messaging Gateway, Mobile Internet Gateway, Next-Generation Voicemail, Call Completion and Ringback Tone services.
“Comverse offered a truly convergent prepaid and postpaid platform, together with a suite of pre-integrated, value-added services, that gives us the needed functionality to establish a foothold in the competitive Vietnamese market,” says GTEL Mobile CEO, Alexey Blyumin. “Comverse's strong presence in Vietnam and its track record of successful deployments of its billing solutions and value-added services with many other VimpelCom affiliates were key factors in our decision.”
Comverse ONE Billing & Active Customer Management is a converged Business Support System (BSS) solution that will enable GTEL Mobile to support any type of payment, such as prepaid, postpaid or hybrid, as well as create and deliver any service over its network efficiently.
Comverse’s flagship billing solution also provides integrated customer management that allows operators to respond to the changing needs of customers, offer real-time marketing capabilities;, and provide a range of self-service options.

MoBank Comes to the iPhone

Former First Direct and Egg bankers Steve Townsend and Dominic Keen have launched MoBank, a mobile banking service for the iPhone.
The service works with an existing bank account to let users buy and pay for items and check balances online using their iPhone. Subscribers use a PIN to instruct the MoBank system to authorise payments direct from their debit or credit cards.
The company says that it will soon introduce new services that will let users manage their money, pay bills, make person-to-person transactions, and transfer cash between accounts. Additional services such as a special date reminder alert, and a budget tracker to help customers keep on top of spending ,are also in the pipeline.
While the tool is initially available only to iPhone users MoBank says that versions for Blackberry and Google Android handsets will be introduced within the next 12 months.
“The Internet has revolutionised how we shop and manage our money,” says Keen. “The next step is to take this to mobile phones. MoBank has been designed to make people's lives easier and save them time by providing banking services on the move.”
The service will use a bespoke hosting platform from NTT Europe Online, while transaction fee services technology from txttrans means that no banking data, card details or PIN are stored on the mobile phone itself. Yodlee is providing current banking services, while the CRM platform and database is from Portrait.
MoBank CEO Townsend worked at UK Internet bank Egg for eight years as Innovation & Customer Services Director. Co-founder Keen is a former venture capitalist and one-time Head of Venturing at Egg.
There’s an interview with MoBank CEO Steve Townsend here.

IMIMobile Buys Mobytec

IMImobile, hich provides converged mobile and online technology platforms and managed services, has announced the acquisition of Mobytec, whose technology platform powers the award-winning Mobyko social aggregation service. As a result of the deal, Mobytec will be offered by IMImobile as a revenue-generating, fully managed, white label service for mobile network operators. Mobyko will continue as an independent company offering mobyko.com branded services.
Mobytec empowers the phone book for digital social lives. Users can synchronise and store social media content such as contacts, photos, texts and videos, from their mobile phones, in a single, secure online hub, and share rich media content with friends across online and mobile ecosystems. The platform integrates with social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter; aggregating live feeds, synchronising events, downloading profile photos to the contact address book, and displaying the latest Tweets from friends. 
For operators, Mobytec is a carrier-grade, fully managed service, and a ‘sticky’ interface between online and mobile activities in the expanding consumer social aggregation sector. By positioning the mobile address book as the natural hub for consumers’ online and mobile activities, says IMImobile, Mobytec presents a compelling revenue-generation and customer retention proposition.
“We believe that social aggregation tools are going to play an increasingly important role in the operator/consumer relationship,” says IMImobile CEO and Founder, Vishwanath Alluri. “Applications that add value to the customer and provide operators with a converged service, bridging the gap between online social networks and the mobile phone, are vital. Mobytec’s proven ability to deliver a world class user experience, combined with IMImobile’s robust and scalable back-end infrastructure, provides a powerful proposition within the market.”
The acquisition represents another step in IMImobile’s growth plans, following the acquisition of dx3 technologies, the M2Y platform from Nokia Siemens Networks, and the recent launch of IMEXmobile in the UK.

InnoPath Leads OMA-DM Demonstration

InnoPath Software, which specialises in over-the-air customer care for mobile devices, led the first ever OMA-DM (Open Mobile Alliance Device Management) interoperability demonstration at the OMA's recent meeting in meeting in Boston. The company successfully demonstrated its next-generation OMA-DM ActiveCare server, with handsets from Nokia running Symbian S60, and from HTC running Windows Mobile 6.1, highlighting interoperability across devices and networks, as well as broad industry support. With Smartphones costing up to four times as much to support as traditional featurephones, InnoPath says the ability to effectively support these advanced devices validates its ActiveCare business model for operators, and is proof of the utility and deployability of OMA-DM standards. This tie between standards development and practical use is critical for network operators and device makers.
The demo included four key OMA-DM enabled care capabilities:

• Mobile Check, where the phone is ‘pulsed’ for vitals. This capability is based on the Connectivity Management Object 1.0 (Approved Enabler) and Diagnostics Monitoring 1.0 (draft).
• Mobile Check and Correct for both ActiveSync and public email, saving up to 14 minutes on email support calls. This capability is based on Device Management 1.2 (Approved Enabler).
• Mobile Software Management for lifecycle software management, permitting operators to play a vital role in the application delivery ecosystem. This capability is based on the Software Component Management Object 1.0 (Candidate Enabler).
• Mobile Lock and Wipe for securing the phone. This capability is based on the Lock and Wipe Management Object 1.0 (Candidate Enabler).

The Nokia E71 is a leading smartphone based on Symbian and now available from AT&T (E71x). It runs a Native OMA-DM client. The HTC Tytn II (aka AT&T Tilt) is a widely available Windows Mobile phone, and was demonstrated with InnoPath’s standards-based ActiveCare Client. This client is unique in that it may be loaded onto the phone by the handset vendor or pushed to the phone once it is in the hands of the subscriber, allowing network operators to manage devices that may not have left the factory with device management clients installed.
You can see the OMA presentation on OMA presentation on the interoperability demonstration here.  
You can see a video of the HTC/Windows Mobile component of the demo here. And a video of the Nokia/Symbian component of the demo here.

MEF Issues Call to Action

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) has issued a call to action, in response to the record number of consultations that the UK mobile industry is being faced with in 2009. 
The MEF notes that the mobile media industry is being subjected to a record number of consultations from a variety of regulators across the globe. The UK is most immediately affected with five key consultations in 2009 alone, including the BCAP/CAP consultations, which recently closed, and four that are still open: the Ofcom scope review; Ofcom Audience Participation in Radio Programming – the use of PRS; Ofcom Broadcast Codes Review; and  PpP Discussion paper on Code.
The MEF believes that there are potentially significant overlaps in jurisdiction between different regulators, as recent MEF responses, written in collaboration with MEF’s UK members, show. These overlaps, it says, can create a lack of regulatory clarity for the industry, particularly when they seek to determine which regulations apply.
For example, the MEF notes, some of the proposed changes to the CAP/BCAP Codes clash with the PhonepayPlus Code. In the UK, Ofcom, the ASA, PhonepayPlus, the OFT and the ICO all have Codes or regulations that apply to the mobile media industry. The MEF says that any ambiguity is likely to cause serious regulatory uncertainty, and as a consequence, the regulatory burden on MEF members runs the serious risk of becoming disproportionate.  
The MEF has established an EMEA Regulatory Committee to deal specifically with the possible burdens imposed on its members and respond to consultations throughout EMEA that directly impact its members' business strategies and revenues. It points out that earlier this year, it submitted a consensus response written in consultation with its UK members to the PpP Activity Plan & Budget (08/09) resulting in no increased costs for its members.
The MEF has also provided members-only guides, written by MEF member Denton Wilde Sapte, on issues including the Unfair Commercial Practices and Audiovisual Media Services Directives, as well the PpP Consultation on Mobile PRS.
It believes there is is a real possibility that the Ofcom Scope Review coupled with the PhonepayPlus consultation could set a new and positive standard for regulation in the UK. Suhail Bhat, MEF Policy and Initiatives Director, says:
“The Ofcom Scope Review is essential for the industry, as its aim is to ensure that the current regulatory regime meets the needs of consumers, affords an appropriate level of consumer protection and also supports an innovative and quickly changing industry. Coupled with the PhonepayPlus discussion paper, this is the best opportunity for the industry, with MEF, to make a real difference.”  
PhonepayPlus has recently announced that the 12th revision of the Code will be among the most significant in the organisation’s 23-year history. Specific focus relates to regulating developments in a technologically fast-paced industry, such as the explosion of mobile phone-paid services, which have changed the face of the industry in recent years.    
Ingrid Silver, Partner Denton Wilde Sapte, MEF Board Member and Chair of the MEF Policy and Initiatives Committee says:
“There has never been a better time for the industry to join MEF and lead the way in ensuring that the regulations are fit for purpose, transparent and proportionate. The regulators are showing a genuine commitment to review the regulations and MEF will continue to work with them to secure a successful future for the industry and ensure that the consumer trust in mobile media services continues to grow.”

HulloMail Celebrates T-Mobile Success

T-Mobile has abolished premium call divert charges to customers using the HulloMail voicemail service. The network droped the charges on 29 June after prolonged pressure from Hullomail itself, and from customers incensed at being penalised for opting out of T-Mobile’s own voicemail service. T-Mobile had been the only operator to levy a premium of 17p or 26p depending on the customer’s tariff. The change means diverts will be considered as part of bundled minutes.    
HulloMail, the British company whose free downloadable voicemail app for the G1 phone was one of the early star performers on Android Marketplace, was T-Mobile’s most vociferous lobbyist. Given T-Mobile’s UK exclusivity over the G1, HulloMail boss Andy Munarriz had been lobbying the operator for several months. His calls had also been echoed by online petitions, with customers complaining of being penalised for using an otherwise free solution which was felt to be against the spirit of an open marketplace.
“These days, people expect voicemail to be as flexible as any other form of digital communications and our service allows precisely that,” says Munarriz. “I’m therefore delighted that when T-Mobile saw the advantages of our solution and how strongly users felt about it, they agreed to change their divert charge policy for HulloMail users.”
Currently, all mobile operators handle voicemail messages in much the same way, with all messages being stored on a central server, offering little flexibility in how they are then used. HulloMail says it plans to liberate UK consumers from archaic voicemail usage, allowing them to enjoy a fully integrated, free digital voice-email experience. Munarriz believes that, where users have a better choice, they should be able to use it.       
 “It always seemed unfair that our users should be penalised for wanting the best voicemail solution,” he says. “T-Mobile have shown they are willing to embrace developers who are striving to make mobile usage easier and cheaper, not putting barriers in our way. Hopefully, this is now what will happen.”

Aepona Buys Valista

Aepona, a global provider of telecoms software products and services headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has announced the acquisition of Valista, a Dublin, Ireland-based provider of payment, settlement and service lifecycle management solutions to mobile and broadband operators worldwide. The acquisition creates an independent vendor, operating under the Aepona brand, with a complete solution for the ‘Network as a Service’ (NaaS) business model that Aepona says now being embraced by Telcos globally.
With the NaaS model, mobile and broadband operators treat their network and informational assets as marketable resources that can be made available to third party application developers, upstream service providers and enterprises. These organizations can then enhance their applications, services and business processes with telco capabilities such as voice, location, messaging, profile, billing and so on.
The new Aepona offers telcos an end-to-end solution for the NaaS model, including Open APIs towards core network capabilities; third party relationship management; monetization;billing mediation and settlement; and service lifecycle management. Following the acquisition, Aepona’s client list now includes some of the world’s largest mobile and broadband operators in North America, EMEA and Asia. 
 “For some time now, operators have recognized the need to adopt a more collaborative approach to working with organizations such as enterprises and web-based service providers”, says Aepona CEO, Al Snyder. “The rise in ‘Over-the-Top’ services has made them realize that in order to compete effectively, they need to leverage their assets to the fullest extent possible, and this means opening up these assets towards third parties in a secure, controlled and billable manner.”
Snyder notes that while Aepona has secured several contracts with Tier 1 operators to implement their Open Network API programs, the company has, until now, lacked the monetization and settlement capabilities that are required for a true NaaS offering.
“With the acquisition of Valista, we can now offer telcos the means to monetize their Open API initiatives, as well as offering third parties a convenient way to bill end-users for their services,” he says.
Valista CEO Kevin McGrath describes the acquisition as: “a major step forward in the evolution of Valista’s business. The combination with Aepona creates significant benefits for the customers of both companies, providing them with a more complete solution from a single, independent entity that has the operational scale to serve our large operator customers at a global level,” he says. 

LBS Set to Double in 2009, says Gartner

Worldwide consumer location-based services (LBS) subscribers and revenue are on pace to double in 2009, according to a report from the analyst, Gartner. The report, ‘Dataquest Insight: Consumer Location-Based Services, Subscribers and Revenue Forecast, 2007-2013’, notes that, despite an expected 4% decrease in mobile device sales, LBS subscribers are forecast to grow from 41 million in 2008 to 95.7 million in 2009, while revenue is anticipated to increase from $998.3 million (£615.2 million) in 2008, to $2.2 billion in 2009.
Gartner defines LBS as services that use information about the location of mobile devices, derived from cellular networks, wi-fi access points or via satellite links to receivers in (or connected to) the handsets themselves. Examples are services that enable friends to find each other, parents to locate their children, mapping and navigation. Location-based services may be offered by mobile network carriers or other providers, and are are also known as location-aware services.
“The LBS industry has matured rapidly in recent months through a mixture of consolidation, improved price/performance of the enabling technologies and compelling location applications,” says Annette Zimmermann, Senior Research Analyst at Gartner. “Factors driving the increase in the next year or so include higher availability of GPS-enabled phones, reduced prices and appearance of application stores.”
Gartner predicts that advertising-based or ‘free’ LBS (disregarding data charges) will gain more traction as users adopt it as a way to limit costs. Mobile operators that stick to the current predominant business model of charging users $5 to $10 per month plus data plans will experience high churn rates, it says, as users will look for free alternatives. In North America and Western Europe, the share of users taking advantage of free services is approximately 10-15% today and is expected to grow to 40-50% in 2013.
Gartner expects more compelling and useful applications and services, such as digital coupons to be redeemed in a nearby shop, and points-of-interest search services, to come to market in the next 12 to 18 months. It believes that smaller, niche players will survive in local markets only when they have an established user base and unique offering that larger players cannot compete with. Other players will be acquisition targets for larger vendors.
Gartner adds that LBS market dynamics vary by region. For example, North America is the largest market due to mobile operators’ strong efforts in navigation services and family-safety solutions. In Western Europe, navigation is currently the most used application, followed by local search and ‘friend finder’ applications. There is still no significant uptake of safety applications.
Japan will continue to see steady growth, as GPS has been required by law in mobile phones since 2007. In Asia/Pacific, during the summer Olympics, location services were offered for the first time in China. These are now an advertising-based solution and free to the user.
“The competitive landscape will change and most mobile carriers need to alter their approach toward offering LBS and dealing with developers,” says Zimmermann. “Subscriber growth will hinge on ‘free’ - disregarding data charges - services. Mobile operators’ initiatives to open up the application programming interface (API) to third-party developers will help them compete against other players in the market, and will also be beneficial to the different parties involved, down to the end user.”
There’s more information about the report here.

Monitise and Visa in Strategic Alliance

Mobile money specialist Monitise has entered into a strategic global alliance with Visa International, a subsidiary of Visa Inc., the world's largest retail electronic payments network.
The five-year agreement, worth $13 million in addition to ongoing licence, service and development fees, combines Visa's reach, payments expertise and trusted brand with the Monitise Mobile Money platform and toolkit.
Monitise will be a strategic development partner for Visa's suite of mobile services, including payments, mobile money transfer, mobile transaction alerts and mobile marketing offers to support Visa's mobile strategy to extend the reach of its global network to the more than 4 billion mobile devices around the world.
“Visa is the world's most trusted, inclusive and innovative payments network,” says
Monitise CEO, Alastair Lukies. “This alliance validates our unwavering commitment to building truly accessible, inclusive and reliable services over the past seven years. It is a landmark announcement in the mobile payment space and we are excited to collaborate with the world's foremost payments company to accelerate the convergence of payments services and mobile devices.” 
Monitise creates mobile banking networks that enable customers of multiple banks and mobile operators to perform banking and payment transactions directly from their mobile handset.
The company has live services in the UK and the US, where it has delivered the MONILINK and Monitise networks in partnership with VocaLink and Metavante Corporation respectively, and is currently working with international partners to deliver similar safe, secure mobile banking and payment services in territories worldwide. Current key partners include VocaLink, Metavante, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, first direct, Alliance & Leicester, Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and 3.

O2 gets the Palm Pre

Telefónica and Palm have announced an exclusive agreement to sell the Palm Pre phone initially in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Spain, when the device is launched in Europe “in time for the winter holidays”. 
Palm Pre is the first phone based on the new Palm webOS mobile platform. It features a smooth, rounded ergonomic design and a physical keyboard that slides out only when needed, Palm Pre is engineered to feel natural in the hand and small in the pocket.
“We are fast becoming the home of the Smartphone, with the addition of the hotly-anticipated Palm Pre to our already extensive portfolio,” says Telefónica Europe Chairman and CEO, Matthew Key. “Our customers will be the first outside of North America to experience one of the most successful mobile devices of the year.”
Customers who would like to register to receive additional information about Palm Pre and be notified when it’s available can register here for the UK and Ireland, here for Germany, and here for Spain.

Orange Unveils Watch Phone

Orange has unveiled the world’s first Touchscreen Watch Phone. The LG Touchscreen Watch Phone goes on sale in August and is one of several innovative ‘future phones’ that Orange will be launching over the next 18 months. Orange says the phones have been chosen specifically for their unique digital lifestyle benefits that allow users to make the most from the latest shifts in modern technology.
The device will be available from Orange for “a limited time period” at what Orange describes as an exclusive price point, on either Orange pay as you go or SIM-only. It comes with a Bluetooth headset (for those who don’t want to talk to their watch, Bond-style), in-built speaker and a full touch-screen interface, as well as 3G+ and video-calling capabilities.
“The Watch Phone is the must-have gadget of 2009,” says Orange UK CEO, Tom Alexander. “Our ambition is to become the best loved communications brand in the UK, and the destination brand of choice for high-end mobile users in the market. To help us achieve this, we have secured some of the most original and innovative devices available. The Watch Phone is the first of these devices, all focused on bringing a 21st-century experience to our 21st century customers."

Mobile Games Under the Spotlight

The Multimedia Research Consultancy (TMRC) has issued its latest report on the mobile games industry. The report is based on an online survey of its global panel of mobile games industry experts. The survey was carried out in April and May 2009 among 128 mostly senior-level executives from 118 mobile games enterprises in 40 countries. 74% were involved in development, 38% in publishing, 20% in content aggregation, 26% in distribution and 22% in running portals
The report covers a range of subjects, including the anticipated impact of app stores and social networking on the mobile games distribution landscape over the next two - five years.
“Our research suggests that we are clearly at a tipping point in mobile games distribution, with over half of mobile games enterprises agreeing (with the statement): ‘Today’s distribution landscape will be unrecognisable in five years time’,” says TMRC Managing Director, Vic Whiting. “In fact, they expect that within a couple of years, consumers will overwhelmingly prefer to buy their mobile games from handset manufacturers’ app stores.
“Not surprisingly, we found that the Apple App Store’s meteoric rise is expected to continue – mobile games distribution via this channel is expected to nearly double over the next two years. Nevertheless, competition in the app store space is expected to intensify and we have identified the names of which app stores are likely to succeed and perhaps, more importantly, which ones are likely to struggle going forward.”
Another area examined by the survey is the potential offered by social networking sites to sell and promote mobile games. The results reveal that the industry is currently in two minds about social networking sites - perceiving them as part mystery, part opportunity. Nevertheless, says TMRC, in spite of reservations, mobile games enterprises are planning to embrace social networking in their future marketing and distribution strategies, so much so that only a minority will not be using social networking sites in two years time. The report identifies those social networking sites which will feature strongly in their plans.
Overall, the research points to the mobile games industry increasingly favouring a more direct route to market, taking out, where possible, the middlemen. However, as the success of app stores continues, the biggest challenge for games suppliers will be how to secure visibility for their products, as the number of games on each online store grows rapidly.
“In fact, we believe the industry faces a re-run of an earlier conundrum – namely how to attain visibility and prominence on operator decks,” says Whiting.
The report costs $750 (£460). There’s more information here.

Tosh Phone Comes With Nimbuzz

Nimbuzz has revealed that the native, preinstalled version of its Nimbuzz mobile social messenger application is available on the Toshiba TG01 handset, which launched with O2 Germany last month.
Accessed via a central icon on the home screen the app integrates seamlessly onto the handset. The three companies have worked closely together to deliver lifestyle communications features on the Toshiba TG01, enabling users to contact all their friends across multiple networks from one place. Local social networks such as StudiVZ, are incoporated in the client alongside all of the major global communities, such as Facebook, MySpace, Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, GoogleTalk and AIM.
“Software enriches the value chain for the mobile ecosystem,” says Nimbuzz CEO, Evert-Jaap Lugt. “Users, who are looking for a device that fits their lifestyle, operators, looking for new ARPU magnets, and handset manufacturers looking for a value add to differentiate, all profit from Nimbuzz’s mass market solution. Adding 900,000 new users a month, we welcome all O2 customers and TG01 users to Nimbuzz.”

Karnstedt Joins Jumptap Board

Mobile advertising firm Jumptap has appointed David Karnstedt, President and CEO of Efficient Frontier, to its Board of Directors. Karnstedt has had a high profile career in both search and display advertising, and his experience includes establishing many significant industry firsts.
As President and CEO of Efficient Frontier, Karnstedt leads overall strategy and is responsible for the management and operations of the company. Prior to that role, he served as Executive-in-Residence for Redpoint Ventures, a current Jumptap investor. He also served as Senior Vice President of Yahoo!’s North American Sales, where he drove $3 billion worth of revenue. He has also worked for Wired Digital, AltaVista and Overture.
“The mobile advertising market is rapidly evolving, and Jumptap’s strategy and advanced targeting technology have uniquely and defensibly positioned them for success,” says Karnstedt. “The company offers a tremendous value proposition to advertisers seeking higher ROI, publishers that want to optimize their mobile revenue, and carriers that seek to leverage their data assets to build targeted user profiles.”

Amadeus Launches Mobile Travel Solutions

Amadeus, a global technology and distribution partner to the travel industry, has announced that a suite of mobile solutions for the business traveler, which will run on all major mobile operating systems, including Windows Mobile, Symbian and BlackBerry. 
Amadeus Mobile Partner enables travelers to store complete itineraries on their mobile device at the push of a button. They can access everything from flight schedules and hotel addresses, to car-rental and check-in information, even when they do not have network connectivity. It also means that these details can be checked while abroad without incurring any roaming fees.
Amadeus Mobile Partner has an additional function for travel approvers within a company, which allows them to confirm or reject trip requests via their mobile, thus avoiding bottlenecks when they are away from their desk. Approvers see the full list of trips waiting to be approved, and can quickly endorse or reject them directly from their mobile.
Amadeus SMS Traveller Contact is a traveller tracking and security tool to facilitate ad hoc communication with travelling employees before, during and after they travel. It enables the travel manager to reach out to travellers who may be at risk during an emergency; send SMS notifications before, during and after a trip; and quickly send information via email to all those employees with planned trips for a given destination.
Amadeus has also teamed up with mobile technology company ConTgo to offer an additional mobile solution, Mobile Travel Assistant (MTA). Its main feature, known as the
Follow-Me Itinerary, delivers relevant information directly to the traveller’s mobile phone using SMS messages only when they need it. The information sent is based on the traveller’s itinerary, and the content can be customised and controlled by the corporation, based on location-specific rules. Secondly, the MTA’s Travel Alert functionality helps locate travellers by SMS and keeps track of their responses, so that the travel manager can keep a clear view of those who may be in need of assistance during a travel security incident.
“Amadeus continues to invest in innovation and to believe in R&D, particularly during a period of financial crisis when companies are looking to improve their business,” says Amadeus Vice President, Business & Corporate Travel, Albert Pozo. “We plan to bring our customers next generation travel technology that will help the traveller be more productive and efficient while on the road. After initiating joint research with ACTE last year which evaluated the mobile needs of corporations, Amadeus is now delivering a portfolio of mobile services for the business traveller, helping corporations better support their employees who are on the move.”
Earlier this year, Amadeus teamed up with Air France, IER and Nice Airport to pilot a mobile boarding pass that allows travellers to board their planes with three swipes of their mobile phons. The project is currently being piloted at Nice Cote d’Azur Airport for travellers flying with Air France to Paris Orly.

Juniper Report Analyses Mobile Messaging Prospects

Mobile messaging revenues are set for measured growth over the next five years, as market forces take effect. That’s the conclusion of the latest report from Juniper Research, ‘Mobile Mobile Messaging & IP Evolution: Players, Strategies & Forecasts 2009-2014’.
The report concludes that SMS, MMS, mobile email and IM (Instant Messaging) traffic volumes will continue their inexorable rise, but nots also that the IP evolution is resulting in disruptive business models, increased competition from the web, and commoditisation of established services.
It also finds that the move from per-transaction to per-month billing models, incorporating up to unlimited data and messaging bundles, will see total P2P (peer-to-peer) revenues in Western and Eastern Europe post declines, balanced to some extent by a healthy rise in revenues in developing markets, plus growth in ad-funded tariffs. Meanwhile, web-based communities will continue to integrate new messaging mediums, which could impact operator revenues in the increasingly open mobile web-browsing environment.
The report investigates the future for the mobile messaging market, providing forecasts and analysis for both network-based services (SMS, MMS) and IP-based services (Mobile Email and Instant Messaging). It includes a discussion about the shift in the mobile messaging dynamic, looking at how the social web will drive evolution in the messaging world, in combination with the emerging paradigm brought about by IP-based messaging services.
Key projections within the forecasting suite include total global revenues, forecast by region and by product sector; mobile messaging user numbers and annual volumes of messaging by product; volumes of paid-for messages and total operator-billed revenues; and total mobile messaging advertising revenues.
The report also explores a number of business models, such as value-chain disruption, evolution of mobile networks, and the emergence of mobile ad-funded tariffs, plus the various types of value-added services being developed to complement the growing number of messaging services available.
It also considers the following questions:

• What is the market opportunity for mobile messaging services?
• What are the factors driving market demand and evolution, and where are the various services being adopted?
• How are services delivered and revenues derived?
• Who comprises the value chain & what strategies are they adopting?
• How do next-generation mobile messaging services, convergence and VAS (Value Addes Services) impact current offerings?
• Who uses mobile messaging services, and what are the various use case scenarios?
• What are the enabling technologies and industry/standards developments?

The report costs £1,750 for a single-user PDF or hardback copy; £2,500 for a multi- user licence; or £3,750 for an enterprise-wide licence.
There’s more information here. And you can download a free Whitepaper here.

Xtract Secures Finnish Deal

Xtract, which develops ‘social intelligence’ software, has revealed that Finnish operator DNA has deployed its ‘Social Links On-Demand' solution, bringing the benefits of its targeted and personalised marketing offering to DNA’s 2.4 million subscribers.   
Social Links On-Demand is a new delivery channel for Xtract's flagship solution Social Links. According to Xtract, it helps operators to gain a three-dimensional picture of its subscribers for use in more targeted marketing. Social Links analyses behavioural, demographic and social network data from subscribers in an anonymized form, thus protecting privacy.
Social Links On-Demand's key components include social network analytics; data warehouse/storage; database maintenance; and infrastructure services such as virus protection and firewalls. Operators can revolutionise strategies such as churn management based upon the service's three-dimensional subscriber profiling, says Xtract. 
“This is a revolutionary solution for customer insight,” says DNA’s Head of Business Intelligence, Jarkko Utriainen. “It helps us increase our marketing efficiency by harnessing the viral effects within social networks. At the same time, deploying the solution as an on-demand service that is hosted by Xtract saves us cost, resources and time in implementation.”

weComm Powers BBC Radio Mobile App

weComm, which specializes in interactive mobile data solutions, has revealed that it was behind the design of the downloadable mobile application currently being used in the BBC's ‘radio visualisation’ trial, giving users synchronised access to relevant images, ‘now playing’ and artist information, news, entertainment and sports feeds on thier mobile, as well as the ability to interact directly with the programme.
The mobile application, which is built on weComm’s wave On-Demand Mobile Application Platform, delivers live radio broadcast for radio shows involved in the trial. The trial includes The Chris Moyles Show, Zane Lowe and Switch on BBC Radio 1, Material World on BBC Radio 4, and a selection of The Hub sessions on BBC 6 Music.
weComm’s wave platform uses a client-server infrastructure to deliver high-quality, interactive mobile data services, optimized to all major mobile operating systems. The technology delivers content and applications to handsets on-demand, giving the richness and interactivity of an on-device application combined with the flexibility and freshness of an online service.
“The radio visualisation trial is ideally mapped to weComm’s push technology, highlighting our ability to deliver synchronised real-time interactivity in a rich and compelling manner,” says weComm VP, Business Solutions, Steven Tan.

Adfonic Launches Mobile Ad Exchange

Adfonic has announced the release of its mobile advertising exchange of the same name. Adfonic will enable advertisers and agencies to bid for advertising on mobile sites and applications, creating a new revenue stream for mobile publishers. Adfonic’s self-service global mobile advertising platform will address the advertising community’s increased demands for more sophisticated mobile campaign management and maximise the earning potential for a new generation of mobile Internet sites and applications worldwide.
Adfonic says that advertisers and publishers will benefit from “the most advanced targeting capabilities in the market, detailed web-based real-time reporting and analytics, and an intuitive user experience”.
“We are creating a transparent marketplace for advertisers to buy mobile inventory using a bidding model which will keep costs low whilst protecting their brand,” says CEO Victor Malachard. “Mobile has the potential to be the most powerful channel in the marketing mix. Our goal is to turn that potential into reality.”
Adfonic says its campaign management tools have been designed from the ground up to allow advertisers and agencies to connect with their desired audiences. Targeting options include location, device, mobile operators, demographics and day-time parting Web 2.0-style ‘tag’ approach further helps advertisers reach a contextually relevant set of publishers, who in turn benefit from increased earning potential.
Harry Dewhirst, operations Director at mobile media planning and buying agency RingRing Media, has welcomed the launch of Adfonic. He told Mobile Marketing Magazine:
“I think Adfonic is a great startup. They have already been in to demo the platform to the Account Management team at RingRing and we were all very impressed. In terms of functionality, its right up there with Admob. The blind network space is competitive, but providing they get quality publishers within their network, which I’m sure they will, then the advertisers (and agencies) will follow. RingRing Media are already planning some campaigns with Adfonic and look forward to great success.“
Mick Rigby, Chairan of media agency Yodel, also feels the company has a decent offering. He told us:
“The founders each have excellent mobile pedigree and have done an awful lot of research on other mobile ad networks prior to launching Adfonic, so hopefully it will live up to its billing as having the most advanced targeting capabilities and bringing something new to the mobile ad market.
“The risk they take is becoming a ‘me too’ to the likes of Admob and BuzzCity who are already established. The key to their success will be the publisher partnerships they manage to establish. To really get Yodel excited they’ll need to get on board the big consistent traffic sits as well as some of the premium publishers that aren’t currently in blind networks.
“Their targeting capabilities, especially the daypart and the keyword tagging, do offer something that we’ll find really useful. Lower CPC’s are beneficial to the advertiser but are only worth the money if the click turns into a conversion; better targeting tools will allow agencies to focus on the right audiences and help optimise the campaign conversions."
The Adfonic platform will serve display advertising to mobile sites and applications at launch, and publishers and advertisers can create an account for free in minutes here.
The interface is designed for companies ranging from larger brands and established mobile destinations to bloggers and small developers seeking to monetise or drive traffic to their sites and iPhone applications.
The three co-founders of Adfonic – Victor Malachard, CEO; Wesley Biggs, CTO; and Paul Childs, CMO – collectively bring 40 years of mobile marketing, mobile technology and start-up experience to their roles. Adfonics says the company is founded on the principles of trust, openness, flexibility, innovation and continuous improvement, which it says are essential elements for the development of a vibrant mobile community.

WiMAX First for Red Bend in Japan

Red Bend Software, which specialises in Mobile Software Management (MSM), has revealed that Fujitsu Microelectronics has licensed its standards-based device management (DM) software for Fujitsu’s WiMAX SoC and WiMAX chipsets. Fujitsu Microelectronics specializes in the design and manufacturing of semiconductors for WiMAX devices, such as mobile handsets, PC modems, mobile Internet devices and netbooks.
Under the agreement, Fujitsu Microelectronics has pre-integrated Red Bend’s device management software in its WiMAX SoC and chipset platform, enabling Fujitsu customers to quickly and efficiently implement standards-based device management in their WiMAX-enabled products. Red Bend provides the an independent DM client that is interoperable with DM servers supporting standards from the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), including the WiMAX Management Object that is used by the WiMAX Forum, and that has been adopted by leading WiMAX operators worldwide. Fujitsu Microelectronics is a founding member and board member of the WiMAX Forum.
“This agreement with Fujitsu Microelectronics represents the first WiMAX deal for Red Bend in Japan, and continues the rapid adoption of our device management solution by WiMAX chipset vendors, device manufacturers and operators worldwide,” says Kazuhiro Abe, President of Red Bend Software Japan KK. “Fujitsu Microelectronics selected Red Bend for its leadership in mobile software management and built-in support for WiMAX, making it easier and more cost-effective to integrate OMA DM functionality into any WiMAX-enabled device.”
Red bend notes that WiMAX service providers face myriad challenges in provisioning millions of new subscribers, as well as managing millions of devices that will operate on the network, often temporarily. It adds that its device management software has been proven in tens of millions of mobile devices already in the market, and is rapidly being adopted by WiMAX service providers, chipset makers and equipment manufacturers in the United States, Japan and EMEA.
Red Bend’s standards-based OMA DM solution is used to provision new subscribers, configure applications and network settings, manage software, and retrieve device information over the air. It has been deployed across multiple platforms, operating systems and memory types on mobile phones, wireless devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) modules.

Take Our Survey and Win a £250 Bose Sound System

With more and more people using their phone to access their email, there are some important implications for brands looking to reach people via email marketing campaigns. 
Email marketing company Experian CheetahMail wants to look at some of these in more detail, and as a starting point, it is conducting a survey to find out about mobile email usage.
The survey will take less than a couple of minutes to complete, and everyone who enters will have the chance to win a Bose SoundDock digital music system worth £250. This great piece of kit turns your iPod or iPhone into a hi-fi system, and even charges the device at the same time.
To take part in the survey,click here.

Incentivated and RAPP Launch Bowtime Loyalty Campaign

Cider brand Strongbow is launching a mobile loyalty campaign to reconnect with customers who took part in last year’s multiple award winning 6-month ‘Bowtime’ campaign. 
Bowtime is Strongbow’s new through the line communication idea which was seeded in through 2008 and integrated into the wider above-the-line campaign in 2009. In 2008, mobile was the core channel used, as the campaign was managed and delivered by RAPP and mobile agency Incentivated.
Over 80,000 customers signed up for the campaign, which included mobile barcodes and a pub locator, on-pack promotions, and a promotion on social media site Flirtomatic. All participants were entered into a 4-month CRM campaign, featuring free pint and festival ticket offers, MMS animations and ‘wind-up-a-mate’ promotions.
The campaign prompted a 39% response rate, and following the campaign, research conducted by Millward Brown among those who had received the CRM activity versus those who had not, showed that the campaign had a statistically significant impact on purchase. For the CRM group, claimed purchase increased by 44%, and brand preference increased by 8%. This compared with decreases in claimed purchase of 4% and decreases in brand preference of 10% for those who had not received the CRM messages.
This will be the third year that Strongbow has used mobile to connect with customers. The loyalty campaign, which launches on 10 July, integrates mobile, email and web elements. A series of text & win competitions invites drinkers to win 60 prizes a day for 60 days, including both high- and low-value prizes like JVC DVD Home Surround Sound Systems, Tangent DAB Digital Radios, iPod nanos, iPod docks and Sharp 19” LCD TVs, as well as Strongbow-branded merchandise.
Strongbow has been building a detailed CRM database, including customers’ interests, consumption behaviour, ages, mobile numbers, email and postal addresses. This information will be used as the basis for targeted outbound campaigns in 2010.  
“The Bowtime campaign proved that mobile is an exciting and effective way to connect with our customers, providing interesting and engaging branded content and competitions,” says Strongbow Brand Manager, Fiona Seath. “This creates a platform for us to deepen customer relationships and build loyalty throughout the peak summer months.”
Incentivated Commercial Director Robert Thurner says that in 2009, the company is witnessing a growing number of clients focusing on the rich data mobile delivers and converting it into highly targeted and relevant campaigns which keep their brands front of mind.
“I expect this will pave the way for more expansive, integrated campaigns as market conditions improve later this year,” he says.

Mobile Advocacy Coalition Fights for Mobile Marketing's Future

A body called the Mobile Advocacy Coalition has been formed in the US to, in is own words “lobby the FCC (Fenreal Communications Commission) and protect the future of mobile marketing”.
The Mobile Advocacy Coalition was formed in response to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's ruling in the case of Satterfield v. Simon & Schuster, Inc. The Court's decision to remand includes instructions that the group says twist the meaning of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991 in a way that imperils the entire mobile marketing industry. According to the decision, any computer that sends texts is effectively considered an auto dialer, which puts any mobile marketing campaign on the wrong side of the law.
The Mobile Advocacy Coalition is comprised of mobile marketing firms, mobile software providers, and SMS aggregators, all working together to lobby the FCC to issue a Declarative Order establishing our industry partners as “mere conduits” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991.
“Fax broadcasters and the cellular carriers have specific exemptions from the FCC as they are considered to be ‘mere conduits’,” says Shane Neman, CEO of Ez Texing and Mobile Advocacy Coalition Founder. “We too are merely the technology providers, and yet still can be liable under the law because no specific exemption is exists for us.”
How could the Court interpret a computer that sends text messages to be an auto dialer? The court found that because a computer has the capability to generate a random list of numbers - like an auto dialer - it is an auto dialer. The group asks anyone who does not see the issue with this interpretation to consider that their mobile phone is a computer). So, it doesn’t matter whether the mobile marketer adheres to MMA Best Practices or ensures that a list of numbers is opt-in; the interpretation, and thus liability, rests on the issue of capability.
The Court of Appeals has remanded the case to the District Court for further litigation, as it did not agree with the District Court's finding that a computer sending opt-in texts is not an auto dialer. If this interpretation stands, anyone who sends out an SMS-based mobile marketing campaign will be in violation of the TCPA.
The Mobile Advocacy Coalition is currently building a broad coalition of industry participants to lobby the FCC for a Declarative Ruling. It is working with Scott Delacourt, a lawyer at Wiley Rein LLP, who has worked extensively with the FCC, representing the mobile industry.There’s more information here.

Flirt-words Are Go

Mobile and online dating service Flirtomatic has announced the launch of its Flirt-word service. The new service gives users the opportunity to buy the rights to a certain word for a 24-hour period, giving them the chance to be ‘hot’, ‘cool’, ‘London’ or anything else for the day.  
For the last six weeks, Flirtomatic has given users the ability to profile search, generating over a million Flirt-word searches. Now it’s expanding the search by giving users to chance to buy targeted exposure and attach themselves to a word in order to be found quicker by other users.
Buying a word makes users appear at the top of every search of that specific word, much in the same way as a sponsored link appears at the top of results in any of the major search engines on the web. For example John might buy the exclusivity to the word ‘London’ and if anyone performed a search on Flirtomatic for the word ‘London’ John would appear at the top of the search results for 24 hours.
Noting that some words are going to be more popular than others and to account for this, Flirtomatic has built an automated pricing adjustment system.The price of words will be calculated on a day-to-day basis in relation to customer demand. So the most sought after words should naturally move to a higher price point. In addition, the Flirt-words service will automatically produce banners promoting users and their exclusive word across the network. For example one could read – “Look who’s ‘hot’ today”.
“We know that users love to advertise themselves on the site and the Flirt-words service gives them a new and targeted way to get instant exposure,” says Flirtomatic CEO, Mark Curtis. “Think of it as Google Adwords for the flirtatious.
“It’s an extremely interesting experiment for us, and as the majority of our users seem to realise the value of screen real-estate on mobile, it seemed like a natural progression in profile search capability. It’s a simple concept over perhaps a bidding system, but let’s see what our users think of it.”

Alcatel-Lucent Targets Operators with Mobile Ad Solution

Alcatel-Lucent has launched its Advertising Selection Server through its subsidiary Gettings and unveiled EPlus group in Germany as the first customer for the service.
The Advertising Selection Server features advanced targeting algorithmsa , and is designed to help mobile operators sell advertising inventory across a variety of formats, including SMS and MMS Push, mobile websites, Ringback Tones, pre- and post-roll video ads, and in-game advertising.
The solution is a key element of the Gettings business model around mobile advertising which was developed through extensive collaboration between Alcatel-Lucent and E-Plus group in the creation of new service features and system testing. Gettings enables advertisers to deliver targeted mobile advertising campaigns to all customers of the E-Plus group in an opt in model.
In the Gettings application E-Plus’ consumers choose between three packages - S, M and L - where they will receive between 10 and 25 mobile ads per week, in return for €1, €1.5 or €2 of credit. The Advertising Selection Server enables users to provide their preferences so they receive only mobile ads that interest them.
“Advertising must not be perceived as a nuisance. This is especially true for ads on a mobile phone,” says Daniel Euler, managing director of E-Plus’ Gettings. “Mobile Advertising only works if it strictly centres around the recipients' interests.”
The Advertising Selection Server provides mobile service providers with a single platform that is able to deliver a mix of push and pull targeted advertising campaigns tailored to an individual subscribers’ opt in preferences. The solution also offers a user-friendly interface for inventory and campaign management and acts as a single front-end for advertising players, with a suite of APIs for tight integration with third party services, profiling, and billing systems. The solution is generally available worldwide as a turnkey product, or as a hosted service.
Alcatel-Lucent says the Advertising Selection Server supports its broader personalized content and advertising strategy, which is geared toward enabling the delivery of relevant, interactive and personalized advertising to consumers over communications networks of all kinds.

Roaming Warning

With the new data roaming regulations that came into force yesterday, much of the talk has centred on the welcome news that it’s going to cost less to go talk, text and sruf the mobile web on your phone in the EU from now on. But independent consumer website Broadband Genie has issued a warning, reminding consumers of the cost of using USB dongles to surf the web on your laptop abroad. It points out that downloading one TV show via mobile broadband while abroad on holiday could cost more than the rest of the trip combined.
As of yesterday, the wholesale cost of data in the EU (ie, what suppliers pay each other) was capped at €1 euro per MB by the European Commission. UK mobile broadband providers 3, T-Mobile and Vodafone have all reduced prices to £1.50 per MB or less for EU roaming. However, this is still much more expensive than UK data roaming, while non-EU roaming can still cost more than £6 per MB. There’s a full list of data roaming charges here.
Broadband Genie notes that a single TV episode can comprise between 200MB - 550MB of data, depending on sound and picture quality. A film will be anywhere from 700MB to more than 1.5GB. At £6 per MB then, that must-see episode of ‘The Wire’ (at, say, 350MB) could set you back more than £2,000, while a DVD quality film could cost around £9,000 in data charges. Even at Vodafone's market-leading rate of £9.99 for 50MB in the EU, a 350MB show would cost £70, while customers on 3 or T-Mobile would be looking at an EU bill around £500.
“The most popular services such as the BBC iPlayer and Sky Player only work in the UK, but there are many ways to download shows and films online,” says Broadband Genie Editor, Chris Marling. “If you feel you have to take a UK mobile broadband dongle on holiday, make sure everyone understands it's for basic browsing only. Otherwise, you could be in for a nasty surprise on your return.”

Isomob Celebrates Flirtfinder Success

Mobile communities and content company Isomob reports that, following the launch of its Flirtfinder.mobi mobile dating solution, it has seen a doubling in the nuber of messages exchanged between users during ther month of June.
Contrary to the current vogue for free or nearly-free mobile social networking platforms, Flirtfinder.mobi charges users to send messages to each other using the PayForIt billing solution The company believes the success of the service is due to its ease of use, which, coupled with convenient micropayments, enables it to fill the gap between casual flirting and serious dating.
“While we have worked hard to get the database to critical mass, the weather certainly made the job much easier,” says Isomob Commercial Director, Alisdair Anderson. “It seems the hot snap has people feeling frisky! Being out and about with a mobile phone gives members the ideal opportunity to interact with one another.”
Towards the end of 2008 Isomob announced a partnership with social networking company 4D Interactive, as part of its strategy to work with leading service providers who have not developed mobile dating platforms in-house. 

Bango Launches Bango Enterprise

Bango has launched Bango Enterprise, describing it as a service that is tailored to the specific needs of the world’s largest content providers. Bango Enterprise comprises a comprehensive service package and support to complement Bango’s mobile billing platform. Bango Enterprise is designed for the growing number of large music, games, video and social networking brands who are switching their businesses to use the mobile web.
Bango says its payment technology delivers unique capabilities developed through 10 years of innovation and experience alongside the company’s strategic partners, including leading mobile operators. The new Enterprise service gives big brands direct access to this experience, encompassing technical, marketing and commercial know-how. Bano notes that many of the most successful brands on the mobile web, including Buongiorno, Dada, Flycell, EA Games and Gameloft, already use Bango for mobile billing and analytics, and says that large brands that have built their businesses on the full-fat web are now following in their footsteps.
To deliver this Enterprise service, a team has been established to provide dedicated account management across multiple countries and billing routes. Enterprise customers benefit from worldwide customer service, pro-active account management and early access to new technologies, while a Service Level Agreement provides uptime guarantees.
“Bango mobile products enable everyone from start-up to global media brand to have a successful mobile web business,” says Bango VP Customer Services, Elaine Davies. “Increasingly, the world’s biggest brands, generating millions of dollars in revenue every month, are putting their mobile payment business through Bango, and in response to this trend we’ve developed an Enterprise service to support their special requirements.”
Users of the Enterprise service will get direct access to Bango’s product roadmaps and beta programs. In addition they also have a single point of technical integration for their mobile billing and mobile analytics needs, with the ability to integrate their own systems and existing third party solutions to Bango if they wish.
There’s more information about the Enterprise service here.

Times Mobile Supplement Available Online

If you didn’t manage to pick up a copy of The Times yesterday, complete with 16-page Mobile Marketing supplement produced by Raconteur Media and edited by our own Ed, David Murphy, you can now access the publication online.
The supplement serves as a useful introduction to mobile marketing, covering advertising, apps, search, CRM and QR Codes, and looking at the rapid development of mobile marketing in emerging markets, where consumers who don’t have access to a PC are using their mobile to get online.
You can access the supplement here.

Operators Missing Out on Roaming Revenues, says Acision

Research released by messaging company Acision suggests that the EU roaming legislation which came into force yesterday will be widely embraced by consumers, since only 12% of people currently use their mobile abroad as much as they do at home.  
Acision commissioned Toluna, the online market research panel provider, to carry out the research among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK mobile phone users aged 16 and over from 12 – 13 June 2009.
Operators are missing crucial revenue opportunities, the company says, as the research reveals that consumers are abandoning their usual mobile habits, despite their appetite for browsing the Internet, updating their social networking status, and talking and texting when holidaying. Over two thirds (62%) of consumers admit to not knowing how much it costs to use their phone abroad and only one in 10 feel they are being charged a fair price. Acision’s Flexible Charger is designed to overcome this issue by allowing operators to provide real-time billing transparency for their customers.
The research shows that if consumers were able to set a limit on their spending when using their mobile phone abroad, 42% would use their mobile more. Similarly, if operators were to offer more specific bundles for subscribers when abroad, targeted at individual usage patterns, 67% of consumers would buy a bundle to phone or text those at home. 30% would buy a bundle to talk and text with fellow travellers, while 11% would buy a data package to access the Internet.
 “The EU roaming legislation is a step in the right direction, but for a growing percentage of consumers, this isn’t going far enough, as they want to access data services such as mobile Internet and social networking applications just like they do at home, and this remains costly,” says Mike Beech, VP, Product Management at Acision. “Our research reveals that consumers would be put at ease and would actually use their mobile phone more when abroad if they were able to view their real-time spending.”

Mobile-related Complaints Down 57%

PhonepayPlus, the phone-paid services regulator, says that complaint figures concerning mobile services are down by half, one year on from the introduction of new rules that came about following its 2008 Mobile Review. The new regulation was introduced in response to a worrying rise in consumer complaints regarding mobile services which, on average, account for some 90% of all calls to PhonepayPlus' Contact Centre.
The Mobile Review set out new rules for the mobile phone-paid services sector. It stated that services could not be advertised as free unless they were free from any associated charges; set new rules around trading of third party marketing lists; and introduced a prior permissions scheme for subscription services costing upwards of £4.50 in any given week. The Review also reinforced PhonepayPlus' zero tolerance of any failure of the 'STOP' command for opting out of receiving unwanted contact by text message.
The regulator released the figures at the industry launch of its Annual Report in London yesterday, where it also announced that its Chairman, Sir Alistair Graham, has accepted an invitation to stay in post for a further three years.
PhonepayPlus' complaint figures show that:

• Total complaints regarding mobile services are down 57% from June 2008 compared to May 2009 (2,125 vs 919)
• Consumer complaints regarding mobile subscription services have almost halved since the introduction of the new rules (1,207 vs 651)
• Consumer complaints about unsolicited text messages are down by 85% from the first half of 2008/9 compared to the second half (1,538 vs 230)

“These results show that we are heading in the right direction and sorting the good from the bad in mobile services,” says PhonepayPlus Chief Executive, Paul Whiteing. “It is early days, and we are still analysing the various impacts on our complaint numbers, but these are an encouraging set of results that appear to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new rules, as supported by responsible providers in the sector."
But Whiteing says the regulator is not complacent and remains vigilant for any new opportunistic activity that may result in consumer harm. “This risk is especially acute since, with a country in the midst of recession, we expect the PRS (Premium Rate Services) industry to be attractive to unscrupulous operators looking for ways to make a fast profit. We remain committed to being proactive in preventing non-compliant services from making it to market.”
Commenting on the findings, Suhail Bhat, Policy & Initiatives Director at the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) says:
“MEF warmly welcomes the mobile services complaints figures released by PhonepayPlus, one year on from the introduction of new rules following its 2008 Mobile Review. The fact that total complaints regarding mobile services are down by over half since June of last year is wonderful news for mobile entertainment and reflects the hard work MEF and the wider industry has undertaken to increase transparency and improve the consumer’s experience.
"The findings are mirrored in the Consumers and Convergence study recently undertaken by KPMG in association with MEF, in which we found that consumer satisfaction with mobile entertainment services has grown from 26% in 2007 to 66% in 2009.”
You can access the PhonePayPlus Annual Report here. And you can see the PhonepayPlus Mobile Review here.

MMA Updates US Best Practice Guidelines

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has released the latest version of its ‘U.S. Consumer Best Practices (CBP) Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services’. Updated regularly, the guidelines are the industry standard for cross-carrier mobile content services such as text messaging (SMS), multimedia messaging (MMS), shortcode programs, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and mobile web.
The new, version 4.0 guidelines are the first to consolidate the individual mobile marketing guidelines and codes of conduct – known as ‘carrier playbooks’ – of the four largest US wireless service providers: Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile USA. Announced in March 2009, the MMA says this agreement is a milestone toward the continued growth of mobile marketing and will achieve operational efficiencies for the industry upwards of $200 million (£121 million) annually.
Produced by the MMA’s CBP Committee, the guidelines provide measures of acceptable and unacceptable practices for all players in the US ecosystem. At 100 pages, the new CBP document is significantly more comprehensive than the previous edition, but the MMA says it provides the industry with the first concise, inclusive set of guidelines, by eliminating the need to refer to four separate carrier playbooks.
In addition to incorporating carrier standards, the new guidelines include revisions and additions to key areas such as standardizing the language; allowing for more flexibility with PIN location in message-terminated (MT) messages; and modifying the STOP requirement in Opt-in MT messages.
The guidelines also feature a new reference ID system designed to make it quick and easy to navigate the document and find information. The guidelines help standardize practices across the industry which provides a better experience for customers by ensuring the consistency of mobile marketing campaigns across the four major US  carriers. 
“The latest MMA Consumer Best Practices Guidelines are an industry milestone toward meeting the ecosystem’s need for a concise yet comprehensive set of rules at a time when rapid growth increases the challenge of following multiple playbooks,” says MMA CEO and President, Mike Wehrs. “By providing a single, industry-standard reference, the new guidelines free carriers, technology companies, brands, media companies and consumer advocates to focus on protecting consumers, providing the optimal user experience and continuing the mobile channel’s growth.” 
The guidelines are available for download here.

Netsize Launches SMS Plug-in for Microsoft CRM App

Mobile commerce and communications enabler Netsize has launched an Netsize SMS plug-in for Microsoft Dynamics CRM on Microsoft’s open source platform,CodePlex.
The Netsize SMS plug-in enables users to launch SMS campaigns to target contact lists and also generate SMS alerts triggered by any user-defined events such as lead creation and entity modification. The Netsize mGateway messaging platform covers 200 countries globally.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM and the Netsize messaging platform will enable Microsoft customers to easily create and send SMS campaigns to a targeted audience. In addition,  says Netsize, seamless integration of the messaging platform with Microsoft Dynamics CRM will deliver value0added features such as the ability to define SMS alerts based on business events set with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
“The mobile channel enables a true two-way and real-time, event-driven relationship with the customer,” says Netsize Chairman and CEO, Stanislas Chesnais. “Mobile has become a critical CRM tool. Netsize mGateway provides users of Microsoft Dynamics CRM with a fast, reliable and secure infrastructure for any type of mobile messaging application.”
Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers and integration/distribution partners can download and install the Netsize SMS plug-in from Microsoft's open source project hosting website here.
Customers can contact Netsize directly to enable their Microsoft Dynamics CRM mobile messaging account.

WIN Partners with Tech Mahindra

WINplc, which provides interactive mobile information and entertainment services, has agreed a strategic alliance with global systems integration and business transformation company, Tech Mahindra.
Under the terms of the initial agreement, Tech Mahindra will work with WIN to develop the company’s next-generation mobile platform. As a first step in a broader strategic alliance, the two companies will also look to develop joint go-to-market strategies in key territories, notably the Asian market, where Tech Mahindra’s is well established.
The new platform that Tech Mahindra will develop for WIN will provide increased functionality, new payments solutions and faster throughput of transactions across a broad range of media services. It will also build on the investments WIN has made in the last two years in web- and WAP-based services and portals, video streaming, audio, entertainment content and online storefront management tools.
“This is an exciting investment in the future by WIN,” says WIN CEO Graham Rivers. “The initial project with Tech Mahindra will extend WIN’s market leadership by providing improved service set-up and monitoring capabilities, enhanced transaction reporting and analysis, with significant improvements in capacity and throughput to support even more media and feature rich services. We plan to migrate all our existing customers across to the new platform in the next 12 months, and at the same time embark on a programme with Tech Mahindra to take our extended capability to a wider audience.”
As part of the broader agreement, WIN will have access to Tech Mahindra’s applications and outsourcing service, including development resources for large scale projects. WIN says this will enable it to focus its own development team on core product and service enhancement.

Voda Cuts the Cost of Data Roaming

Vodafone UK  has launched new European data roaming tariffs for customers. Vodafone customers can now access the Internet from their mobile phone for £4.99 per day with a 25MB cap. Those who keep their usage below 1 MB will be charged on a per kb rate. Vodafone says that receiving and replying to a short email would  use around 100kb of data, and cost 50p.
Once a customer breaches the 1MB threshold, the £4.99 tariff kicks in, but that gives the customer 25MB of data to play with. Vodafone says that this would be enough data to browse approximately 250 Internet pages, read and reply to 25 emails, find your way to a restaurant on Google Maps, read eight news stories on the BBC website, change your status on Facebook, and watch three 90-second videos on YouTube. Any further Internet usage will be charged at £4.99 for each additional 25MB.
This greater clarity has also been introduced for laptop users who want to use the internet when they are abroad. Customers with their laptops in Europe will receive 50MB for £9.99.
For the purposes of roaming, a day is classified as midnight to midnight UK time, so customers need to be aware of their time zone. Outside Europe, customers will be charged £14.99 for each 25MB when accessing the Internet via their mobile and £29.99 for 50MB through a laptop.
Vodafone is currently the only UK operator to offer per day data roaming charging, which, when broken down, equates to 20p per MB in Europe. Later in the summer, customers will receive real time alerts as they approach the end of their data allowance.
On 1 June Vodafone UK abolished roaming charges for Vodafone Passport customers in 35 countries across Europe for the summer, Until August 31, Vodafone Passport customers can call, text and send picture messages from overseas for the same prices as they would at home.
There’s more information on Vodafone’s data roaming charges here. 

IAB Study Finds Mobile Ads Increase Brand Awareness

A research study from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and research company Brand Driver, in conjunction with Kit Kat, has found that mobile display advertising can increase brand awareness and recognition.
The UK’s first publicly available mobile brand study to cover effectiveness across a range of mobile properties used a sample of 600 mobile Internet users. Respondents were exposed to banner ads for FMCG brand Kit Kat across four major mobile sites – Orange World, O2 Active, Planet 3 and Heatworld - which promoted free downloads or the chance to win an ipod.
Respondents who clicked on the ads were sent to the relevant page within the Kit Kat mobile Internet site, where they could enter the competition or download free mobile games or wallpapers.  
The results of the study have formed the basis for a new set of five IAB guidelines, designed to increase the effectiveness of mobile ad campaigns:

1. Use mobile to raise awareness
The mobile ad campaign had a positive impact on raising awareness of the brand, with a 36% increase in spontaneous awareness levels of Kit Kat and 267% increase in first mention - people spontaneously mentioning Kit Kat before any other brands. Furthermore, 76% of those who had clicked on any Kit Kat banner ads said they would be likely to buy the product.

2. Mobile advertising can be effective across all demographics, but especially 18-34s
The campaign resulted in uplifts across all age groups, and for both men and women. The results were most impressive though among 18-34 year olds. Spontaneous awareness increased by 50% compared to a 21% increase for 35-44 year olds.

3. Brands and mobile Internet sites should put the user experience first
The research found that the context of mobile advertising is extremely important. People that enjoyed the site they were surfing were 76% more likely to recognise the ad. Heavy mobile Internet users were also more receptive to the advertising, and were 80% more like to recall the ad..  

4. Mobile display advertising needs a clear focus
The mobile campaign improved perceptions of Kit Kat across all statements asked, particularly “is a product perfect for a break” but the uplift amongst some of the other statements was minor. This means with just one banner creative, you are unlikely to change a vast array of brand metrics, therefore the creative needs to be focused and streamlined according to what you want to achieve.

5. Mobile is more effective when something of value offered
One in four people who saw the Kit Kat banner ad clicked through to the mobile site. Of those who clicked through, 43% had done so because of the competition to win a free iPod. 51% of respondents said they were more likely to interact with mobile advertising if something was offered to them. The results also highlighted the need for mobile creative to be eye-catching and engaging: 41% of respondents who clicked through were simply interested in the advertising.

The research also looked at general attitudes and mobile Internet behaviours. In terms of attitudes to mobile Internet advertising, 72% of respondents expect the amount of advertising on mobile sites to increase over the next couple of years, and 53% would be happy to receive advertising in return for free content.
According to the first IAB-PricewaterhouseCoopers study of mobile ad revenues, expenditure on mobile advertising in the UK exceeded market expectation in 2008 to reach a total of £28.6 million. The market doubled in size on a like for like basis in 2008, increasing by 99.2% year on year. 
“Mobile advertising is still in its infancy and consumers are yet to be fully sold on it because marketers need to learn the emerging rules of engagement,” says IAB Head of Mobile, Jon Mew. “What the Kit Kat research tells us is that most effective mobile campaigns follow five simple steps, and we hope that publishing these basic guidelines will help accelerate investment in the medium.”