Ubiquisys have produced their "Femto-Engine" which has all the software needed for a femto cell and they also supply blueprints for any additional hardware that's required so original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have all the information required to produce a working cell.
$100 has been a key price as this should enable mobile network operators (MNO) to bundle the femto cells for free with their service. Currently in the UK Vodafone sell their SureSignal femto cell for £50 (if the customer has a certain price plan for their mobile). In the US AT&T charge $150 for their microcell product.
There is a volume requirement to hit the sub $100 price, an OEM would need to order 100,000 in one go. Any MNO with any volume should be able to shift that kind of number easily, especially as it's highly beneficial to them as femto cells mean loading on their traditional networks is reduced.
These femto cells are only 3G units as it's much more difficult to produce 2G femto cells (and they require frequency planning), but it's the 3G traffic (i.e. mainly data) that is a real problem for the MNOs, so femto cells in the long term and as LTE comes into play are a no brainer.
30 Mart 2010 Salı
29 Mart 2010 Pazartesi
Ofcom consult on spectrum fees
Ofcom is holding a consultation on the way it charges for spectrum (not the old Sinclair computer, but the radio spectrum).
The consultation "SRSP: The revised Framework for Spectrum Pricing" takes not only the management costs into account but also the value of the spectrum to the licensee so Ofcom may charge a premium for certain licenses.
In the UK (as part of the EU) spectrum is a scarcity and therefore a valuable commodity (radio doesn't abide by national boundaries) and spectrum shortages will be likely. Ofcom has to maximise the use of radio spectrum and to this end has introduced 'administered incentive pricing' (AIP) which is where the premium comes in.
Stakeholders are requested to respond by 21/06/2010.
The Consultation is on Ofcom's site
The consultation "SRSP: The revised Framework for Spectrum Pricing" takes not only the management costs into account but also the value of the spectrum to the licensee so Ofcom may charge a premium for certain licenses.
In the UK (as part of the EU) spectrum is a scarcity and therefore a valuable commodity (radio doesn't abide by national boundaries) and spectrum shortages will be likely. Ofcom has to maximise the use of radio spectrum and to this end has introduced 'administered incentive pricing' (AIP) which is where the premium comes in.
Stakeholders are requested to respond by 21/06/2010.
The Consultation is on Ofcom's site
T-Morange to build new network?
The new company that is the merged T-Mobile and Orange is thinking about building a brand new network in the UK. This will use equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei and will support the frequency range from 900MHz to 2.6GHz (2600MHz).
This will allow the company to take advantage of new or refarmed spectrum that may become available in 2012, it will also allow rapid roll-out of new services based on GSM, UMTS (3G) and LTE (4G).
Neither T-Mobile nor Orange have any spectrum in 900MHz, but they're lobbying Ofcom that Vodafone and O2 should give up some of their spectrum when GSM spectrum can be used for 3G services. Currently the combined spectrum that T-Mobile and Orange own exceeds the license limitations for any single operator.
Ofcom have not yet auctioned 2.6GHz which initially was reserved for IMT-2000 use (the technical name for 3G) and due to various legal issues brought against Ofcom by the mobile operators wont be available now until at least 2012. There's likely to be a lot of interest in this band as it offers the potential high data rates (there's 190MHz of spectrum available). It's likely BT will bid for it as they can use it for WiMAX or other wireless broadband technology in rural areas and 3G services in urban areas as they've wanted to offer business mobile services for a while.
This will allow the company to take advantage of new or refarmed spectrum that may become available in 2012, it will also allow rapid roll-out of new services based on GSM, UMTS (3G) and LTE (4G).
Neither T-Mobile nor Orange have any spectrum in 900MHz, but they're lobbying Ofcom that Vodafone and O2 should give up some of their spectrum when GSM spectrum can be used for 3G services. Currently the combined spectrum that T-Mobile and Orange own exceeds the license limitations for any single operator.
Ofcom have not yet auctioned 2.6GHz which initially was reserved for IMT-2000 use (the technical name for 3G) and due to various legal issues brought against Ofcom by the mobile operators wont be available now until at least 2012. There's likely to be a lot of interest in this band as it offers the potential high data rates (there's 190MHz of spectrum available). It's likely BT will bid for it as they can use it for WiMAX or other wireless broadband technology in rural areas and 3G services in urban areas as they've wanted to offer business mobile services for a while.
26 Mart 2010 Cuma
Innovate 100 winners and losers
The Innovate100 London Pitch!Slam competition took place last night. The event slowly took shape at the Media Hub in Carnaby Street.
There were 6 pitches then a break (and alcohol) and another 6 pitches. This was unfortunate as the second set of pitchers were confronted with a noisy audience who were now fuelled and some even slightly aggressive.
DBVu gave their first real public pitch as the first of the second round pitches, it went reasonably well (even if I say so myself), however it may have been slightly early in the scheme of things as DBVu haven't released any product as yet which would give them a low "G/score" which is the rating system used by Innovate100.
The event winners were Skimlinks who make it easy for publishers to earn money from affiliate marketing and Shutl who have a very innovative site allowing E-Commerce sites to deliver within 90 minutes or any (customer) chosen 1 hour slot.
As an established start-up it's worth applying to a local Pitch!Slam session.
There were 6 pitches then a break (and alcohol) and another 6 pitches. This was unfortunate as the second set of pitchers were confronted with a noisy audience who were now fuelled and some even slightly aggressive.
DBVu gave their first real public pitch as the first of the second round pitches, it went reasonably well (even if I say so myself), however it may have been slightly early in the scheme of things as DBVu haven't released any product as yet which would give them a low "G/score" which is the rating system used by Innovate100.
The event winners were Skimlinks who make it easy for publishers to earn money from affiliate marketing and Shutl who have a very innovative site allowing E-Commerce sites to deliver within 90 minutes or any (customer) chosen 1 hour slot.
As an established start-up it's worth applying to a local Pitch!Slam session.
24 Mart 2010 Çarşamba
Guy Kawasaki's 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs at Swagapalooza San Francisco March 23, 2010
By Mary Vincent - Follow on Twitter @MaryVincent
I attended Swagapalooza San Francisco where Guy Kawasaki Keynoted and the following companies presented:
- Bacon Hot Sauce (Vegan - I checked with the Founder)
- TheHelmetLock
- Equmen
- Fotobabble
- Joby
- Whitey Board
- Black Garlic
1. Build Something You Would Use
2. Start Prototyping
3. 10.20.30 Rule of Pitching (10 slides in 20 minutes with 30 point font
4. Take Your Most Conservative Forecast..Add One Year To It, and Divide by 100
5. Never Hire Relatives
6. Assume you have Zero Dollars to Market Your Product
7. Consider VC Capital 'Cocaine'. Avoid it, and take it as late as possible...Show up with a Business that's already scaling.
8. Sales fixes everything.
9. 90% of Partnerships are 90% BS
10. Learn to deal with Naysayers
23 Mart 2010 Salı
Ofcom consults on two new TLAs, WBA and WLA
Ofcom has announced two new consultations (both close on 01/06/2010): -
* Wholesale Local Access market
* Wholesale Broadband Access
WLA is concerned with BT offering fibre-to-the-(street) Cabinet or FTTC / fibre-to-the premises FTTP services to 3rd parties (i.e. other operators) and this is likely to be done using Virtual Unbundled Local Access (VULA) i.e. BT will have to provide a virtual connection across its network to the 3d party. BT will also have to make available duct or pole space to allow 3rd parties to install their own fibre deployments known as Physical infrastructure access (PIA).
WBA is concerned with broadband market across the UK and where companies have significant market power or SMP. BT is SMP for most of the UK with the noticeable exception of Hull which is is serviced by Kingston Communications who have SMP. However where local local unbundled services are offered by at least 3 other operators, BT do not have SMP.
The are therefore four separate geographic markets:
* The Hull area (covering 0.7% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where KCOM is the only operator.
* Market 1 (covering 16.4% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where BT is the only operator.
* Market 2 (covering 13.7% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where there are 2 or 3 operators.
* Market 3 (covering 69.2% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where there are 4 or more operators.
KCOM hold a position of SMP in the Hull Area. BT hold a position of SMP in Market 1 and in Market 2, but that no operator holds a position of SMP in Market 3.
Ofcom want to take steps to ensure growth with occur in markets 1 and 2 and BT can not make excessive price rises.
Anyone can respond to the consultations via the Ofcom website for WBA and WLA
* Wholesale Local Access market
* Wholesale Broadband Access
WLA is concerned with BT offering fibre-to-the-(street) Cabinet or FTTC / fibre-to-the premises FTTP services to 3rd parties (i.e. other operators) and this is likely to be done using Virtual Unbundled Local Access (VULA) i.e. BT will have to provide a virtual connection across its network to the 3d party. BT will also have to make available duct or pole space to allow 3rd parties to install their own fibre deployments known as Physical infrastructure access (PIA).
WBA is concerned with broadband market across the UK and where companies have significant market power or SMP. BT is SMP for most of the UK with the noticeable exception of Hull which is is serviced by Kingston Communications who have SMP. However where local local unbundled services are offered by at least 3 other operators, BT do not have SMP.
The are therefore four separate geographic markets:
* The Hull area (covering 0.7% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where KCOM is the only operator.
* Market 1 (covering 16.4% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where BT is the only operator.
* Market 2 (covering 13.7% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where there are 2 or 3 operators.
* Market 3 (covering 69.2% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where there are 4 or more operators.
KCOM hold a position of SMP in the Hull Area. BT hold a position of SMP in Market 1 and in Market 2, but that no operator holds a position of SMP in Market 3.
Ofcom want to take steps to ensure growth with occur in markets 1 and 2 and BT can not make excessive price rises.
Anyone can respond to the consultations via the Ofcom website for WBA and WLA
22 Mart 2010 Pazartesi
Mary Vincent Speaking in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Leeds
In April, I'll be speaking in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and York on 'Green IT Innovation and Entrepreneurship'.
Here's more information on the Aberdeen and Glasgow events.
50% discount to London Innovate100 pitch event
DBVu are pitching at Innovate100 at the London event.
If anyone wants to go there's a 50% discount on offer by clicking here. This means it's €20 to go to the event.
Anyone would be welcome.
If anyone wants to go there's a 50% discount on offer by clicking here. This means it's €20 to go to the event.
Anyone would be welcome.
18 Mart 2010 Perşembe
21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap to Sustainability
Ceres has released the 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap to Sustainability as a vision and practical roadmap for integrating sustainability into the DNA of business—from the boardroom to the copy room. It analyzes the drivers, risks and opportunities involved in making the shift to sustainability, and details strategies and results from companies who are taking on these challenges. This Roadmap is designed to provide a comprehensive platform for sustainable business strategy and for accelerating best practices and performance.
A related article is here.
A related article is here.
Accenture Study: Consumers call for strong government intervention in energy market
Accenture News NEW YORK; March 9, 2010
Three out of four consumers are concerned by energy and climate change issues, but nearly two thirds say that using less energy is not the answer to reducing reliance on fossil fuels or foreign energy supply, according to global research by Accenture (NYSE: ACN). The survey of 9,000 individuals in 22 countries also shows that almost nine out of ten consumers want more government intervention in the energy market.
Three out of four consumers are concerned by energy and climate change issues, but nearly two thirds say that using less energy is not the answer to reducing reliance on fossil fuels or foreign energy supply, according to global research by Accenture (NYSE: ACN). The survey of 9,000 individuals in 22 countries also shows that almost nine out of ten consumers want more government intervention in the energy market.
The Accenture New Energy World Survey reveals that:
- 90 percent of consumers are concerned or extremely concerned by rising energy costs and 76 percent by the prospect of energy shortages.
- 83 percent are concerned by climate change and 80 percent by the level of local air pollution.
- 77 percent are concerned or very concerned about their country’s reliance on other countries providing oil and gas.
- 89 percent think it important or very important to reduce their country’s reliance on fossil fuels.
However, only a third of respondents say cutting energy should be the top priority in addressing energy issues:
- 37 percent say using less energy is the answer to limit their country’s reliance on fossil fuels, and 36 percent say that using less energy is the answer to reducing reliance on foreign countries providing oil and gas.
- Two thirds (63 percent and 64 percent, respectively) believe the solution to these challenges lies in developing low carbon sources of energy.
Sander van ’t Noordende summarizes the findings of the New Energy World survey in a video.
Consumers do not trust energy companies
- Only 22 percent of consumers surveyed unreservedly trust energy companies to take actions to address energy challenges.
- Almost a third (32 percent) do not trust them to do so and 46 percent trust them only if they have direction from governments.
- The highest levels of distrust are in the deregulated or partly deregulated markets of the UK (53 percent), US (51 percent) and Australia (46 percent).
- The lowest levels of distrust are found in the regulated energy markets of Japan (3 percent), India (8 percent), China (12 percent).
Consumers demand more government intervention
When asked who should lead on taking actions to address energy challenges, only 21 percent of the survey respondents said energy companies should. Almost half (45 percent) think governments and political leaders should take the lead, and 24 percent say consumers themselves should lead.
Almost all consumers (85 percent) think that more government control and intervention is required to address energy challenges. Asked to choose the most important government actions required:
- 54 percent pointed to controlling energy prices
- 51 percent to providing incentives for new technologies
- 41 percent to making investment decisions regarding the development of sources of low-carbon energy.
“A return to command and control policies would not be good for consumers or energy companies,” said van ’t Noordende. “But unless policy makers can improve the performance of local energy markets, they may come under pressure to intervene in ways that limit consumer choice and restrict industry flexibility.”
Dislike of foreign energy companies
The Accenture survey also found that consumers prefer energy to be provided from domestically owned companies. Nearly three quarters (72 percent) are not comfortable with energy companies being owned by foreign owned companies. Sentiment against foreign ownership is strongest in the Netherlands (88 percent), followed by the United States and Italy (81 percent). Consumers in Spain (60 percent), the Middle East (53 percent) and India (33 percent) are least worried by foreign ownership.
Methodology
Accenture’s study, The New Energy World, A Consumer Perspective, is based on an online survey conducted in native languages with 9,005 consumers in 22 countries worldwide, during November 2009. The sample included 1,500 people in North America, 3,502 in Western Europe, and at least 500 in each of Australia, Japan, China, India, South Korea, the Middle East, Brazil and Mexico. The sample was representative of the general population as a whole in terms of age, gender, and socio-economic except for emerging economies with low internet penetration where the sample is representative of the urban population. The data collection was undertaken by Gfk NOP.
The Digital Economy Bill gets FAST approval
The controversial Digital Economy Bill (DEB) which was passed by the House of Lords this week. ISPs and other technology organisations have been saying that further investigation is required and the Bill should not be rushed through Parliament as there are various cost implications which would mean pricing increases for consumers.
BIS estimate that implementing the DEB will cost around £35m and £30m pa JUST in letter writing (to implement the 3 strike rule). The Government is under heavy pressure from licensing authorities and the traditional recording industry.
Now FAST (the Federation Against Software Theft) has joined the foray, but in supporting the DEB saying “Delaying the legislation unnecessarily in the Commons will not help".
The DEB needs further discussions and should not be rapidly passed into law.
BIS estimate that implementing the DEB will cost around £35m and £30m pa JUST in letter writing (to implement the 3 strike rule). The Government is under heavy pressure from licensing authorities and the traditional recording industry.
Now FAST (the Federation Against Software Theft) has joined the foray, but in supporting the DEB saying “Delaying the legislation unnecessarily in the Commons will not help".
The DEB needs further discussions and should not be rapidly passed into law.
17 Mart 2010 Çarşamba
Microsoft follows in Apple's footsteps
At the recent MIX10 event in Vegas Microsoft put some more flesh on the bones of the Windows Phone 7 operating system and they're moving towards a closed application approach like Apple.
All applications will have to be sold from the Microsoft Marketplace store which wont be pleasant for existing stores like Handango. MS are also restricting 3rd party apps from full multi-tasking and they cant use MicroSD or other storage.
As well as the new sleek interface, MS will support Silverlight and their XNA runtime environment. There's also a new Microsoft Location Service which introduces a unified interface for getting location information (i.e. from WiFi, GPS, CellID etc) and Microsoft Notification Service for 'pushing' info to applications that aren't running.
Microsoft are releasing free tools for developers (Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone), a plug-in for Visual Studio 2010 RC and Expression Blend for Windows Phone Community Technology Preview.
In some ways it's a backwards step, but Microsoft has seen the way the Apple app store has worked and having a single store allows greater control of the apps and where people can find them.
All applications will have to be sold from the Microsoft Marketplace store which wont be pleasant for existing stores like Handango. MS are also restricting 3rd party apps from full multi-tasking and they cant use MicroSD or other storage.
As well as the new sleek interface, MS will support Silverlight and their XNA runtime environment. There's also a new Microsoft Location Service which introduces a unified interface for getting location information (i.e. from WiFi, GPS, CellID etc) and Microsoft Notification Service for 'pushing' info to applications that aren't running.
Microsoft are releasing free tools for developers (Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone), a plug-in for Visual Studio 2010 RC and Expression Blend for Windows Phone Community Technology Preview.
In some ways it's a backwards step, but Microsoft has seen the way the Apple app store has worked and having a single store allows greater control of the apps and where people can find them.
Ofcom bares its teeth at Telcos
Ofcom will tomorrow (18th march 2010) introduce new rules to stop Telecoms companies mis-selling landline services to consumers. Companies that fail to comply with the new rules (General Condition 24 of the Communications Act) will faces fines of up to 10% of their turnover.
The new rules will: -
* prohibit telecoms providers from engaging in misleading and inappropriate sales and marketing activity and slamming (switching a customer to another provider without their knowledge).
* require telecoms companies to keep better records of their sales and marketing activities.
* confirm the type and level of information that needs to be made available to new customers both at the point of sale and after the sale has been concluded (but before the service has actually been transferred). This includes providing important information about the key terms and conditions of the service, including contractual liabilities and cancellation rights.
* introduce new rules to make clear when providers are allowed to cancel orders placed by other providers. Cancelling orders for purposes other than those expressly specified by the regulations will be prohibited.
Ofcom received up to 750 complaints per month (some where companies had blatantly lied about who they were) with the last year and fined 2 companies the maximum of 10% of turnover under the old regulations.
Though Ofcom has the power to act, it only does so on complaint and unfortunately many consumers don't know how to or care about complaining.
Full details
The new rules will: -
* prohibit telecoms providers from engaging in misleading and inappropriate sales and marketing activity and slamming (switching a customer to another provider without their knowledge).
* require telecoms companies to keep better records of their sales and marketing activities.
* confirm the type and level of information that needs to be made available to new customers both at the point of sale and after the sale has been concluded (but before the service has actually been transferred). This includes providing important information about the key terms and conditions of the service, including contractual liabilities and cancellation rights.
* introduce new rules to make clear when providers are allowed to cancel orders placed by other providers. Cancelling orders for purposes other than those expressly specified by the regulations will be prohibited.
Ofcom received up to 750 complaints per month (some where companies had blatantly lied about who they were) with the last year and fined 2 companies the maximum of 10% of turnover under the old regulations.
Though Ofcom has the power to act, it only does so on complaint and unfortunately many consumers don't know how to or care about complaining.
Full details
16 Mart 2010 Salı
2.6GHz spectrum Auction on again?
ZDnet has reported that the Government has sent proposals for 800MHz, 2.6GHz and 2G/3G bands to Ofcom, which could mean Ofcom holding an auction for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands later this year.
There has been controversy with various particulars of these spectrum auction with initially T-Mobile taking Ofcom to court saying the 2.6GHz band (which was reserved as an IMT-2000 i.e. 3G band in case the new 3G entrant failed) could not be allocated until 2G refarming had been sorted out. Currently the 2G bands are exclusively reserved for 2G use, naturally the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) want to re-use 2G bands for 3G services. However refarming was fraught with further complications as Vodafone and O2 have 900MHz spectrum while T-Mobile and Orange have 1800MHz (1.8GHz) and 900MHz propagates better than 1.8GHz.
Things were further muddied when T-Mobile and Orange announced their merger (which has since been approved) as the combined company would have more than the maximum allowable spectrum.
Things have also simplified as the maximum spectrum a MNO can have has been increased from 2 x 60MHz to 2 x 90MHz, 2G spectrum will be allowed to be used for 3/4G services and licenses will become indefinite and tradable (the 2G licenses are currently set at 15 years). Also the 800MHz license will be awarded to 2 licensees, but they will have to give guarantees of 99% population coverage which should stimulate rural broadband.
Though 800MHz is optimal spectrum (it has extremely good propagation characteristics (and penetrates building well), BT are still thought to have an extreme interest in the 2.6GHz spectrum as this will allow them to offer WiMAX (or other wireless broadband) in rural areas and 3G services in urban locations.
Though the landscape is looking more positive, there may still be legal action from the MNOs as has occurred in other countries.
There has been controversy with various particulars of these spectrum auction with initially T-Mobile taking Ofcom to court saying the 2.6GHz band (which was reserved as an IMT-2000 i.e. 3G band in case the new 3G entrant failed) could not be allocated until 2G refarming had been sorted out. Currently the 2G bands are exclusively reserved for 2G use, naturally the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) want to re-use 2G bands for 3G services. However refarming was fraught with further complications as Vodafone and O2 have 900MHz spectrum while T-Mobile and Orange have 1800MHz (1.8GHz) and 900MHz propagates better than 1.8GHz.
Things were further muddied when T-Mobile and Orange announced their merger (which has since been approved) as the combined company would have more than the maximum allowable spectrum.
Things have also simplified as the maximum spectrum a MNO can have has been increased from 2 x 60MHz to 2 x 90MHz, 2G spectrum will be allowed to be used for 3/4G services and licenses will become indefinite and tradable (the 2G licenses are currently set at 15 years). Also the 800MHz license will be awarded to 2 licensees, but they will have to give guarantees of 99% population coverage which should stimulate rural broadband.
Though 800MHz is optimal spectrum (it has extremely good propagation characteristics (and penetrates building well), BT are still thought to have an extreme interest in the 2.6GHz spectrum as this will allow them to offer WiMAX (or other wireless broadband) in rural areas and 3G services in urban locations.
Though the landscape is looking more positive, there may still be legal action from the MNOs as has occurred in other countries.
15 Mart 2010 Pazartesi
Channel 5 loses HD mulitplex
In 2009 Ofcom provisionally reserved capacity (a slot) on Mulitplex B for Channel 5 to broadcast HD content. This was on proviso that they resolved certain issues.
Channel 5 have not resolved those issues and therefore lost the right to the slot. The only other applicants for the slot (Channel 4 and S4C) have not been able to guarantee that they will be able to launch an HD channel in the required timescales.
As the other user in the band was the BBC, they will now have complete access to Multiplex B and will consider their options on how to best use the capacity and launch an HD channel. The capacity was due to revert to the BBC Trust in 2012, so they now have the ability to move the services forwards by 2 years.
Ofcom will give the Commercial Public Service Broadcasters another opportunity to apply launch HD services in 2012 next year.
Channel 5 have not resolved those issues and therefore lost the right to the slot. The only other applicants for the slot (Channel 4 and S4C) have not been able to guarantee that they will be able to launch an HD channel in the required timescales.
As the other user in the band was the BBC, they will now have complete access to Multiplex B and will consider their options on how to best use the capacity and launch an HD channel. The capacity was due to revert to the BBC Trust in 2012, so they now have the ability to move the services forwards by 2 years.
Ofcom will give the Commercial Public Service Broadcasters another opportunity to apply launch HD services in 2012 next year.
12 Mart 2010 Cuma
Mobile Stats, Symbian wins hands down
There have been some interesting talks recently with various statistics about phone sales thrown in.
Though everyone wants to develop for the sexy iPhone, in global terms it's actually a small player in terms of sales and also as there's such a wealth of applications getting yours' noticed in the 140,000 or so iPhone apps that are out there is very difficult. Of course if you can get it noticed then Apple definitely have the nicest app store out there and it's easy to bill and even charge for in app content.
Ewan Macleod did a presentation at Devnest on Wednesday and here are some stats from his presentation.
There are 4.6bn mobile subscribers (compared to 1.6bn TVs and 1.7bn credit cards - begs the question why don't mobile phone companies do mobile payments). In 2009 there are 1.2bn mobile phones sold (300m TVs and 280m PCs).
Comparing global handset sales Nokia 36% (441m), Other 25% (300m), Samsung 19% (236m), LG 10% (122m), Motorola 5% (58m) and SonyEricsson 5% (55m). So Nokia shipped 1.4m phones per day.
However the North American market is different, Nokia don't even make a dent (which may sway developers are they look at US developers who have no experience with Nokia). Here's it all RIM with 43%, iPhone 25.1%, Windows Mobile 15.7%, Android 7.1% and Palm 5.7%. Interestingly Android is expected to increase to 20% of the smartphone market there.
Ask a developer what platforms they're developing for and it's 92% iPhone and 8% Android, but if you look at mobile phone OS penetrations it's: -
* Symbian 47%
* RIM 20%
* iPhone 14%
* Windows Phone 9%
* Linux 5%
* Android 4%
* Palm WebOS 1%
In the UK there are about 3m iPhones out in the market, that means there are 50 - 60m handsets that iPhone developers are missing (OK not all of them are smartphones).
Many people have written-off Symbian, but it's still the most popular phone OS and now that it's been open sourced with a sensible abstraction layer (Qt) it's easier to write for. Though Nokia's Ovi store isn't the best out there (some people may say it's particularly poor), Nokia are constantly improving it and there are now over 1.5m downloads per day.
Phone companies have developer programs, even Apple has one, but you have to play by their rules and particularly their approval process it can takes weeks to get approved, Android takes under 1 second.
Various operators runs competitions to stimulate apps for their platforms (Vodafone 360, Blackberry, Nokia) - some of these may be 'under utilised' so the chances of winning are highly elevated, it's worth having a look to see who's doing what.
So it looks like developers (globally) are swayed by the US market, but they should be taking a more global view and no one should be writing Symbian off yet.
Though everyone wants to develop for the sexy iPhone, in global terms it's actually a small player in terms of sales and also as there's such a wealth of applications getting yours' noticed in the 140,000 or so iPhone apps that are out there is very difficult. Of course if you can get it noticed then Apple definitely have the nicest app store out there and it's easy to bill and even charge for in app content.
Ewan Macleod did a presentation at Devnest on Wednesday and here are some stats from his presentation.
There are 4.6bn mobile subscribers (compared to 1.6bn TVs and 1.7bn credit cards - begs the question why don't mobile phone companies do mobile payments). In 2009 there are 1.2bn mobile phones sold (300m TVs and 280m PCs).
Comparing global handset sales Nokia 36% (441m), Other 25% (300m), Samsung 19% (236m), LG 10% (122m), Motorola 5% (58m) and SonyEricsson 5% (55m). So Nokia shipped 1.4m phones per day.
However the North American market is different, Nokia don't even make a dent (which may sway developers are they look at US developers who have no experience with Nokia). Here's it all RIM with 43%, iPhone 25.1%, Windows Mobile 15.7%, Android 7.1% and Palm 5.7%. Interestingly Android is expected to increase to 20% of the smartphone market there.
Ask a developer what platforms they're developing for and it's 92% iPhone and 8% Android, but if you look at mobile phone OS penetrations it's: -
* Symbian 47%
* RIM 20%
* iPhone 14%
* Windows Phone 9%
* Linux 5%
* Android 4%
* Palm WebOS 1%
In the UK there are about 3m iPhones out in the market, that means there are 50 - 60m handsets that iPhone developers are missing (OK not all of them are smartphones).
Many people have written-off Symbian, but it's still the most popular phone OS and now that it's been open sourced with a sensible abstraction layer (Qt) it's easier to write for. Though Nokia's Ovi store isn't the best out there (some people may say it's particularly poor), Nokia are constantly improving it and there are now over 1.5m downloads per day.
Phone companies have developer programs, even Apple has one, but you have to play by their rules and particularly their approval process it can takes weeks to get approved, Android takes under 1 second.
Various operators runs competitions to stimulate apps for their platforms (Vodafone 360, Blackberry, Nokia) - some of these may be 'under utilised' so the chances of winning are highly elevated, it's worth having a look to see who's doing what.
So it looks like developers (globally) are swayed by the US market, but they should be taking a more global view and no one should be writing Symbian off yet.
March 18: TIA's ICT Green Boot Camp San Jose
If you're interested in Green and Telecommunications, this March 18 Telecommunications Industry Association ICT Bootcamp looks great and includes Panels on Green Design and Market Access, Policy, and Business Opportunities. http://www.tiaonline.org/news_events/events/ict_green_bootcamp.cfm
11 Mart 2010 Perşembe
Cisco beef's up the Internet (or mobile)
Cisco have released their CRS-3 core router which supports 100Gb/s interfaces and can handle 322Tb/s through the router itself.
The router has been trialed by AT&T who used it for a link between New Orleans and Miami, but it's expected to install more units to beef up capacity to cope with HSPA 7.2 and in future LTE - it may also be a defensive measure against the growing data usage from devices such as iPhones (AT&T now carries 19 petabytes across its network every day).
The CRS-3 has 10 times the capacity as its nearest rival. This may seem an overkill but with service such as YouTube and new HD IPTV services the core bandwidth is always going to increase.
To put the capacity of the router in context, every single person on China could make a video call through the CRS-3 or you could download the Library of Congress in under a second, that's a lot of bandwidth. Though the price isn't for everyone, they start at $90,000.
The router has been trialed by AT&T who used it for a link between New Orleans and Miami, but it's expected to install more units to beef up capacity to cope with HSPA 7.2 and in future LTE - it may also be a defensive measure against the growing data usage from devices such as iPhones (AT&T now carries 19 petabytes across its network every day).
The CRS-3 has 10 times the capacity as its nearest rival. This may seem an overkill but with service such as YouTube and new HD IPTV services the core bandwidth is always going to increase.
To put the capacity of the router in context, every single person on China could make a video call through the CRS-3 or you could download the Library of Congress in under a second, that's a lot of bandwidth. Though the price isn't for everyone, they start at $90,000.
10 Mart 2010 Çarşamba
March 25: State of the Planet Webcast 2010
http://www.stateoftheplanet.org/
8 Mart 2010 Pazartesi
Going Green - Mary Vincent Featured in NKU Article
I'm really excited to share this NKU Alumni Going Green Article with you featuring the work I'm doing to help our Planet.
Thank you to my clients, readers and supporters throughout this Journey! Let's keep working to make this Planet a better place!
3 Mart 2010 Çarşamba
Apple sues HTC but guns for Android
Apple filed a suit against handset manufacturer HTC in the court in Delaware and the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The suit claims 20 patent infringements relating to "the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware".
Though Apple is suing HTC it is generally thought that Apple's real target is Google's Android and they may be going after other vendors in the near future.
Though Apple is still dominant in the high-end smartphone market, Google are catching up as they give away their Nexus One phones to all and sundry and the Android OS to anyone who wants it.
Whether they win or not, they'll cause annoyance probably just make Google spend some of its cash.
Though Apple is suing HTC it is generally thought that Apple's real target is Google's Android and they may be going after other vendors in the near future.
Though Apple is still dominant in the high-end smartphone market, Google are catching up as they give away their Nexus One phones to all and sundry and the Android OS to anyone who wants it.
Whether they win or not, they'll cause annoyance probably just make Google spend some of its cash.
2 Mart 2010 Salı
T-Mobile gets the go-ahead to bed Orange
The European Commission has given the approval for T-Mobile (UK) a subsidiary of Deutsch Telekom and Orange (UK) part of France Telecom to merge. The combined mobile network will be the largest in the UK with around 29.5m customers.
The joint company is expected to make large savings in both operational and capital spending.
There are conditions to the deal, they'll still have to support 3 (who use Orange for back-up coverage in the 2G space) and they will have to release some spectrum (2 x 10 MHz by Sept 2013 and2 x 5MHz by Sep 2015) which is likely to be auctioned off.
The Orange and T-Mobile branding will be maintained for 18 months, though they will be combined. If they can leverage the increased customer base and shared network resources, the new combined company may give O2 (Telefonica) and Vodafone some hard competition.
The joint company is expected to make large savings in both operational and capital spending.
There are conditions to the deal, they'll still have to support 3 (who use Orange for back-up coverage in the 2G space) and they will have to release some spectrum (2 x 10 MHz by Sept 2013 and2 x 5MHz by Sep 2015) which is likely to be auctioned off.
The Orange and T-Mobile branding will be maintained for 18 months, though they will be combined. If they can leverage the increased customer base and shared network resources, the new combined company may give O2 (Telefonica) and Vodafone some hard competition.
Atoms go faster (from Intel)
Intel has announced the new Atom N470 which operates at 1.83GHz (up from 1.66GHz) and is based on the Pine Trail architecture. The chip incorporates a CPU, memory controller and graphics core which as well as saving power increases the overall speed.
The chip is designed for Netbooks and could be available as early as next week.
The chip is designed for Netbooks and could be available as early as next week.
Microsoft: “No Windows Phone 7 upgrade for Windows Mobile 6.x devices”
Microsoft: “No Windows Phone 7 upgrade for Windows Mobile 6.x devices”
Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7 to a hungry market at Barcelona last month. It now seems that current Windows Mobile users wont be in-line for an upgrade and MS are only going to target new phones.
Even the HTC Touch HD2 which has a 1GHz CPU, accelerated graphics, capacitive touch screen and 5MP camera wont fit the bill as it has 5 buttons instead of the obligatory 3 for the new reference Windows Phone 7 specification though MS has said there are other hardware issues.
Windows Mobile 6.5 will continue to be supported and there will be a 6.5.3 release which will increase usability and stability and it will be known as Windows Phone Classic aimed at the budget smartphone market and for users with legacy WinMob 6.5 applications.
Though Windows Phone 7 does look nice, will it be good enough to fend of Apple and especially Android?
Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7 to a hungry market at Barcelona last month. It now seems that current Windows Mobile users wont be in-line for an upgrade and MS are only going to target new phones.
Even the HTC Touch HD2 which has a 1GHz CPU, accelerated graphics, capacitive touch screen and 5MP camera wont fit the bill as it has 5 buttons instead of the obligatory 3 for the new reference Windows Phone 7 specification though MS has said there are other hardware issues.
Windows Mobile 6.5 will continue to be supported and there will be a 6.5.3 release which will increase usability and stability and it will be known as Windows Phone Classic aimed at the budget smartphone market and for users with legacy WinMob 6.5 applications.
Though Windows Phone 7 does look nice, will it be good enough to fend of Apple and especially Android?