Owner: Communications Breakdown URL:http://telcommunicator.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 07 Oct 2006 01:42:44 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: Tracking trends in telecoms, internet and media businesses. It´s for investors, but I do not give recommendations. Typical subjects are wireless technologies such as WiMAX; issues around competition and regulation; internet search technology and click fra Site statistics:Click here
SPONSORED SEARCH://Google and News Corp expand ties 2006-12-07 10:38:00 Google scored another distribution deal yesterday, this time it was BSkyB. Before that, we saw AOL , Intuit, eBay non-US, Vodafone UK and a Sky-sister: Fox Interactive Media (including MySpace).
The deal includes search and sponsored search, video technology (for a UGC portal) and communications (a customised Gmail version, supplying @sky.com addresses). These services are available to Sky Read more:Google
, News Corp
VOIP://Munivoip in Taipei 2006-12-06 09:41:00 Taipei has launched a muniVoIP system using the city's muniwifi network. For now it seems to be focussed on government workers, including free calls to city officials (including schools).
It looks like a small step to include on-net calls for citizens. It will be interesting to see how this develops. Read more:Taipei
CONSOLIDATION://Hoovering spreads to France 2006-12-05 10:40:00 After KPN and BT, it is now France
Telecom that starts hoovering up competitors.
Recently they bought three IT firms: first Neocles (IT services) and Diwan (network integrator) and now Silicomp (integration). Read more:spreads
ISP://How to raise ARPU from low-cost ISPs 2006-12-05 10:07:00 If you have a low-cost ISP, named anything basic like The Net, and you want to raise
ARPU. All you have to do is understaff the call center - with unqualified staff, naturally. And charge 0.45 EUR/min. Make sure people need to sit through a lengthy menu to begin with.
This appeared to be KPN's strategy of its Het Net subbrand. It was exposed at a TV show covering consumer products and services.
YEAR IN REVIEW://Xirrus earns award 2006-12-05 09:37:00 Xirrus was awarded the "Best Design of the Year Award" by Electronic Design.
Its WiFi solution doubles the range and is upgradeable to the new 802.11n standard.
REBALANCING://Coming to mobile and cable markets 2006-12-04 10:11:00 Multikabel plans to raise rates in a smart way. Politicians are all over it.
Owners Warburg and Cinven plan to merge Multikabel with Casema and Kabelcom to form the Dutch #2 MSO after UPC.
At first sight, the price rise is modest: the basic offering rises by 30 cents (2%) to 15.75 EUR/mo. Compare that to Comcast, which is preparing traditional price rises of up to 6% (at much higher levels too).
PREDICTIONS://19 Pioneers according to the WEF 2006-12-04 09:43:00 The World Economic Forum announced its list of 47 Technology Pioneers
for 2007. There are 19 in IT.
My shortlist out of this longlist:
BridgePort: convergence software
Cicero: wVoIP
comScore: internet analytics
HelloSoft: (w)VoIP
IceMobile: mobile entertainment
MobiTV: mobile TV aggregator
Mozilla Corp: Firefox browser
Ruckus Wireless: in-home WiFi for home-networking
Sling Media: place-shifting
MVNOs://Replicating E-Plus' strategy in France 2006-11-30 09:14:00 Maroc Telecom (owned 51% by Vivendi) will start a new service provider in France
, targeting the African-French community. It looks like Mobisud will be an MVNO (instead of simply a subbrand of SFR).
Two observations:
Smart strategy, replicating E-Plus' (KPN) success in Germany with its Ay Yildiz subbrand for Turkish Germans.A valid MVNO strategy, avoiding conflicts of interest by segmenting the
APPLICATIONS://Power to the edge 2006-11-29 11:11:00 Top 10 lists are proliferating , especially as we near the end of the year. Mentioned in this WSJ article, as well as on Thrillist.com, is SimulScribe: voice-to-text transfer to convert voicemail into text messages.
Also on Thrillist.com is Neighboroo.com, another Google Maps mash-up. Check out your neighborhood by ZIP code - US only.
WIRELESS://Innovation v. net neutrality 2006-11-28 13:23:00 Tying together (1) e-mail innovations to (2) wireless innovation in general and (3) net neutrality in the wireless space.
Wireless is about voice and SMS, but BB/internet/TV/etc. could be a nice add-on for those shiny 3G/4G networks. Demand will not be exploding (to say the least), so I believe operators are dumb trying to limit access (thus introducing the net neutrality issue to the wireless Read more:Innovation
PLACE SHIFTING://Orange joins Vodafone Germany and 3G UK 2006-12-08 10:38:00 Orange launched 'Mon PC Ã distance', a place-shifting service to enjoy your PC-content on your mobile (over 3G). Technology is from Nokia.
Hutch 3G UK got a lot of attention (justly) for its new X-series, which uses Orb Networks' technology. VodafoneGermany
earlier teamed with Orb for 'Vodafone-Mein PC'.
Personally, I feel this is a pretty useful application, just like video/TV over wireless Read more:Orange
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT://Scandal over Wal-Mart review 2006-12-08 09:54:00 Here's a present for the week's lazy Friday. It's from Wal-Mart, that apparently dug up some dirt over their much talked about account review
. It's valued at $580m. The creative portion was awarded to DraftFCB (Interpublic), the media buying to Carat (Aegis).
What happened earlier? The review ended up a big win for DraftFCB, a newly formed shop at the plagued Interpublic group. The AdAge site had Read more:Scandal
FTTH://Munifiber still underestimated 2006-12-11 09:18:00 The FTTH conundrum keeps dividing companies, investors and analysts. On the one hand are most telcos (including AT having acquired many small ISPs, KPN's market share is simply to high.I will try to cover the responses on the OPTA site this week, as they are in Dutch only.
FTTN://Alternative for LLU nearing 2006-12-12 15:20:00 OPTA, the Dutch regulator, this week published the response from 9 telcos (including KPN) to its Position Paper. It was the reworking of the Issue Paper, which in turn was a response to KPN's All-IP network plans. I wrote about it here and here.
Below is what I found most interesting from all the recent paperwork (December 4). Source material is in Dutch only.
OPTA targeted late December for a Read more:Alternative
INNOVATION://Mash-ups Australian style 2006-12-13 13:03:00 Sometimes innovation seems to go at breakneck speed, as testified by those invaluable Google Alerts I receive every day.
Just to name a few wonderful new things (or at least mash-ups of existing services or technologies) - several of which are from Down Under.Cohda Wireless (Australia) demos WiFi supporting handovers at 200 mph. This could enable VoIP and multimedia over WiFi. Bigger hotspots to Read more:Australian
REGULATION://OPTA announcement to be announced 2006-12-14 13:11:00 OPTA just called me regarding KPN's All-IP plans. Originally OPTA expected to be able to make an announcement late December. Now the agenda is as follows:
Next week: an announcement regarding the procedure.Early 2007: OPTA's follow-up to its Position Paper, consisting of two parts. 1. Policy rules regarding phasing out of MDF locations (Chapter 5). 2. Memorandum of findings regarding other
REGULATION://Fully-fledged Alternative for LLU v. Structural Separation 2006-12-18 11:08:00 The press in the Netherlands has taken interest in KPN's statements ahead of OPTA's decision on its All-IP network. KPN wants to charge competitors for MDF locations that it would have to maintain for their use only; KPN is interested in being a reseller on cableco networks and FTTH networks; KPN says its network has been and always will be open to resellers, so there is no need for structural Read more:Alternative
, Separation
PORTAL BUSINESS://Yahoo! needs to follow Vodafone 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Good news is finally happening at Yahoo
!. The dramatic October 11 article in the New York Times, saved here, with hindsight pretty much marked the bottom for the stock. Even if Brad Garlinghouse goes out publicly with even more dirt, I believe it highlights potential upside more than it does downside. We are seeing a similiar move at Vodafone
: get rid of non-core and overhead, but strenghthen
WVOIP://Will Hutch 3G do the rebalancing act? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This great new 3G UK product, X-Series, contains lots of goodies: internet access, TV via Sling, PC-content via Orb (this post dates back to March 2005), IM through Yahoo!, Microsoft or Google, as well as Skype for VoIP (even if it technically isn't VoIP).
Possible snags: limited handset range, a fair use policy and most of all: pricing. Will 3G be able to do the rebalancing act?
Is this 3G's Read more:Hutch
WVOIP://A matter of rebalancing 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The main question concerning VoIP is: can it do to wireless operators what is will do to fixed operators?
Many will say yes, I suspect, referring to things like:
WiFi, muniwifi, WiMAX, xMax, 3GIMS, A-IMSRoaming: T-Mobile, Boingo, The CloudSharing: FON, FreeDual-mode handsets (cellular/WiFi), WiFi handsets (like Sony's Mylo).Clients/services: Skype for Mobile, iSkoot, Cicero, Truphone, Nimbuzz, Read more:matter
EARNINGS SEASON://Second thoughts on KPN's Q3 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Just as you think you cornered the VoIP market under a straightforward name (excuse me, we're leaving out a tiny segment, the peer-to-peer apps), your Big Competitor comes around and makes fun of you, morphing it into 'Internet + Bellen'.
Anyway, most striking I found the ease at which takeovers are regarded a form of SACs (listen to the call). Without Telfort, all these ISPs and ICT providers Read more:Second
, thoughts
WIRELESS SUBSTITUTION://Low mobile only rate in San Francisco 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Telephia reported wireless substitution in the largest US cities. Remarkably, San Francisco
has the lowest mobile-only rate at 5.5%. Telephia suggest it would be caused by poor coverage.
That supports the business case of running a mobile operator focusing on core competencies: voice, SMS, network and indoor coverage, voice quality etc. Read more:San Francisco
POST-LLU COMPETITION://Telecom Italia commits to Holland 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Telecom Italia
, through its subsidiary bbned, is the first of the Dutch altnets to commit to infra-structure-based competition in the Netherlands.
KPN is building an All-IP NGN, effectively making LLU obsolete. Altnets now have a choice: go with KPN wholesale services or invest in the (even shorter) local loop through SLU at the street cabinet level. The OPTA regulatory body approved KPN's plans Read more:Telecom
, Holland
WEB SERVICES://Amazon, the virtual virtual store 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Amazon.com's latest quarterly sales were $2.3bn. Wal-Mart yesterday reported $84bn. The difference underscores the internet's ability to grow, much like Terry Semel this week stressed that the market still undervalues the internet as a vehicle for a different kind of inventory: advertsising.
Amazon.com's sales growth was over 24% and has been accelerating for the last four quarters. Few companies Read more:Amazon
, virtual
, WEB SERVICES
WEB 2.0://Google moves Blogger out of beta 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Congratulations to Google
. They have actually managed to move an app out of beta. The Blogger
service, the tool used for this humble site, has moved to the next level.
Google acquired Pyra Labs in February 2003 (no link on the Google site, but here), when it had 1m registered users for its Blogger service. In fact, I started this blog using Pyra's/Google's service in April 2003. Read more:moves
REGULATION://OPTA states VoIP is a telephony service 1970-01-01 00:59:59 OPTA, the Dutch telco regulator, has apparently taken note of KPN's shameful behavior regarding the InternetPlusBellen dual play.
The Radar TV show exposed how KPN milks the call center cow, when it comes to dealing with complaints over this VoIP/BB product. Of course, KPN blamed its own success of having to add 20k subs a week, when technical glitches are unavoidable. KPN at first was reluctant Read more:telephony
BROADBAND://The truth about the Dutch lead 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Here is why the Netherlands are among the leading nations when it comes to broadband penetration, P2P downloads, traffic levels at the Amsterdam Internet Exchange, etc. It's called stinginess.
I'm afraid the Dutch
are notorious for this characteristic. It's not just college kids addicted to free downloads.
Happy Holidays, Scrooge!
REGULATION://France Telecom and the art of politics 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The Bells did it before. Deutsche Telekom used the instrument to put pressure on the new Merkel government. And now FranceTelecom
resorts to extortion.
Didier Lombard, CEO, threatens to divert investments to Asian manufacturers, should the EC finalize international roaming rate cuts.
Furthermore, if Asian companies are cheaper too, why not buy from them anyway? Read more:politics
, France Telecom
REGULATION://IP networks in the Netherlands and Germany 1970-01-01 00:59:59 OPTA has published a time schedule, as a follow-up to its Position Paper on KPN's All IP network:
Conversations with all market participants: January 2007, follow-ups in February/March 2007.Market research from Analysys et al: still on-going.Decision-making (or drafts): 07Q2.Uncertainty persists. While KPN keeps working on its All-IP network, altnets are on the sidelines. KPN plans to launch VDSL Read more:Netherlands
, Germany
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