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Mobile HD voice now on 32 networks: GSA

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GSA’s Mobile HD Voice: Global Update report, published on October 3, 2011, confirms that almost half of EU member countries have commercially launched mobile HD Voice services, or are engaged in trials ahead of planned commercial introduction. However, operator investments in mobile HD Voice extend far beyond Europe, with services now also commercially available in Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Russia, India and the Asia Pacific region.

HD Voice services are commercially launched on 32 mobile networks in 29 countries and territories – Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Moldova, Poland, Réunion, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Uganda, and the UK.

52 HD Voice-capable phones have been launched into the market by leading manufacturers including Alcatel, HTC, LG, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and ZTE. Many of the latest products are being delivered with the HD Voice feature (W-AMR) set on as default.

Mobile HD Voice uses Adaptive Multi Rate Wideband technology (W-AMR) standardized by 3GPP, and enables high-quality voice calls in mobile networks and an improved user experience. It provides significantly higher voice quality for calls between mobile phones supporting the feature, and can be implemented in GSM and WCDMA (UMTS) networks. The industry recently introduced a new logo to identify mobile HD Voice-compatible devices and services.

Alan Hadden, President of the GSA, said: “Operators are deploying mobile HD Voice services on GSM networks as well as 3G/HSPA networks. The availability of HD Voice-capable phones improved dramatically in recent weeks. The new HD Voice logo launched by the industry will help subscribers identify which phones support HD Voice, and where Mobile HD Voice network services are available.”

There is a strong business case for Mobile HD Voice. Customers make more, or longer, calls with HD Voice, and highly value the service. HD Voice helps operators to clearly differentiate their offerings and enable high quality services to voice dependent business like call center services, information services, emergency services, etc. HD Voice is also ideal for conference calls and can contribute to a reduction in business travel and raise productivity while reducing the environmental impact. Calls which are easier to hear and understand reduce the fatigue typically associated with long conference calls.

The maximum benefits from using HD Voice on a mobile HD-capable network are realized or perceived when both calling and called parties use HD Voice-capable phones. Improvements in call quality are often observed even when calling a non-HD Voice phone, due to improvements in the acoustic performance and advanced noise reduction capabilities which are present in most HD Voice phones.

Mobile HD Voice: Global Update report (requires log-in)

Italy’s LTE spectrum awarded

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The results are in in Italy’s spectrum auctions, with operating companies awarded spectrum in the 800Mhz, 1,800MHz and 2.6GHz bands.

Vodafone Italy has been awarded a total of 60 MHz (2×30 MHz) of new spectrum, after bidding €1.26 billion for a total of 20 MHz (2×10 MHz) in the 800 MHz band, 10 MHz (2x5MHz) in the 1800MHz band, and 30 MHz (2x15MHz) in the 2.6 GHz band. The 800 MHz ‘digital dividend’ spectrum will become available in January 2013, the 1800MHz band will become available by the end of 2011 and the 2.6 GHz spectrum band will become available by the end of 2012.

WIND said that the combination of the acquired 800 MHz and 2,600 MHz blocks will allow Wind to exploit the LTE technology to the maximum performance as well as provide the service with high quality indoor coverage.

Telecom Italia acquired 2×10 MHz 800MHz blocks for a total €992.2 million and one 10 MHz 1800MHz lot for €159.0 million, plus three lots of FDD spectrum in the 2.6GHz band for a total €109.1 million.

3 Italia  took the two TDD blocks in the 2.6GHz band for €74.0 million and two lots of FDD spectrum in the 2.6GHz band for €72.4 million, as well as a block in the 1800MHz band, for €158.9 million. It received no spectrum in the 800MHz band.

Deutsche Telekom and Everything Everywhere announce M2M partner solutions

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DT launches M2M marketplace: EE launches M2M Management Platform and “market ambition”

Deutsche Telekom (DT) and Everything Everywhere, the UK operator joint venture half-owned by DT, have both announced initiatives in the M2M space.

DT has launched an M2M partner portal to 150 partners, with a dedicated section on its M2M portal. Deutsche Telekom said it is offering partners an opportunity to present their M2M applications to hardware and software providers, service providers and systems-integrators and to market these applications globally. The portal is also intended to enable potential new partners from the M2M environment and customers to obtain information about existing products, find the right partner companies and develop new ideas themselves.

“Our partner platform follows the creation of the international M2M Competence Center and the international M2M Service Alliance as another milestone in the implementation of our strategy for the growth market of machine-to-machine communication,” said Rainer Deutschmann, Senior Vice President of Core Business Products at Deutsche Telekom. “We are creating an M2M marketplace between our constantly expanding global partner network and our customers, who can find solutions for their specific usage scenarios here.“

The Deutsche Telekom M2M portal launches with solutions from 40 partners and 16 countries, showing solutions from the nine areas of application of the Telekom M2M Competence Center, namely energy, vehicle telematics, healthcare, retail & commerce, industrial automation, public sector, security, transport and logistics, and consumer electronics. A solution finder allows users to search for partner solutions by country or area of application, as well as by using keywords.

Everything Everywhere (EE), meanwhile, has launched its new M2M Management Platform, something it described as a major step towards its goal of becoming partner of choice in the M2M space. The M2M Management Platform is a propriety M2M platform developed in partnership with Transatel and is intended to enable businesses to securely manage their accounts and connections wherever they are.

Everything Everywhere also announced a new specialist M2M partner, Redtail Telematics, which it said would expand its ability to provide connectivity solutions for customers in a number of new service areas, including the telematics and automotive market.

Marc Overton, Vice President Wholesale and M2M, Everything Everywhere said, “The launch of the M2M Management Platform is a key step in our ambition to become the number one partner of choice for M2M services. Companies of all sizes are asking for solutions that are easy to deploy, with a self service platform that puts the control back into their hands. 

We are expanding into new markets and innovative areas of service that will help companies to transform their business through mobility. As part of this we are thrilled to be working with Transatel and Redtail and are actively seeking other expert partners around the world to help us to achieve Everything Everywhere’s ambition to provide customers with instant access to data wherever they are.”

The M2M Management Platform and self-service web portal includes:
•    Connection profiles: including identification of relevant services for the user
•    Tariffs: bundles can be shared across connections and subscriptions can be added
•    Call Detail Records: providing customers with records for every SMS and GPRS call within one hour
•    SIMs: that can be ordered directly via the M2M Management Platform

This is the first phase of the M2M Management Platform launch, and it will be followed by the release of the API to allow customers to integrate M2M operations into existing CRM systems and other business applications.

Accompanying the API release, Everything Everywhere will also encourage innovation and the incubation of new M2M solutions, by supporting the developer community.  They will be provided with free SIM cards loaded with credit for testing, and given access to Everything Everywhere labs in which to work on their projects.

Webinar now available to view: Multi-million Returns from Mobile Marketing: The new ARPU Growth & Churn Reduction Story 

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Webinar now available to view: Multi-million Returns from Mobile Marketing: The new ARPU Growth & Churn Reduction Story 

Mobile marketing webinar now available to view

Date: Wednesday, 28th September 2011, 4pm GMT
Host: Keith Dyer, Editor, Mobile Europe
Speakers: Stephen Upstone, VP of Sales & Business Development for Europe, Velti; Ioanna Louka, Commercial Director, Velti.

How can mobile operators use data driven marketing to increase loyalty and reduce churn? Register to find out.

This webinar looks at new techniques using customer affinity and emotional connection to measurably drive increased ARPU and churn reduction. 

Too many operator customer relationships are like a bad marriage with one contacting the other to complain and the other only getting in touch to try and  sell things to them. Broadening your customer dialogue beyond just sending targeted sales offers with discounts on mobile products leads to multi-million returns from pre-paid and post-paid customers and higher customer satisfaction.

What types of programmes are available and how are they best delivered in an integrated manner? This webinar will demonstrate the benefits of treating reward, loyalty and offers programmes not as separate products but as part of one flow, one customer offering.

Topics to be covered:
•  Trends and challenges in the market
•  Reward and loyalty programmes

•  Real time event driven marketing
•  Response rates and case studies

•  Fun and engaging games and activities 



Subject area experts from Velti address key concerns from operator, brand and end user perspectives, making this webinar a must-view for all those involved in operator-led mobile marketing.

Register Now

Softbank to add Skyhook location into femtocells

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Skyhook’s location technology will be embedded in upcoming Softbank Mobile femtocell devices.

SoftBank Mobile said in a statement:

SoftBank Mobile needs to be able to accurately identify the precise location of these devices. Knowing the devices’ location will increase efficiency in installation, maintenance and service which will increase customer satisfaction.

“SoftBank Mobile can more quickly and efficiently deploy this exciting new technology, because Skyhook’s ground breaking technology can automatically and accurately position the location of base stations across environments,” said Yoshihito Shimazaki, Deputy Division Head, Mobile Solutions Division of SoftBank Mobile.  “The addition of precise location information to these base stations will also enable SoftBank Mobile to deploy new and useful services to SoftBank Mobile customers in the future.”

Skyhook fulfills hundreds of millions of location requests every day across over 100 million handsets, tablets, netbooks, cameras, and other mobile devices. Skyhook’s  system combines Wi-Fi, cellular, and GPS readings to produce a location.

“SoftBank Mobile is known as the innovative leader of the mobile operators in Japan,” said Michael Shean, founder and senior vice president, business development, Skyhook. “We’re seeing an increased interest in location-based services from carriers, like SoftBank Mobile, who are demanding superior location accuracy and availability for their clients.”

MDSL and FancyFon combine expense and device management

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MDSL’s Smart TEM and FancyFon’s FAMOC combined to manage Corporate Data
MDSL, a provider of international Telecom Expense Management (TEM) and Market Data Management (MDM) solutions, has announced its partnership with FancyFon, a pioneer in mobile device lifecycle management solutions which enable organisations to securely control multiple smartphones over the air from a single point of control.

MDSL has entered into a collaborative working arrangement with FancyFon and will be integrating its market-leading Smart TEM solution with FancyFon’s FAMOC mobile device lifecycle management system. Both MDSL and FancyFon have recently been recognised by independent analysts Gartner Inc. in their respective “Gartner Magic Quadrants” and the seamless integration of features from the two product sets offers a winning combination of management, security and control to both existing and prospective customers of both companies.

Ben Mendoza, CEO of MDSL, said: “There are numerous user cases where combining TEM and mobile device lifecycle management brings greater value to customers than the simple sum of the parts. By tightly integrating the “over-the-air” functions of FAMOC into the TEM user portal and workflow toolset, we can enable users and administrators to visualise and manage the use and security of global mobile devices in real-time. That includes tablet devices, as well as phones based on the Android, IOS (Apple), Symbian, RIM and Windows Mobile platforms – all from a single intuitive interface”.

He continued: “We are delighted to be partnering with FancyFon in a collaboration which will see significant benefits for MDSL Smart TEM users, who will now have the additional functionality of mobile device lifecycle management at their fingertips. We have always understood that Mobile Device Management was the next logical step in extending the functionality of the MDSL Smart TEM product suite, but were determined to ensure the right “fit”, to guarantee the seamless integration, breadth of product offering and levels of service our customers have come to expect. We have found those qualities in FancyFon and its product suite”.

Dietmar Fuchs, Chief Operating Officer of FancyFon said: “We are very pleased indeed to be working with MDSL to integrate FAMOC into their TEM solution. The resulting enhanced capabilities will ensure customers are best placed to tackle significant issues such as “consumerisation”, where the proliferation of mobile devices entering the corporate workspace is generating major problems of scale, security and management.”

SFR to integrate WiFi with 3G service; plus offers free femtocells

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French operator SFR is close to commercial launch of software that will automatically connect users to WiFi hotspots or to the 3G network, depending on availability. The WiFi Auto Connect driver is in a pilot phase in three Departments, prior to a planned nation-wide rollout later this year.

SFR has access to nearly 4 million hotspots in France, through its residential neufbox product, and public access points. Its Auto Connect service is intended to enable users to automatically connect to SFR’s WiFi network and to switch between 3G or WiFi networks. SCR said this would offer a “unique mobile broadband user experience, completely fluid between its WiFi Hotspots and 3G”.

In addition to its WiFi strategy, SFR has started marketing a “free” femtocell product to all its subscribers. Users pay €49 for the femtocell, which can be redeemed when the unit is activated. The unit, called “SFR Femto” is being marketed as a mobiel coverage solution. It can be plugged in as an “add on” to “most” existing DSL routers, and as a USB “click-on” to SFR’s own Neufbox Evolution product.

As well as these femto and WiFi investments, the operator also continues to expand its macro network. It said it would have its first three cities covered with 42Mbps HSPA before the end of 2011. At the moment, it has the 12 largest French cities covered with 21Mbps HSPA. The operator also said it is “densifying” 3G coverage in key areas, such as tourist resorts and along TGV routes.

The company, which has just won 2.6GHz spectrum for the provision of LTE services, also this week held an LTE demo in Marseilles in collaboration with Nokia Siemens Networks. The company said it invests €1.5 billion annually in its overall network infrastructure, which includes a degree of fibre backhaul connectivity.

 

Telia to have 231 LTE locations by end of 2011

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Telia has said that its LTE network in Sweden now covers 153 “locations”, and that by the end of 2011 the operator wants to have 231 sites with LTE coverage. The expansion will see TeliaSonera move beyond urban areas into smaller towns and tourist sites.

“Our 153 locations is a good start, but only a start. With the surge in mobile data usage, we will continue to extend and enhance the capacity of our mobile networks to provide our customers with the best online experiences possible,” Ulrika Step, head of Mobility Services at TeliaSonera, said.

Telia said that its LTE network, opened in late 2009, offers practical speeds of up to 80Mbps. It has also carried out an upgrade to its 3G network to enable top theoretical speeds of 32Mbps. Telia also has more than 4,000 WiFi hotspots in Sweden.

See www.telia.se/4g for a complete list of all localities with 4G and planned locations for the remainder of the year. In addition to urban areas continues Telia to expand in smaller towns and more tourist sites.

Bouygues pays top amount for French 2.6Ghz LTE spectrum

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The first part of the auction in France of spectrum designated for LTE servces has seen all four bidders win spectrum and the French government exceed its reserve price by 33%.

The auction for spectrum in the 2.6GHz band saw:

  • Bouygues Telecom allocated a duplex frequency block of 15 MHz, for which the company bid the sum of €228,011,012 and made a commitment to host MVNOs on its network.
  • New entrant Free Mobile allocated a duplex frequency block of 20 MHz, for which the company bid the sum of €271,000,000 and made a commitment to host MVNOs on its network.
  • Orange France allocated a duplex frequency block of 20 MHz, for which the company bid the sum of €287,118,501 and made a commitment to host MVNOs on its network
  • SFR allocated a duplex frequency block of 15 MHz, for which the company bid the sum of €150,000,000, and did not make a commitment to host MVNOs on its network.

The auction therefore raised a total of €936 million – compared to the reserve price of €700 million.

On a straight price per MHz calculation, then Bouygues has paid the most, by bidding €228 million Euro for its 15MHz duplex block. However, it is worth nothing that the operators will have made a calculation of the value of spectrum in alliance with what the intend to bid for in the 800MHz. Broadly speaking, the 800MHz band will provide wider coverage and will come with service obligations. The 2.6Ghz band will be better suited to smaller-sized cells in urban or suburban territories, although its in-building penetration performance will be worse. By bidding the highest, Bouygues will also gain first consideration from the regulator in the position of its frequency within the 2.6GHz band.

In the coming weeks, ARCEP will issue the winning candidates with licences to use their respective frequencies, once it has determined each operator’s position on the 2.6 GHz band. For this determination, ARCEP will examine the wishes that each candidate has expressed in regard to position, in the following order – which corresponds to the average mark per 5 MHz duplex: Bouygues Telecom, Orange France, Free Mobile and, lastly, SFR.

The allocation procedure for the 2.6 GHz band marks the first stage in the award of 4G licences. The second stage will consist of the allocation procedure for the 800 MHz band, resulting from the digital dividend, for which the deadline for applications is 15th December 2011.

Four European operators integrate MMS with Twitter

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Four European operators integrate MMS with Twitter

Subscribers of four European operators now have the capability to post photos to their Twitter accounts using MMS, following application level integration with Twitter.

Three UK operators, Vodafone, Orange and O2 will offer consumers the service, as will Vodafone Italy.

O2 said that users would be charged the usual MMS rate for sending an MMS to their Twitter account. UK users will be able to send photos to Twitter by sending a message to short code 86444. O2 is enabling the service integration through its BlueVia API. A Vodafone spokesperson said that the Twitter integration was not carried out through any particular partner or developer programme, “We just enabled it,” he said.

O2 seem a bit more excited about the use of its API. Jose Valles, Head of BlueVia, said in a statement, “We’re very excited about this new service and believe that both Twitter and O2 will see great benefits come of it. Our customers in the UK will satisfy a need of tweeting in certain specific circumstances and that, we expect, will help Twitter grow its presence in the UK. On the other side, we in BlueVia are satisfied by the service provided by our platform to Twitter engineers and are looking forward to spread this service to the whole footprint of Telefónica.”

The use cases for users using MMS to update Twitter seem limited, however. At the moment, users can either upload photos within dedicated Twitter clients, or from Twitter’s own mobile platform. There may be scope for those users with feature phones to use MMS to update a Twitter account. Twitter obviously thinks there’s a case, or it wouldn’t have requested the implementation.

Perhaps of greater importance is that the integration with network APIs shows that these operators are relaxed about opening access to a third party messaging platform, and in doing so turn MMS from a peer-to-peer to a peer-to-app service. That said, why wouldn’t they be? Incremental use of MMS, for whatever purpose, can only be good news for the operators.

 

 

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