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Flash Networks introduces advanced Harmony Analytics

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Flash Networks, a global provider of intelligent mobile Internet solutions, has announced  the availability of advanced Harmony Analytics. Harmony Analytics is an analysis and reporting service that provides operators with deep insight into traffic patterns and user behavior to enhance network planning and increase the effectiveness of marketing promotions and customer retention programs.

Harmony Analytics, unlike standard reporting solutions that primarily provide network-related information, breaks down traffic by several criteria, including type of traffic, device, location, user profile, and application among many others.

Using Harmony Analytics to identify traffic patterns, especially high bandwidth applications such as video, helps predict future trends to avoid bottlenecks for more effective capacity planning. Identifying usage patterns, such as social networking, user-generated content, TV-streaming, and app store downloads, can be used by operators as the cornerstone for creating a marketing strategy. Detailed data can be used to design service packages that most closely reflect real user behavior, target the most relevant promotion to the most relevant user, and tailor pricing plans for specific devices and user profiles, among other marketing promotions.

As part of the Harmony platform, the information derived from Harmony Analytics can be fed back into Harmony Web & Media Optimization in order to better tune the optimization profiles of different subscribers at different times of the day, achieving improved data reduction to relieve the highly congested networks.

Mentum launches Mentum Fusion with LTE support

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Mentum, a wireless access and backhaul network planning and optimization company, announced today the release of Mentum Fusion 1.5 with support for LTE as well as HSPA, WCDMA, GSM, CDMA and EVDO.

Mentum Fusion is a server-based, cloud or hosted computing platform that streamlines network planning, optimization and management tasks. Mentum Fusion provides operators with a platform that automatically aggregates nationwide network configurations and creates real-time coverage maps and statistics. Mentum Fusion automates engineering tasks throughout the entire network life cycle, simplifying cross-department information sharing and increasing operational efficiencies. The new release of the industry’s very first engineering automation platform provides full support for LTE enabling mobile network operators to improve efficiency and closely monitor the deployment of their LTE network.

“The main advantage of Mentum Fusion is that it helps engineers save time and reduce the risk of errors so they can focus on more important aspects of a network rollout. For the management of a rollout, the key benefit is that the progress of the rollout is easily available, always up-to-date and quantified in terms of coverage rather than simply site count,” said Bernard Breton, Chief Operating and Strategy Officer at Mentum. “With the new release of Mentum Fusion, the most tedious, time-consuming tasks, such as developing detailed reports and creating coverage maps, are completely automated. Operators can rollout a new LTE network or overlay 4G on an existing network faster and more efficiently than ever before.”

Beyond the support for additional radio access technologies such as LTE, Mentum Fusion 1.5 introduces a first version of its Network Online Explorer (NOX) – a web presentation platform that makes it easy to share coverage information with internal and external stakeholders. With Mentum Fusion, it is now possible to entirely automate the process associated generating multi-region or countrywide coverage maps, from initial data gathering to the publication of the outcome on the web, ensuring it is always up-to-date.

JDSU unveils enhanced signaling analyzer for LTE with advanced 3G capabilities

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JDSU today introduced new high-performance LTE network diagnostic and analysis capabilities for its Signaling Analyzer Real Time (SART) LTE test solution. SART now increases data processing ten-fold with end-to-end visibility and is designed to address the huge growth in traffic on all-IP LTE networks. The SART LTE enhancements  – which include intelligent packet processing architecture, 6 Gbps streaming, and capture and analysis on 10 Gigabit Ethernet data links – preserve valuable real-time-to-results and drastically reduce the cost of monitoring multiple networks.

“JDSU continues its track record of innovation with a whole new intelligent architecture for our SART solution that will help customers fully leverage all-IP technology,” said Chris Stanley, vice president in JDSU’s Communications Test and Measurement business segment. “These new SART features provide real-time network analysis so carriers can cost-effectively scale traffic loads.”

The transformation of mobile networks to an all-IP infrastructure is coinciding with increasing data rates and a surge in traffic volume occurring on today’s advanced 3G technologies. LTE, the next generation wireless access technology, is an all-IP network requiring fast, accurate and reliable performance monitoring to ensure quality. The JDSU SART test solution meets these demands across the lifecycle of LTE trial execution, deployment, operation and network optimization.

The new JDSU SART LTE features and capabilities include:

·         Unique hardware processing that separates control and signaling plane traffic from user payload traffic, reduces storage requirements, and speeds analysis of the relevant data;

·         Centralized data and payload management that cuts costs and accelerates analysis by providing multiple users simultaneous access to the same probes with less expensive PC/server systems;

·         Real-time traffic flow statistics that correlate network performance and utilization with the control plane, enabling multi-Gbps per-user and per-service analysis; and

·         Access to multiple air-interface data sources, including JDSU’s own Drive Test for LTE, as well as proven third-party air-probe devices.

Vodafone Ireland awards Next Generation Service Assurance project to Systems Mechanics Ltd (SysMech)

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Systems Mechanics Ltd (SysMech), specialist in telecoms network and service management, has been chosen by Vodafone Ireland to supply and implement a Next Generation Service Assurance solution. The solution will deliver major new functionality, simplified operations and reduced cost of ownership. Through a combination of software and professional services, it will enable Vodafone Ireland to optimise services for customers over its telecoms network, while enabling proactive fault management and monitoring.

SysMech will manage and coordinate all third party vendors and sub-contractors involved in the project, as the single point of contact for the service assurance solution, delivering the solution on a turnkey basis.

The contract was won by SysMech against major vendors and systems integrators. Rob Green, SysMech’s Managing Director, said: “Winning the Vodafone Ireland contract is very significant. It strongly endorses SysMech’s superiority and experience in delivering service assurance and major systems integration projects for the Telecom sector. Our innovative class-leading products mean that we are very well placed to deliver against Vodafone’s requirements for a Next Generation Service Assurance system.”

The solution will take advantage of Vodafone’s existing Operational Support Systems (OSS), integrating and enhancing these systems to deliver transformed services for the operator and its end customers.

Central to the solution is SysMech’s platform-independent CrossTalk product suite, designed to seamlessly integrate and greatly reduce the timescales and costs of bringing new network and customer services under operational management. Built to address real-life customer requirements
– and proven in many large-scale operational environments – it is a carrier class enabler for real time Service Management and SLA monitoring.

Graham Kinch, Head of Service Management at Vodafone Ireland, said: “SysMech’s track record and reputation for their quality and technical ability were key factors in choosing them for our critical service assurance project. So is SysMech’s ability to deliver the project on a “one stop shop” basis  – as the liaison point for all sub-contractors, as this greatly simplifies project management interfaces and makes it easier for Vodafone Ireland.”

He continued: “Our task is to monitor and manage the entire Vodafone Ireland IT and Telecoms infrastructure for 2.3 million fixed and mobile customers in Ireland, in real time.  Our strategic Next Generation Service Assurance project with SysMech will transform our operational support systems to allow us to focus on priority services and faults, while pro-actively monitoring quality of service for customers.”

SysMech will be providing support for the solution from their UK offices, where the support team already provide a 24 x 7 solution support service for other Vodafone group members as well as product support to customers around the globe.

Femto Forum publishes APIs to advance LTE femtocell development

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The Femto Forum, the independent industry and operator association that supports femtocell deployment worldwide, today published a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) which help enable Long Term Evolution (LTE) femtocell semiconductors and protocol software stacks from different vendors to interoperate. The Forum says that compatible interfaces of this type will help create a more competitive marketplace by ensuring that femtocell device manufacturers can cost-effectively source these critical components from multiple suppliers while also maximising the market for semiconductor manufacturers.

The APIs address three fundamental LTE femtocell functions:– RF modulation (to generate LTE radio signals), scheduling (to accurately assign packets to frequency and time slots) and network monitoring (to minimise interference with the macro network and optimise femtocell coverage). Crucially, the APIs support vendors’ unique approaches to these three key areas, which essentially differentiate their products, while helping ensure their solutions are compatible with all other femtocell components.

“Femtocells could have a crucial role to play within LTE by providing users with the best possible user experience whether this is in the home, office or even outdoors in cities and rural areas,” said Alan Law, Chairman of the Femto Forum’s LTE SIG. “We are taking the lead in the LTE SIG in order to help ensure this vision becomes a reality. The publication of these APIs is an important first step.”

The publication of the LTE femtocell APIs comes at a time when major telecommunication manufacturers are ramping up their participation in the femtocell market due to increasing deployment activity. Together with the LTE femtocell specification encapsulated in 3GPP’s release 8 and 9, these APIs will help enable devices from different vendors to interoperate.

The API specifications are freely available from the Femto Forum’s website.

Alan Law, LTE and Innovative Product Manager, from Vodafone Group is the newly appointed chairman of the Femto Forum’s LTE SIG.

Operators, OS and browser companies join WAC

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China Unicom, Opera Software and LiMo Foundation sign up

The Wholesale Applications Community has announced that a further 11 operators have joined the applications development community, with 21 new companies also joining as board level, sponsor or associate members – bringing overall membership to 48. There are some significant names in the list of new members.

The body has also announced that the WAC 1.0 specification is now available, following the completion of the WAC and JIL merger.  The organisation WAC announced the completion of the purchase of the JIL assets on 1st October 2010. The completion of the acquisition is the final stage of the process to combine JIL with WAC, and enables WAC to provide the WAC 1.0 specification to the developer community.
“The availability of the WAC 1.0 specification sends out a strong message to the developer community that we are committed to working with them to create cross-platform applications that will benefit the entire mobile communications ecosystem” said Peters Suh, CEO of WAC. WAC 1.0 is based upon JIL 1.2.2 and is available to download at www.wholesaleappcommunity.com.
One name that will spark interest in the list of new joiners is the LiMo Foundation – which is developing a Linux based operating system for mobile phones. It is the first open OS body to sign up to WAC as a member.
“LiMo is committed to promoting consolidation and co-operation amongst industry stakeholders around a common set of technologies in order to accelerate the delivery of innovative applications and services to mobile consumers globally,” said Morgan Gillis, executive director of LiMo Foundation. 
“One of the key objectives of WAC is to drive web technology across multiple platforms by providing a consistent widget runtime and specifying a broad range of device and network APIs,” added Suh. “We are delighted to welcome LiMo Foundation and look forward to working together to bring universal availability of WAC apps a step closer.”
Another “first” in the list of new joiners is Opera Software – the first browser vendor to join WAC. “For years, we have said that the Web is the most important application platform there is,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “Now we have the opportunity to collaborate with global operators to make the Web the common platform for mobile applications. This will ensure mobile applications will be available for almost everyone with a mobile phone, not limited to those with smartphones or a particular OS.”Opera products already support the initial WAC 1.0 standard as it already suopported the original Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) 1.2.2 standard.
Last but not least – there are some pretty major operators joining the body. The addition of China Unicom means that China Mobile and China Unicom are both represented, bringing a potentially vast market together for WAC developers.


LIST OF NEW STARTERS
The operators joining WAC at Operator Member level are América Móvil, Bell Mobility, Bouygues Telecom, China Unicom, Hutchison 3 Group, KDDI, LG Uplus, MTS, Orascom Telecom, Rogers Communications and SFR.
Accenture, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Qualcomm Incorporated and Samsung are Joining WAC at board level.
New Sponsor Members include Alcatel-Lucent, Fujitsu, and LG Electronics.
The new Associate Members are Aplix, ASPire, Borqs, Capgemini, Innoace, LiMo Foundation, Myriad Group, Oberthur Technologies, Obigo, Opera Software, Oracle Corporation and ZTE.

Vodafone UK and Cognatel announce new MVNA partnership

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Vodafone UK’s wholesale division and Cognatel have agreed a partnership that will create a new mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA).

The partnership will give mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) easier access to the network backed by flexible billing and CRM solutions.

Cognatel says its end-to-end, fully hosted, solutions will reduce the time it takes MVNOs to get to market and ensure that they have the right processes in place to ensure long term success. The Cognatel support package can also lower the cost of market entry for new MVNOs by eliminating the need for expensive upfront investment in new technology and allowing MVNOs the freedom to focus on shaping and marketing their offer.

Tim Stone, Director of Business Development and Wholesale, Vodafone UK, said: “Our partnership with Cognatel strengthens Vodafone’s MVNO portfolio and maintains our focus in an area which offers excellent opportunities for everyone involved.”

Mark Ashdown, Cognatel CEO, said: “Cognatel can help brands reach new and niche markets by helping them create and manage their own mobile presence.

“We will work with new partners at every stage of their development from verifying their initial proposition through to supporting the final market implementation.
“And we can move quickly so that they can launch their branded mobile offer within weeks, rather than months.”

Cognatel will also offer real-time billing and CRM tools which will enable MVNOs to increase customer value and retention by providing the best possible service, it says.

Music streaming partnerships a €1.1 bn opportunity for European operators in 2011, says new research

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Large mobile operators could add millions of euros to their bottom line by partnering with a music streaming service, according to the findings of a research project between Informa Telecoms & Media and Spotify.

Rapid smartphone uptake combined with the recent rise of streaming services like Spotify have for the first time enabled music to make a substantial impact on operator’s market share, ARPU and churn.  By partnering exclusively with an existing player rather than building their own service, fast-moving operators can realise these gains quickly while shutting out competitors, it says.

The study is based on real data from Telia and Spotify, as well as research from Informa Telecoms & Media and other service providers and operators. Using this data, the study estimates that an operator in Western Europe with 20 million customers could generate revenues of EUR77.7 million in 2011 alone from partnering with a streaming service. If the leading player in each Western European market did so, they would collectively generate EUR1.1 billion in 2011, the study found.

“Our research shows a large Western European operator could generate millions of euros of revenue a year by partnering with a third-party music service – significantly more than they would gain from offering their own service. Add in other benefits, such as network efficiency, brand awareness and increased lifetime customer value, and the potential for such a partnership becomes very clear,” explains Giles Cottle, Senior Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.

“Music download stores which operators launched prolifically over the last 5 years are commodities and had little impact on core business metrics. Streaming services, by contrast, have proved an effective way to differentiate from the competition and win new customers. They have also been used to upsell high-ARPU devices and reduce churn. Over half of Spotify / Telia customers said they were more likely to stick with Telia as a result of the Spotify partnership”, said Adrian Blair, Director of European Business Development at Spotify.

Telia’s experience has helped illustrate best practice to other operators wishing to emulate their success. Churn reductions and potential gains in market share and ARPU resulting from mobile music streaming will not materialize without a clear strategy and focused execution. A high-quality streaming product and the right offer (for both operator and consumer) needs to be combined with effective marketing, a motivated sales force and deep billing integration.

“Simply offering a popular free service, with little thought put into the way the offer is packaged and marketed, will not yield the kind of results the operator will be hoping for. Yet if they get it right, the rewards are potentially lucrative,” concludes Informa’s Cottle.

Careful with those IAB numbers on mobile purchasing

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Some interesting numbers in from the IAB this morning with an attention grabbing headline that 23 million people in the UK are already using their mobile phones to make purchases.

That seemed a lot – about half the population using mobile to make purchases is a big number. But what is this?  The IAB says that 51% of mobile owners (23 million people) are  using their device to make payments, redeem coupons or research products and services. Wait a minute, researching a product or service counts as using your phone to make a purchase?

 

It seems so. The IAB survey found that 43% of respondents had used mobile to conduct research for a purchase, whilst 40% have used their mobile phone to check shop details such as contact information, location and opening hours.

Now, I’m open to the view that this could represent a missed opportunity for retailers – if someone is looking for a location then clearly there’s an opportunity for some sort of transaction – but I think it’s a stretch to say that that represents “using their mobile phones to make purchases”.

So how many people are actually buying real things using their phone as the payment mechanism? Well, 37% of people reported that they have used their phone to buy something, but that includes ring tones, download content, apps, anything through PSMS etc. It also seems to be a historical number, capturing anyone who has ever used their phone to buy something.

And yet here’s Alex Kozloff, mobile manager at the Internet Advertising Bureau providing this little quote: “Almost half of mobile users are making purchases.”

You’re probably going to see this number bounced around the news sites and Twitter today. But remember that that “almost half” is in fact 37% – and even that number seems to be to total number of people who have ever used their phone to buy anything.

IAB PRESS RELEASE:
23 million people in the UK already using their mobile phones to make purchases
New research from the Internet Advertising Bureau – the trade association for online and mobile advertising – reveals that mobile commerce has already become widely adopted in the UK, with 51% of mobile owners (23 million people) using their device to make payments, redeem coupons or research products and services. The study shows once again the urgent need for retailers to catch up with the mobile consumer and enhance the user experience to ensure they don’t miss out on sales.
The study – based on a nationally representative sample of over 1000 mobile owners and carried out by work research – was designed to investigate genuine consumer engagement with m-commerce in the UK. It found that 43% of respondents had used mobile to conduct research for a purchase, whilst 40% have used their mobile phone to check shop details such as contact information, location and opening hours. Usability was found to be key, with those who find research easy 16% more likely to make a purchase than those who don’t.
The study shows just how significant the mobile phone now is within the path to purchase, as well as how increasingly sophisticated mobile consumer behaviour has become, showing that:
Consumers are buying already. 37% of people have used their mobile to purchase a service/product direct to their phone bill. Within this, 32% have paid for downloaded content, 21% have used a shortcode to pay for a product/service, and 13% entered a phone number to pay for a product/service.
Average spend is high. 27% of mobile owners have used mobile to purchase via cards, bank details or PayPal. This includes buying an a p through an app store (21%), via mobile website (19%) and via an app itself (15%). Consumers purchasing via these means are spending an average of £12.20 each time.Mobile is convenient. 42% of consumers who made a purchase on mobile did so because they felt it was the easiest option. The mobile phone has also become a essential part of personal admin, with a fifth of mobile users (21%) already using coupons and vouchers on their mobile, with 23% having used their mobile phone as a ticket for events or travel.
Smartphones are driving growth.Smartphone users were found to be 63% more likely to engage in m-commerce than all users. Of those mobile users who had not engaged with mobile commerce, 35% were simply unable to because their current handset did not allow it.
The mobile consumer is spontaneous. Of those consumers who had made a purchase via their mobile device, around a third (31%) did so due to a spontaneous or impulsive decision. A quarter of people (25%) liked the experimentation factor of purchasing via their mobile phone.
Alex Kozloff, mobile manager at the Internet Advertising Bureau said: “Whilst m-commerce is on the radar for many retailers, our research highlights the need for more urgency in terms of developing a mobile presence and ensuring the user experience is as smooth and secure as possible. Almost half of mobile users are making purchases, and of those who don’t, half again are certain they will in the future, so investment in a solid mobile retail presence is essential. The IAB is committed to helping these brands adapt, providing a steady stream of research and guidelines to facilitate a better understanding of the mobile consumer.”

 

O2 launches location-based marketing with Placecast

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O2 today launched a location-based mobile marketing service in the UK, which it said will enable brands to deliver relevant SMS and MMS to consumers in a more targeted, engaging and effective way than ever before.

Starbucks and L’Oréal are the first brands on board for the six-month trial, which relies on consumers opting into the service to receive relevant messages dependent on their age, gender, interests and for the first time, their location. With the launch, O2 immediately enables the UK’s favourite retailers and brands to reach over one million opted-in consumers on their mobile phones when they are in a mind-set to make a purchase.

The service uses location-based technology known as “geo-fencing” to power the trial and is the result of O2 Media, O2’s mobile marketing arm, partnering with Placecast, a Californian company whose tried and tested platform has transformed the mobile marketing industry in the USA. Placecast’s customers have included North Face, quick-serve restaurant, Sonic Drive-Ins and American Eagle Outfitters. 65% of customers who were part of initial programmes made a purchase as a result of an SMS and MMS, and 60% of participants found the location-based messages to be “cool and innovative”. 

The partnership combines Placecast’s location-based experience with O2’s customer base of over 22 million, its network and O2 Media’s strong relationships with brands and ad buyers. It enables brands to target their audiences better than ever before and give consumers relevant and targeted information and offers.

 Shaun Gregory, Managing Director of O2 Media, said: “The growth of location-based services will create a golden age for proximity marketing. It fuels a growing expectation among consumers for personalised advertising via their mobile phones that is directly relevant to their passions. The market potential here is huge – it has already had massive success in the USA – and this is another nail in the coffin of the old model of reaching mass audiences in one go.”
How it works:

•    O2 customers register on O2 More www.o2more.co.uk, launched in December 2009, by inputting information about their age, gender and interests such as football, travel and cinema
•    When opted-in O2 More customers are found to be within a geo-fenced area owned by Starbucks, those interested in food and drink receive an SMS offering them money off Starbucks VIA Ready Brew at a nearby branch
•    When opted-in O2 More customers are found to be within a geo-fenced area owned by L’Oréal, customers interested in beauty receive an SMS offering buy one get one free on L’Oréal Elvive hair care range at Superdrug
•    O2 protects its customers’ privacy by not sharing data peer to peer
•    O2 does not spam its customers with irrelevant or frequent SMS or MMS – opted-in O2 More customers only receive a maximum of one SMS or MMS per day from O2 More
•    Customers can opt out of the service at any time
•    The service works on any mobile phone (not just smartphones) and does not need an app. It has no impact on battery life as all detection is done as part of the service O2 provides for voice and messaging
•    The service is not available to customers aged under 16 years

Alistair Goodman, CEO of Placecast, said: “O2 is one of the most innovative mobile carriers in the market and we are pleased to be partnering with it to bring location-based mobile marketing to the UK. The service allows consumers to go about their day and automatically alerts them when they are near a special offer available at their favourite retailers. This is truly marketing as a service to consumers, not an intrusion, enabling people to connect with brands at the right place and in real-time, all via their mobile phone.”

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