When it comes to managed services for mobile operators, Europe leads the world’s most active regions this year. ABI Research forecasts indicate that the European managed mobile services market will total nearly $9 billion in 2009. The Asia-Pacific region follows a distant second, with a market size of about $5.7 billion. Total managed services revenue for 2009 is forecast to reach $22.2 billion.
 
“Just a few large companies account for the lion’s share of the network-related managed services market,” says senior analyst Nadine Manjaro. “Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent are the leaders in this space with both vendors recently announcing new managed services contracts and agreements. Among them: Ericsson’s $5 billion contract with Sprint – the first major penetration in North America. The company also signed a seven-year contract with Vodafone UK.”
 
In 2008 Alcatel-Lucent concluded a three-year managed services deal with Saudi mobile operator Mobily.
 
Nokia Siemens ranks third in the world in terms of market share, and recently announced managed services contracts with the Brazilian operator Oi valued at $1.57 billion.
 
Meanwhile the major managed services providers are working to extend their IT capabilities through partnerships or on their own; Alcatel-Lucent, for example, has established a global alliance with HP. The company also entered a managed service joint venture with Bharti Airtel in India.
 
ABI Research's study “Managed Services for Mobile Operators” addresses the global market for managed services and provides regional breakdowns of each market, including global data, market share data and regional managed services data

Nortel and LG Electronics say they have demonstrated the world’s first 3GPP standards compliant active handover of a data transmission between a LTE network and a CDMA network. The demonstration showed that online activities like video downloads, web surfing, and VoIP calls can be maintained when a mobile data user moves between LTE and CDMA coverage zones.

 Nortel’s CDMA business and LTE Access assets are the subject of an asset sale agreement with Ericsson, set to close in the fall of 2009.

LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, has contributed to this demonstration by developing its CDMA/LTE device, the M13. LG has focused on developing CDMA/LTE devices and equipment since 2006 to drive the next generation of mobile technology, and achieved prominence by unveiling the world’s first modem chipset for 4G LTE devices in December 2008.

Operators around the world are preparing to launch LTE with major deployments expected as early as 2010. Initial LTE networks will co-exist with today’s CDMA networks until, over time, they expand to provide wide scale 4G mobile broadband coverage. Inter-technology handover allows mobile users to move between a LTE and a CDMA network without losing their data connectivity. This means that operators can run these networks concurrently without impacting services. This will help to ensure that users have full network coverage while taking advantage of LTE speeds, wherever initially available.

“Nortel innovation will help CDMA operators enjoy a smooth migration to LTE,” said Larry Murat, vice president of LTE R&D, Nortel. “Although CDMA networks will remain the primary networks for many years to come, LTE will become a key piece of the networking puzzle as early as next year. With interoperability between LTE and CDMA networks on a single device, Nortel and LG are enabling operators to provide their subscribers with the speed of LTE wherever it is available backed up by the far-reaching reliability of CDMA. This is important to operators who want to provide robust and consistent service throughout their evolutions to 4G.”

“The 2010 LTE commercial launch for CDMA operators represents a milestone. LG’s new M13 terminal technology is the key to enabling CDMA network operators an incremental LTE network deployment over a national CDMA network,” said In-Kyung Kim, vice president of 4G Development, LG Electronics. The test by Nortel and LG Electronics successfully demonstrates standards-compliant CDMA-LTE interworking. This enables idle mode handover between CDMA and LTE, and active mode handover from LTE to CDMA leveraging device assisted, network controlled functionality. The demonstration was conducted over 700MHz spectrum using Nortel CDMA Evolved High-Rate Packet Data (eHRPD) 1xEV-DO and Nortel Long Term Evolution (LTE) solution with LG Electronics’ dual-mode CDMA-LTE M13 terminal. The M13 terminal is a test device created with commercial grade components that will form the basis for a consumer device which is expected to be available in 2010.

The handover between LTE to CDMA networks was completed in a Live-Air Drive Test at Nortel’s Research and Development centre in Ottawa, Canada.

mobilkom austria has introduced comprehensive and standardized Service Level Agreements (SLA). The first mobile provider in Austria to offer SLAs, its A1 customers can now benefit from the highest quality standards, the best service through a specifically developed SLA service unit, round-the-clock technical support and a detailed reporting system to track achievement of the contractually agreed service levels. PORR AG was the first A1 customer to benefit from mobilkom austria’s guaranteed services through a pilot project that began in May 2009. From now on, A1 Business SLAs will be available for all enterprise customers.
 
Mobile solutions can efficiently support a great number of corporate processes ranging from long term sales procedures monitoring to resource management, which can bring customers a rapid return on investment, in some cases, after two or three months only. The more companies employ mobile solutions, the better they are integrated into corporate processes, with clearly defined quality parameters and service levels becoming increasingly important.  

Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO Telekom Austria Group, commented: “Service can be best managed when adequately measured. A great number of our customers are increasingly relying on mobile communication to provide their services. Mobile SLAs are becoming imperative for any IT manager. With A1 Business SLA we are considerably enhancing our service levels and contractually committing ourselves to comply with the highest quality guidelines for our customers.” 

PORR AG had the opportunity to test mobilkom austria’s SLAs with a pilot project. DI Quirin Radmer, Head of IT PORR AG, said: “In the construction sector we are faced with extreme time pressure and communication with our employees is crucial for our business success. Safeguarding currently existing services, rapid reaction times and guaranteed service levels represent the three main reasons behind our decision to choose mobilkom austria’s A1 Business SLA.”

Service Level Agreements stipulated between a business customer and a service provider lay down certain quality and service standards. mobilkom austria offers A1 Business SLA in three types: “basic” “standard” and “premium”. These include up to 36 KPIs, which are clearly defined, currently monitored and assessed on a regular basis and made available to customers in the form of a report. Thus, customers can benefit from clearly defined and contractually agreed service levels, a predefined service interface and, in the case of malfunctioning, they are supported with highest priority. Regular and transparent A1 Quality Reports, which are compiled on a monthly or half-yearly basis according to the selected SLA product, as well as Quality Review Meetings between customers and mobilkom austria’s key accountants also contribute to safeguarding quality under the SLA agreement. Business customers are entitled to compensation in the case the contractually agreed levels are not met as laid down in the A1 Business SLA.

Guaranteed service levels include six products: Voice, SMS, mobile broadband, BlackBerry, Internet Security and Data Guard (the secure connection for corporate intranet). The three SLA versions on offer are characterized by a different range and number of quality parameters to be agreed and measured.  

“Old-school SLAs used to include only one up to two service levels with ten different criteria, which to a large extent were not so crucial for business success,” explains Leif-Olof Wallin, Research Vice President, Mobile and Wireless, Gartner Client Service Group. “With A1 Business SLA, mobilkom austria has a considerable competitive edge over its international rivals based on exactly defined service levels and the value add for the customers.” 

Reinhard Zuba, Head of Marketing at mobilkom austria, said: “As the country’s market leader, we have a responsibility towards our business customers. We are constantly exchanging feedback with them and are committed to developing innovative and tailor-made products and services to meet the specific needs of our customers in their daily business.”

A range of dual-sim handsets have been launched today by Onyx, a British handset company which claims to be finding and serving the gaps in the current handset market, both in the UK and internationally.

The new dual-sim handsets mean users can insert an additional sim-card to their main number allowing them to make full use of all the money-saving tariffs on offer, to save money on calls and texts at home or abroad; or conveniently to have only one handset for both business and personal calls.

The handsets being launched today are:

–   Flip – A lightweight and stylish clamshell dual-sim handset. The Flip is perfect for the style conscious looking to use multiple tariffs that best match their usage or save money on calls and texts while abroad.

–   Slider – A smart, music-player that also has email functionality and a 2MP camera, combined with a dual-sim mobile phone. With the Slider you can stay connected and save money while abroad; or have all your personal and business needs in one handset.

–   Nero – A handset that combines touch screen desirability, with dual-sim practicality. The Nero also has email functionality and a 2MP camera.

The range of dual-sim handsets has been launched to provide an alternative choice for consumers that might want:

–  To save money – by taking advantage of two different networks and tariffs on one handset, whether they have got two UK sims cards to make the most of the multiple offers in the market; or they use an international sim card to save money on calls and texts whilst abroad

–  Added convenience – having two contact numbers on the same handset means they can easily combine personal and business numbers, making life easier as they only need to carry one handset and set of accessories

–  A stylish solution – no longer do they need to fill pockets with two handsets

–  An environmental solution – as they now only need to charge one handset rather than two

"These new handsets offer consumers a different choice, one that many people have been crying out for," said Zafar Mirza, Chairman of Onyx. "They are stylish, practical and will be very competitively priced. And the dual-sim function means that consumers can shop around for the best tariffs or have a great phone to take with them as they travel abroad."

Mirza continued, "these are exciting times for Onyx and for the UK handset market. What is particularly exciting is that the Flip, Slider and Nero are just the first three handsets that we are launching and we're equally excited about the next handsets in the range."

Additional handsets that are in development include a dual-sim handset with an 8MP camera, a Windows Mobile smartphone and a dual-sim Android handset with a 5MP camera.

Hutchison 3G Austria has extended its existing contract with Nokia Siemens Networks to modernize its microwave radio network, to enable ultra high-speed downloads and prepare for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology roll out.

"Mobile Internet access is driving our growth and we want to continue to ride the wave," said Jan Trionow, CTO of Hutchison 3G Austria. "Nokia Siemens Networks will help us turbo charge data download rates in the mobile broadband network. This enables our customers to surf the web even faster and more effectively than using fixed line connection. Additionally we are now in a better position to offer new services like video on demand to the subscribers of Hutchison 3G Austria."

As the sole supplier of the operator's microwave network, Nokia Siemens Networks will build extra capacity in the existing network via Carrier Ethernet upgrades and all-IP backhauling. This will allow very high download speeds, with an option of delivering up to 155 Mbps once the operator migrates its network to LTE. Nokia Siemens Networks all-IP backhaul solution will make the transport network ready for LTE.

"Having long standing business relationship with H3G Austria we know the architecture of their network by heart. Therefore we  have the experience and established processes to smoothly handle their transition to future technologies," said Dietmar Appeltauer, Head of Central East Europe at Nokia Siemens Networks. "What's more, given the easy integration with existing elements of the network we can keep new expansions simple and cost efficient."

The Nokia Siemens Networks mobile backhaul solution comprising microwave radio and Carrier Ethernet transport is said to be optimized for carrying vast amounts of packet traffic in 2G, 3G, WiMax and LTE networks in a cost efficient manner, while ensuring lowest possible latency and synchronization. To ensure that the operator can monitor, manage and optimize the whole network in a simple way, the microwave element management will be integrated with the NetAct network management system. Also, Nokia Siemens Networks' implementation team will provide a smooth installation and commissioning for a timely launch.

Ipadio's new iPhone app, available in the App Store,  is said to give users the choice between recording high quality audio for publication later or streaming their calls live to the web – on www.ipadio.com or straight to their own web site.

For the first time, says Ipadio, iPhone users can choose to live stream audio to their own web site or pre-record up to 60 minutes of audio and upload it later. Callers also have the option to use SpinVox voice to text conversion to produce title, tags and a transcript, plus adding photos from the phone, geolocating the call and automatically integrating with social media (Twitter, Facebook) and popular blogging platforms. Listeners can subscribe to each "channel" as a podcast in iTunes, within an ipadio account, via RSS or even old fashioned email. IPod Touch users can of course record and publish via ipadio.

Dr Mark K Smith, CEO of ipadio, said, "From the day we launched, ipadio's iPhone users let us know in no uncertain terms that audio quality is paramount to them, and so here we are – up to 60 minutes call time at high quality. But we've decided not to stop there, and we hope that optional SpinVox conversion plus all of the rich functionality that can be managed from the web account will make ipadio a valuable addition to the serious blogger's toolset. In fact, several bloggers and journalists are setting their ipadio accounts to "private" and then embedding them to their own sites along with a more detailed article, so they never appear on ipadio.com at all. That's fine with us, and gives ipadians ultimate control over their audio content. Along with moderation it's just the functionality that many journalists are looking for."

On uploading a call, users have the option to leave their title, tags and description to SpinVox, or to type these manually. In practice, most callers are running a quick test and then leaving things to SpinVox. If the odd word is missed, it's easy to edit the text either in the iPhone app or through an account on ipadio.com.

As well as signposting the content, the SpinVox conversion will make the phlogs (phone blogs) easy for search engines to find. With the new app, users can call ipadio whilst on the road and appear in the search results before arriving home.

Ipadio's commercial service introduces workflow process (moderation, group access and distribution, database integration of calls), additional in-call functionality (in-call polling, "call push") to meet each company's exact requirement. Ipadio has already announced its partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh's Award to collect audio assessments.

Orange today announced the launch of Social Life, a mobile social networking aggregator which brings together activity on Facebook, MySpace and Bebo in one central place. Accessible from Orange World, Orange's mobile internet portal, Social Life allows customers to view and post updates and get in touch with friends and family across all three social networks at the same time through a single log-in.

Available to all Orange mobile customers, the Social Life home screen allows users to:
-upload photos
-update their status
-keep track of friends' status updates from all three leading social networks
-view social network notifications, including messages, events, pokes and friend requests
-send and receive messages

Users have full control over which information they provide to each of their social networks – they can update their status and upload photos to some or all of them through the Social Life home screen.

Social Life also allows customers to keep on top of social network activity through SMS – with them able to set up free text alerts on specific social network activity and send updates via text message.
Offering access to Facebook, Bebo and MySpace from launch, the service will also look to incorporate more social networks and Web 2.0 sites in 2009.

Orange says it has placed mobile social networking at the heart of its offers. Orange was the first operator to offer pay-as-you-go customers free access to Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, while contract customers receive free mobile internet access on certain tariffs. According to Orange, such attractive offers have seen the popularity of mobile social networking soar – the most recent Orange Digital Media Index revealed a 129% increase in monthly page impressions and a 48% increase in monthly unique users.

Orange also announced today that it has launched Orange Widget Player, a customisable interface which provides fast access to useful content and favourite applications from the Orange home screen on Orange Signature devices.  Using Widget Player, customers can access news, weather and sport updates along with applications such as search, Wikipedia, world clock and others from a widgets catalogue that will grow throughout 2009. Currently available on the Nokia 6303, Widget Player will be rolled out on further devices through the course of 2009.

Mark Watts-Jones, Head of Product Management for Orange UK, said: "With Social Life and Widget Player we're making it simple for customers to manage their favourite content, applications and social networks at the touch of a button. Over time we will be looking to add more sites to the service – helping users to stay in touch in touch with the people and content that matters most to them".

Streamezzo, publisher of mobile development platforms, and Telemak, a specialist in webcasting and streaming content delivery solutions for mobile and broadband, today announced a partnership agreement to deliver mobile TV applications fully compatible with all major mobile operating systems.

The mobile TV solution is developed and operated by Telemak, using Streamezzo's framework. The mobile application developed is fully compatible with all the major mobile operating systems such as Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Java, Linux, Symbian and Windows Mobile and is interoperable with a wide variety of mobile networking standards and protocols, including: GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, CDMA, EVDO, and WiFi.

"This is a major achievement in Telemak's Mobile offer," says Christophe Lenaerts, Telemak founder & CEO. "Streamezzo proposes the only development framework enabled to overcome the hurdle of fragmentation and fully compliant with all the major Operating Systems of the market. Their technology will benefit directly to our customers by extending the number of subscribers and accelerate their return on investment."

"We are very excited with this agreement. Knowing that one of the European leaders in the content delivery selected our development platform comfort our vision" added Denis Bastiment, Executive Vice-President Sales and Marketing of Streamezzo. "The only solution to mass market applications with a constraining budget is to use a framework able to deliver one application package running whatever the handset. That's exactly what Streamezzo proposes"

Under the agreement, Telemak will deliver a turnkey hosted solution including everything from application development to network deployment, systems integration, operation and technical support.

Sofialys, a mobile advertising specialist, and Spanish  mobile content provider Arena Mobile, part of the Neo Mobile Group, have signed a partnership agreement with the objective of monetising the Arena mobile properties on a global basis.

Sofialys will use its ad serving technology and its relationships with brands and agencies to help Arena leverage the potential of mobile advertising for its customers. Arena runs its own mobile Internet services as well as some operators' portals in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

According to Josep Aliagas, CEO of Arena Mobile: "It is crucial for us to work with a reliable ad serving partner capable of helping us meet our international customers' requirements. The Sofialys ad server is a tool that provides all the features necessary to target and reach the desired audience. On top of that, it gives simple access to brands and agencies to follow the results of their campaigns online and in real time. It was for these reasons that we were keen to collaborate with Sofialys."

Sofialys and Arena are said to have developed a proposition that allows advertisers to reach relevant end-users on the mobile Internet. Both companies believe that Sofialys'  network of agencies and Arena's global footprint  are ideal to run cross-market campaigns and therefore attract a large number of advertisers.

Julien Oudart, Sales and Marketing Director at Sofialys concluded: "Over the last 3 years we have been listening to our customers and constantly improving our ad server. We are therefore delighted that a company such as Arena Mobile has chosen to work with us. Not only does it put Sofialys on the map as one of the best Mobile Ad serving solutions on the market, but it also allows us to reach new customers and expand our operations in some markets with very high growth potential."