O3SIS, a provider of mobile email and synchronization solutions, has announced the launch of its new Device Client Suite. Based on OMA DS (SyncML), Java and IP-Push industry standards the brand new Clients enable users to synchronize all types of multimedia contents from and to mobile devices. The Clients also fully support Push Mail capabilities of today's primary Smartphone platforms in the market, such as iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian Smartphones.

O3SIS customers now can fully leverage existing infrastructure investments to empower a wide range of mobile phones, while unifying all the various Smartphone platforms and previously isolated applications. O3SIS is demonstrating its Device Clients Suite in combination with Living Phone Safe and Living Communication products at Mobile World Congress.

MobiTV has announced its Media Distribution Platform is now capable of delivering live streaming and on demand video content to the iPhone.

The iPhone will be added to the 350-strong list of mobile devices that are already supported by MobiTV's technology and infrastructure. The user interface of the MobiTV service, which includes immediate session start and fast channel change functions, has been adapted to suit the features of the iPhone, and can be leveraged by service providers and content owners who wish to bring linear television to the iPhone platform.

Bruce Gilpin, Chief Operating Officer, MobiTV said " "Our new live streaming technology will open up an exciting new range of possibilities for delivering engaging media on the iPhone platform.".

MobiTV is exhibiting at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Vodafone is trialling new microwave technology that is said to quadruple current backhaul capacity in channelling voice and data traffic away from base stations while enhancing performance and quality of service levels for customers.
 
Vodafone has carried out a series of trials investigating the potential of Ethernet microwave which is capable of greatly enhancing the performance of existing microwave backhaul technology.
 
Under current estimates, the upgrade from typical microwave backhaul technology to Ethernet microwave backhaul technology is capable of raising peak capacity from around 32 Mbps to around 180 Mbps using the same frequency range.
 
The Ethernet-based point-to-point technology is also designed to support IP based traffic from the Radio Access Network by deploying an adaptive modulation technique that increases throughput, decreases latency while improving quality of service levels for customers.
 
As the performance boost is based on upgrading the cheaper electronics in the cabinet rather than the more expensive microwave dish itself, the move also offers cost efficiencies.
 
"As Radio Access Networks are upgraded to reflect growing demand for mobile broadband services, it is important to ensure that the backhaul is able to deliver on that potential," said Andy MacLeod, Global Network Director of Vodafone. "The trials show that Microwave Ethernet technology can play a role in maintaining high levels of mobile broadband performance for our customers through adopting a holistic approach to maintaining service levels."
 
The technology is expected to be commercially available from the end of 2009.
 
The initiative forms part of Vodafone's Backhaul Evolution Programme designed to boost network efficiency and offer customers unparalleled levels of network performance. As well as replacing leased lines with more cost effective Microwave technology, the programme has seen Vodafone deploy both fibre and DSL to base stations in areas with particularly high demand for capacity.
 
The move comes as Vodafone continues to upgrade its Radio Access Networks to match growing demand for mobile broadband services, made more popular through the rise in sales of data dongles and attractive bundles offering more value for money.
 
Vodafone has already deployed hotspots offering peak theoretical speeds of 7.2 Mbps in selected countries across its global networks to ensure that customers are getting the performance they require.
 
Vodafone recently announced ongoing trials of HSPA+ technology achieving peak data download rates of up to 20 Mbps.

Cellebrite, a provider of carrier-grade mobile phone point-of-sale (POS) synchronization systems, today announced that Carphone Warehouse's Dutch group company, The Phone House has introduced Cellebrite's UME-36Pro across the Netherlands to enable customers to securely transfer personal mobile data when buying a new mobile phone.

The Phone House is the first and only mobile retailer in the Netherlands to be able to offer an immediate back-up and transfer solution to customers at the point-of-sale (POS). Customers purchasing a new mobile handset at The Phone House store will be able to transfer personal data such as phonebook contacts, text messages, images, videos and other personal content from an old device to a newly purchased phone at the POS, eliminating the tedious and time consuming task of manually transferring data on to a mobile handset. 

Using the UME-36Pro in stores, The Phone House can also offer customers the chance to backup mobile content to a 1 GB USB disk drive.

"We are delighted that The Phone House has decided to take on the UME-36 to increase it's quality of service for customers," comments Yossi Carmil, Co-CEO of Cellebrite, "The close relationship between The Phone House and Cellebrite means that upcoming mobile handsets will be supported by the UME-36Pro before they are even launched onto the market providing Phone House with a strategic advantage over other mobile retailers in the market."

The GSMA and a task force comprising Telefonica, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile International and 3, today unveiled the results of a feasibility study examining mobile audience metrics that will enable media and advertising agencies, brands and publishers to deliver better mobile advertising campaigns. The study, part of the GSMA's Mobile Media Metrics programme, has created a measurement process for mobile browsing that is claimed to respect the privacy of mobile users and provides rich planning information for the media and advertising communities.

"Access to transparent measurement is essential in establishing mobile as a legitimate advertising medium. This programme will help take the guesswork out of mobile for brands, publishers and agencies," said Rob Conway, CEO and Board Member of the GSMA. "For the first time, the advertising community has access to real, aggregated mobile audience data, which offers insight into the most popular sites, ranked by number of visitors, page impressions, time and duration of visits. This will enable better planning of marketing campaigns, and in turn, will accelerate sales of mobile advertising inventory."

The results of the study, based on a sample of anonymised data from UK mobile operators, reveal that operator sites continue to command the largest audiences, with 68% of UK mobile users visiting operator portals. Google is the top off-portal destination and Facebook is the top mobile site by time spent browsing, with other social networking sites featuring strongly.  In addition to the top sites, a total of 167,648 mobile Internet sites have been measured during the feasibility study.

      Top Mobile Sites vs. Top Internet Sites, December 2008
      UK Mobile Phone Users (sample of UK Operators) and UK Internet
       Users*
     Top 10 Mobile Sites                        Top 10 PC Internet Sites
  1  Mobile Operator Sites                     Google Sites
  2  Google Sites                                 Microsoft Sites
  3  Facebook.com                              Yahoo! Sites
  4  Yahoo! Sites                                 Facebook.com
  5  BBC Sites                                     EBay
  6  Apple Inc. Sites                             BBC Sites
  7  Microsoft Sites                              AOL (inc. Bebo)
  8  Sony Online (inc. Sony Ericsson)    Amazon Sites
  9  Nokia                                            Ask Network
  10 AOL (inc. Bebo)                            Wikimedia Foundation
                                                          Sites

Source:  GSMA Mobile Media Metrics; comScore Media Metrix (PC data)

User Behaviour
The output of the GSMA's Mobile Media Metrics programme will allow brands, publishers and agencies access to rich, aggregated user behaviour data, enabling comparison with other media. For example, mobile users accessing Facebook spend an average of 24 minutes per day on the site, similar to the 27.5 minutes spent by PC users. Mobile users on Facebook averaged 3.3 visits per day versus 2.3 visits per day by PC users.

Mobile is used consistently throughout the whole day, but the early morning (7-10am) is the key day part for mobile, accounting for 22% of total mobile minutes browsed, compared with only 11% of total minutes browsed by PC Internet users in the same day part.  Mobile can therefore act as an extension to media such as the Internet and TV, while it reinforces other early morning media, such as radio and newspapers.

Demographics
The real value comes in the combination of aggregated site popularity and user behaviour data with independently collected demographic information, which enables more effective targeting of campaigns. Mobile is confirmed as a strong youth medium with 48 per cent of users between 18-34 years old, compared to 40 per cent for the fixed Internet and 29 per cent for the TV audience (source: BMRB's TGI). Mobile is also more skewed towards men, who represent 63 per cent of total users compared with 53 per cent for the fixed Internet.

"The mobile phone has the potential to offer relevant, personalised advertising on a level that has largely been unattainable until now," said Conway. "This potential can only be achieved if mobile is part of a sophisticated, integrated approach to advertising.  The rich data delivered through this programme will enable advertisers to create truly comprehensive, cross-platform media plan and campaigns."

In the feasibility study, the GSMA worked with comScore as its measurement partner and ABC Electronic its media audit partner, as well as key industry stakeholders including JICWEBS and its member associations. The next phase of the programme will see the commercial launch of an audited mobile measurement service, expected in the second half of 2009. The GSMA will establish three further working groups, one each for advertisers, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. These working groups will confirm the measurement and reporting needs of the media industry, gather support for the proposed measures as a ‘common currency' for mobile audience measurement, and establish how best to integrate this valuable information into existing cross-media business processes and tools.

Supporting quotes:
"Establishing a common system for mobile advertising will make it as easy for advertisers to run campaigns on mobiles as it is across traditional media such as television and radio. This marks a significant step forward in driving the credibility of mobile advertising," said Tanya Field, Director – Mobile Data Group, Telefonica S.A.

"Mobile Media Metrics is vital to the development of Mobile Advertising industry," said Frank Boulben, Director Commercial Strategy at Vodafone Group. "The GSMA has supported a solution which can be deployed by mobile operators in virtually every country and is based on ongoing collaboration with the leading advertisers and advertising agencies."

"Mobile advertising is an innovative channel with solid future potential in terms of reach, targeting and message relevance. One of the key building blocks for the successful take-up of mobile advertising is a standardised measurement system for mobile media audiences allowing advertisers to make informed decisions on the ROI of their campaigns. The GSMA initiative will play a vital role in bringing all the necessary elements together to ensure an effective mobile audience measurement process is put in place," said Ingo Schneider, Vice President Multimedia, T-Mobile International.
"We're now in an era of less hype and more reality when it comes to mobile advertising. This Mobile Media Metrics initiative is a big step forward in making mobile advertising simpler to plan, buy, execute and measure. It will provide a clearer picture of the usage of mobile as a medium for the advertising industry and as brands invest more in mobile, it will help us to pass on even greater benefits to customers, such as choice, quality and ad-funded services," said Steve Heald, Sales Director, Partner Channels, Orange UK.

"Network operators have long sought the independent verification which will allow them to monetise mobile Internet usage on their networks.  Media buyers have also been excited about mobile for years, but have never had access to the independent statistics to justify large ad spend; hopefully Mobile Media Metrics will change all this. 3 is very excited about the opportunity provided by this initiative and we look forward to helping media buyers generate a higher ROI through the use of mobile advertising," said Neil Andrews, Head of Portal Advertising at 3 UK.

"Robust audience data is vital to the success of any medium, and Mobile Media Metrics represents a huge step forward for the industry. Once media planners start using the research to justify mobile advertising on schedules, we can expect to see the medium grow with well targeted cross-network campaigns" said Guy Philippson, CEO of IAB UK.

"ABCe is looking forward to working with the mobile industry to progress and ultimately deliver mobile measurement to the standards agreed by JICWEBS (The Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards in the UK and Ireland). Media planners, owners and buyers require trusted and transparent data to justify driving media budgets to mobile," said Richard Foan, MD of ABC Electronic.

Aepona, a supplier of telecom service layer products and solutions to Telcos globally, today launched its Family Bundle Solution, an application suite that strengthens communications and relationships within a family, or any other small group. The Aepona Family Bundle brings together a collection of independent services and capabilities from 3rd party application developers, as well as services developed by Aepona, and is built upon the company's award-winning Universal Service Platform.

The Aepona Family Bundle includes family-oriented features such as convenient group communications (e.g. click to call, conferencing and group messaging), location-based features (e.g. child tracking and geo-fencing with voice or messaging -based alerts), and safety/security features such as home surveillance with integrated alerts, weather alerts based on the location of family members, and so on.

The Family Bundle is an example of how discrete, best-of-breed applications from different partners can be "mashed up" with telecoms capabilities such as voice/conferencing, messaging and location to deliver a compelling end-user service. Integration of the partner applications with the telecoms network is made easy by the use of Telecom Web Services APIs, allowing the application developer to focus its resources on the creation of the service itself. From the Telecoms Operators' perspective, they can add value to existing "over-the-top" services by allowing them to be enriched with their core capabilities, and bringing them together into an integrated, differentiated service offering.

In creating the Aepona Family Bundle, Aepona worked with partners such as UbiEst, an Italian provider of location-based services, which provided its UbiSafe application for family tracking and geofencing. Working with Aepona's Universal Service Platform, Ubiest was able to easily add features such as voice alerts triggered by a family member crossing a geo-fence boundary, instant family conference calls, hunt groups, and network-derived location to cater for situations where GPS-based location is not available or suitable.