Tag Archives: wireless industry news

Asia’s Mobile Innovation: Total Telecom looks at mega-key markets across ASPAC region

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The Asia-Pacific region is seen as home to almost half of the world’s mobile subscribers including some of its fastest-growing and highly-penetrated markets. In fact, according to recent report of Total Telecom, 48% of the world’s over 5 billion mobile subscribers were from Asia-Pacific region as of mid-2010. Report said a large proportion of those mobile subscribers came from the mega-markets of China and India, with claimed 813.38 million and 692.83 million respectively.

While India tops the research firm’s year-on-year growth rate table at a sizeable 47%, China’s 17% growth rate (which remains high in comparison to other markets; highly developed Japan recorded 5% growth over the same period, for example) leaves it languishing at number 10. Cambodia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka all saw growth of 30% or more.

At the other end of the scale – and Asia-Pac covers the whole gamut – sit the advanced markets in which penetration is creeping up towards 100%. Singapore tops the chart with 192% penetration, closely followed by Macau at 190%. And next on the list, with penetration of 143% and a well-advanced mobile market, comes Hong Kong, where the global mobile communications industry is set to convene on Wednesday at Mobile Asia Congress 2010.

More of Total Telecom findings as it looked into an in-depth analysis of the mobile potential across the Asia-Pacific region.

7 key trends shaping the mobile marketing space: Why do mobile marketers need to know?

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For marketers who are planning to integrate the mobile devices on their marketing plans, here are some of the exciting facts that make you really on the right track. eMarketer analyst has recently revealed seven (7) key trends shaping the mobile marketing space that mobile marketers need to know. READ ON

7 key trends mobile marketers need to know: eMarketer keynote

By: Dan Butcher

NEW YORK – An eMarketer analyst revealed seven key trends that mobile marketers need to know during a keynote address at the digiday: Mobile conference.

Noah Elkin, senior analyst at eMarketer, New York, offered up the following list of trends shaping the mobile marketing space:

# 1: Mobile usage has become pervasive.

In 2008, there were 228.2 million mobile phone users in the United States, representing 75 percent of the population. In 2009, those numbers grew to 239.1 million, representing 77.8 percent.

This year, eMarketer projects 246.1 million U.S. mobile phone users, 79. 3 percent of the population, and expects those number to grow to 250.9 million (80.1 percent) in 2011.

# 2: Mobile devices and platforms have experienced dramatic evolution.

“Mobile phones have become more advanced and significantly cheaper and significantly lighter,” Mr. Elkin said. “They have effectively become mini-computers that are connected to a whole platform and content.

“In 2007, the iPhone and Kindle helped redefine what a mobile device is,” he said. “They united hardware with software and put a universe of content in more accessible reach better than any of their predecessors, helping the industry take big step forward.

“That set the stage for the iPad in 2010, and the tablet category is also helping to drive the market forward.”

# 3: The device market is shifting in favor of smartphones, and the U.S., is driving a lot of the demand.

In June, ChangeWave Research found the 16 percent of U.S. consumers planned on buying a smartphone in the next 90 days.

In terms of smartphone penetration in the U.S., in the second quarter of 2009 it was at 16 percent while in the second quarter of this year it had grown to 25 percent, according to Nielsen.

“We see this trend continuing to accentuate,” Mr. Elkin said.

Which platform will win the increasingly competitive smartphone race?

Globally Nokia’s Symbian OS accounts for about half of smartphone subscribers due to its dominant position in Europe and Asia-Pacific, but in the U.S. Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android and RIM’s BlackBerry are grabbing market share Nokia and are dominant in North America.

In the U.S., BlackBerry enjoys the largest market share (35 percent in the second quarter of 2010), but it is slowly but steadily dropping, according to eMarketer.

“BlackBerry users demonstrate a lack of loyalty to the platform, with only 42 percent of current BlackBerry owners would opt for another BlackBerry as their next smartphone,” Mr. Elkin said.

The iPhone has 28 percent of U.S. smartphone market share and Android is coming on strong with 13 percent.

“Android is the fastest-growing smartphone OS—its market share tripled over past three quarters,” Mr. Elkin said. “Android has nowhere to go but up.

“Keep in mind, though, that HP bought Palm, and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 series is launching very shortly, so the current configuration may shift over the next few years,” he said. “Smartphone owners are voracious media consumers—they simply do more of everything: more app use, browsing, social networking, music, video and messaging.

“While smartphone users are a quarter of the population, they already represent more than half of key mobile activities.”

# 4: Increased ownership of smart devices is driving mobile Internet growth.

U.S. mobile Internet users have grown from 50.9 million (16.7 percent of the population) in 2008 to 68.6 million (22.3 percent) in 2009 and 85.5 million (27.6 percent) this year.

That number is projected to grow to 101.1 million (32.3 percent) next year.

# 5: Communication modes are undergoing a significant shift.

Among U.S. mobile phone users, in May 2010 65.2 percent sent a text message to another phone, 31.9 percent used their phone’s browser, 30 percent used/downloaded applications, 22.5 percent played mobile games and 20.8 percent accessed a social networking site or blog.

Social networks are fast becoming the primary way mobile users exchange information. Frequent social network access is linked to above-average mobile content consumption.

The nexus of mobile and social is increasingly about one key attribute—location. And, location leads to increased relevance for mobile marketing.

“The closer you get to a consumer, the more relevant an offer you can present,” Mr. Elkin said. “Location is very powerful data because it puts you in the palm of consumers’ hand near the point of purchase, which represents part of the future of marketing.

“Location-based ads and messages can prompt relevant actions, encourage consumers to take the next step, find out more information about a brand or product and make a purchase,” he said. “For consumers, sharing location is all about the value exchange.

“They expect to get something in return for sharing where they are and what they’re doing.”

# 6: The base of mobile content users will continue to see strong growth.

The percentage of mobile gamers has gone from 45.6 percent in 2008 to 64 percent this year, and it is projected to rise to 72.8 percent in 2011.

The percentage of mobile video viewers has risen from 12.3 percent in 2008 to 21.7 this year, and it is projected to rise to 31.4 percent in 2011.

The percentage of mobile music listeners has gone from 12.9 percent in 2008 to 21.7 percent this year, and it is projected to rise to 29.2 percent in 2011.

“Mobile gaming, music and video revenues will more than double from 2010 to 2014,” Mr. Elkin said. “The ad-supported component will grow fourfold over that time—much quicker than paid content.

“It’s important to figure out the optimal balance between free and fee,” he said.

# 7: Tablets are changing the face of mobility and computing.

EMarketer projects 12.9 million iPad shipments worldwide in 2010, 36.5 million 2011 and 50.4 million in 2012.

By 2015, Forrester projects that tablets will represent 23 percent of all PC sales, which will be more than either desktops or netbooks, trailing only notebooks.

Tablet buyers are wealthier, better educated and more connected than the average U.S. adult.

For marketers, tablets’ bigger screens promise more immersive experiences.

“The key thing for marketers is the combination of larger screens and the touch Web really shouldn’t be underestimated,” Mr. Elkin said. “There are much higher interaction rates for the Web and apps among smartphone owners, and on a bigger canvas we expect those deltas to go even higher.

“We often see double consumption and usage on touchscreen devices versus non-touch interfaces,” he said. “The mobile Web is becoming more app-like in appearance and experience, and the likelihood is that the mobile Web and apps will continue to coexist.

“As the industry pushes towards the HTML 5 standard, the Web is becoming more app-like, so there’s an increasing convergence between the appearance and experience.”

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

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Mobile Internet Content Coalition petitions FCC to promote open mobile Internet

The Mobile Internet Content Coalition, consisting of 4Info Inc., Myxer Inc. and mobileStorm Inc., is petitioning the Federal Communications Commission in support of opening up the mobile Internet. The MICC’s comments to the FCC, drafted by law firm Arent Fox LLP, take a stand in favor of providing “consumers access to the content of their choosing without improper interference by wireless providers.” The MICC also proposes that SMS and MMS also be considered under the umbrella of the mobile Internet.

How mobile is evolving the media business

The once-static media landscape is evolving with the advancement of mobile technology, giving advertisers more options. Whether it is through mobile sites, applications or the recent trend of 2D bar codes and image recognition, media brands are taking note and evolving with the ever-changing world of mobile. Publications such as Entertainment Weekly, W Magazine, Golf Magazine, GQ, Wired and Marie Claire have all integrated mobile in some aspect.

Are US carriers finally making mobile marketing a priority?

With their wireline business on the down slope and competition ramping up in the wireless space, U.S. carriers are seeking alternative revenue streams and engaging in mobile marketing like never before. However, carriers are still struggling to figure out which vendors to partner with, how much data to share, which policies to impose and which monetization models and ad units to use. In addition, the explosion of smartphone adoption has been a double-edged sword: increased data revenue but also overburdened networks and the migration of traffic from on-deck to off-deck.

Juniper forecasts retail mobile marketing to exceed $8 billion

Recent research by Juniper Research has found the mobile marketing and retail sector including mobile advertising, smart posters and coupons, will exceed $8 billion globally by 2012. The “Mobile Marketing and Retail Strategies” report found that retailers are already starting to woo consumers via the mobile channel using mobile ads and coupons, and the market for these two activities alone is expected to grow by half over the next couple of years.

Stock Market Panic Brings Surge Of Traffic To Mobile Web

During one of the largest stock market plunges in American history, Online and mobile-based financial sites were brought to their knees yesterday under the weight of worrisome investors scrambling for information and answers. Portals like Yahoo and Google Finance went down hard after news broke that the stock market was losing equity fast for relatively unknown reasons, forcing people all of the world to take to their mobile devices and computers in search of additional information.

Mobile devices set to interact with TV: Analyst

As demand for connected devices expands, Internet-enabled televisions form a category poised for growth. According to new forecasts from ABI Research, the estimated 19 percent of flat-panel TVs shipping with Ethernet in 2010 will grow to 46 percent in 2013, and connectivity is expected to become a mainstream feature. “In terms of mobile devices and the primary screen I would say there are two primary motivations for connecting or linking the two devices,” said Michael Inouye, industry analyst of digital home at ABI Research, Oyster Bay, NY.

Why brands must have a 360-degree mobile Web strategy

A 360-degree mobile Web strategy spans far beyond just a mobile-optimized site and means that brands need to tie mobile to their traditional marketing. For example, email campaigns are generating a lot of conversion traffic for sites. Including a URL to a mobile site will factor in mobile email users and provide them with a better experience than just throwing them onto a wired Web site on their device.

How retailers can leverage SMS for inventory management

One of the most recent trends on the retail scene is the private sale for inventory management, and SMS can serve as a great tool to get customers in for one. Research shows that after 60 days, an item at a retail location has about a 15 percent chance of being sold. After 90 days this number drops to just 5 percent, and that is why retailers are relying on private sales to keep inventory moving.

HBO taps SMS to build database during Mayweather-Marquez fight

HBO used SMS to drive awareness and pay-per-view purchases of a recent Mayweather-Marquez boxing match and to generate opt-ins for its own mobile VIP club.

Mobile Handsets Grow 19% in Q1

Global shipments of mobile handsets grew 19% year-over-year during Q1 2010, according to ABI Research. In total, 303 million mobile handsets shipped worldwide during Q1 2010. This puts annual global mobile handset shipments on pace to reach about 1.3 billion in 2010. Strongest handset shipment growth was seen in the Middle East and Africa (20% year-over-year) followed by the Americas, particularly the US (11%). Europe, on the other hand, is languishing with single-digit growth. It is also notable that 3G handset shipments eclipsed 2G handset shipments globally.

Facebook, Twitter Post Strong March Growth

Facebook and Twitter clearly surpassed all other major social networks in US year-over-year growth during March 2010, according to data from The Nielsen Company. In March 2010, Facebook reported 117.1 million unique US users at home and work. This represented 69% year-over-year growth from 69.1 million unique US users in March 2009. While Twitter only reported 20.1 million unique US users in March 2010, this still represented strong 45% year-over-year growth from 13.8 million unique users in March 2009. It is also worth noting that Twitter had a negligible 520,000 unique users in March 2008.

Low Ad Recall but High Response for Location-Based Services

In 2009, digital advertising solutions provider Eyeblaster set out to go beyond the click and measure user engagement with online ads according to a broader set of actions dubbed “dwell.” Users dwell when they mouse over an ad, or interact with a rich media placement, for example. The company’s “Global Benchmark 2010” report analyzed dwell metrics for billions of rich media impressions served in 2009 and found that high dwell correlated with high engagement, brand-related searches and ultimately conversion.

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

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Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) To Audit Newspapers On Mobile

Acknowledging the growing number of readers who interact with newspaper content via mobile devices, the Audit Bureau of Circulations said its interactive unit, ABCi, is set to begin measuring newspapers’ mobile audiences, including readership on e-readers, through mobile Web browsers, and through free and paid apps on smartphones and Apple’s new iPad.

TV Business Market: TV stations online ad revenue to reach $1.4 billion with mobile

“Mobile is a new and upcoming medium, and television has a history of understanding new mediums and going after them,” said Borrell. Local online ad revenue of TV stations is anticipated to reach nearly $1.4 billion this year, according to latest study released by Borrell Associates and the Television Bureau of Advertising published in Broadcasting & Cable.

Singapore Reported to Serve More Than 100 Million Mobile Ads during March

At the Mobile Marketing Association Forum, Asia Pacific event held in Singapore last week, a nerd bumped into Jeff Merkel, Vice-President and Managing Director, APLA, of the world’s biggest mobile advertising network, Admob.

Mobile barcodes hit Entertainment Weekly, from Microsoft Tag

Next Fridays issue of Entertainment Weekly will have something a little different in it. The magazine is publishing 2d barcodes from Microsoft in the magazine, to give movie fans a way to see previews of upcoming movies.

Consumers are ready for mobile marketing – and it all starts with text

With 224 million mobile users engaged in texting, SMS has emerged as “the only form of mobile marketing to reach the entire mobile universe,” says a study into mobile marketing and retail published this week by Placecast, the company behind ShopAlerts.

How online and mobile are sales saviours for hotels

Hotels emerging from the global recession need to cultivate as many viable, sustainable revenue streams as possible. Vanessa Horwell, chief visibility officer, TravelInk’d explains how it can be done…

SMS only reliable communications channel during significant events

Working here gives us a unique perspective into the SMS traffic patterns from around the world – in fact, SMS traffic patterns from and to almost 900 wireless carriers. When some significant event occurs somewhere in the world, regardless of it being a local, regional or global event, it can and does affect text messaging to and from that locale.

Online and mobile advertising gains more clout

Online and mobile advertising is slowly but surely asserting its place in the advertising world forcing the traditional advertising agencies to embrace, otherwise become irrelevant, this new media to address a growing new market that is being created by the changing lifestyle of consumers. With this realization, the IMMAP (Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines) was born.

How retailers are using mobile to drive consumers into physical stores

National Retail Federation RACie Award-winning firm Placecast today announces the release of a report titled “Retail Goes Mobile: Finding New Consumer Connections Through Mobile Devices” by Kathryn Koegel, President of Primary Impact Research.

Mobile media space expected to grow significantly in future: industry observers

SINGAPORE: The global mobile advertising space is set to grow nearly nine-fold in the next three years to as high as US$17 billion. The rapid growth is expected to result in mobile advertising accounting for about three to five per cent of the world advertising spend within five years.

McDonald’s LBS mobile ads achieve 7 percent CTR – Mobile Commerce Daily

McDonald’s participated in a pilot campaign showcasing Navteq’s location-based mobile advertising services and achieved a 7 percent click-through rate, while also driving consumers in-store.

Sony test program sees 36 percent of consumers opt for mobile tickets

Sony Pictures ran a promotion in which it rewarded participants with “Stepfather” and “Zombieland” movie tickets via mobile. Sony partnered with TPG Rewards for the test program that proved successful for both Sony and Regal Theaters, the largest theater chain in the United States.

Nestlé targets Hispanics with Carnation Evaporated Milk mobile site

Nestlé USA’s Carnation Evaporated Milk is giving lovers of Latin cuisine meal preparation help with a new mobile Web site and custom iPhone application targeted at Hispanic consumers.

SMS Marketing Reaches Users of All Ages

Mobile behavior varies dramatically across demographics: 70% of consumers age 18-29 say they send text messages using their mobile phone, compared with 49% of those age 40-49 and 11% of those age 65+, according to a Merkle Inc. study of mobile adoption and use.

Haiti Earthquake Relief Sees Mobile Giving Gaining Ground in Europe

In the wake of the recent Haiti earthquake, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and its research partner, Lightspeed Research, have released the results of the latest Consumer Briefing reports into mobile giving in the UK, French and German markets, demonstrating that people are increasingly turning to mobile as a way of quickly donating to a cause.

2010: Local Mobile Ads Expected To Double

Business spending on mobile-marketing will more than triple this year as the category starts a soaring five-year growth trajectory, per a Borrell Associates. Local is the big news: Local mobile spending will double in 2010 as it begins a similar five-year boom.

Multi-channel retailers need to incorporate mobile, social

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Amid the tweaking moment of current retail industry, technology advancement and consumer preferences are still viewed to open a door for the e-commerce.

DMNews got a chance of interviewing with the Executive Director of the Global Retail Executive Council with mobile and social shopping as center of the discussion.

Find out what the mobile and social media can do to multi-channel retailers, and why do retailers need to review and consider to these two potential expansion areas.

Read on…

Multi-channel retailers need to incorporate mobile, social

by Nathan Golia

Though the economy has put a squeeze on retailers, advances in technology and consumer preferences have opened doors for e-commerce to take another step forward. James Crawford, executive director of the Global Retail Executive Council, talked to DMNews about two potential expansion areas: mobile and social shopping.

Q How has the economy affected e-commerce so far, and what trends do you see as the holidays near?

A There have been some permanent changes to the way people shop. First of all, every purchase is now a considered purchase. Across all economic strata, people are far more conscious of what they’re buying. I think e-commerce has been somewhat insulated because it’s always been a considered purchase — rarely do you do an impulse buy online. There’s no question this holiday is going to take a hit because of what’s going on in the economy. Credit is much tighter, and the costs of using credit have gone up. Even for people who are a good credit risk, there are more fees and higher interest rates. I think we’re going to see smaller basket sizes. It’s probably going to be a better year for specialty retailers who have unique products that you can’t buy elsewhere. Product assortment will be key. You need to have the right mix to draw the customer in and the right things that ultimately they want to buy.

Read more

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

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Smartphones: Is there a difference in the consumer base?

When it comes to smartphones, is one user base better than another? A new study from CrowdScience sheds light on the similarities – and more importantly the differences – between Smartphone consumers using the two biggest brands in the Smartphone biz: iPhone and Blackberry.

Can Google translate search expertise to succeed in mobile display?

Search giant Google’s launch of AdSense for Mobile Applications is destined to contribute to the growth of mobile marketing and the app development industry. Smartphones have revolutionized consumers’ daily lives. Because of the economic slowdown, the fact that smartphones offer lower prices, faster network speeds and unlimited data plans means that people often reach for their mobile phone rather than their computer.

Microsoft talks B2B mobile advertising strategy in Mobile Marketer webinar

A Microsoft executive explained the strategy behind a mobile campaign to boost awareness and drive demand for the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server among technology decision-makers. “Mobile allows us to focus on a specific target audience in the B2B space,” said John Cosley, digital marketing lead for Microsoft, Redmond, WA. “Mobile lets us target down to a fairly granular level through hyper-targeting via demographic, psychographic and geographic information.

Local Searchers Go Mobile

comScore, Inc. reports that the number of people who sought local information on a mobile device grew 51% from March 2008 to March 2009. The mobile browser is the leading access method, with 20.7 million users seeking local information in March 2009, up 34% versus year ago.

FCC chair-designate to look at mobile handset deals

President Barack Obama’s choice to head the Federal Communications Commission plans to review the exclusive arrangements between wireless carriers and cell phone makers. The issue of exclusive agreements among some of the biggest companies like Apple Inc’s iPhone and service provider AT&T Inc is at the center of some lawmakers’ concerns about whether such practices hinder competition and innovation.

Verizon, AT&T expand mobile TV coverage

Verizon Wireless and AT&T announced their respective mobile TV efforts–both powered by Qualcomm’s FLO TV mobile broadcast unit–have expanded into a series of new U.S. markets in the wake of the long-planned national DTV transition, which freed up spectrum for the FLO TV network.

China handset market rises 9 percent

China’s domestic mobile-handset shipments in the first quarter rose by 9 percent from 53 million in Q4, thanks to government stimulus programmes and the New Year holiday season, according to a new study from iSuppli. Sales of brand-name GSM mobile handsets amounted to 44 million units in the quarter, compared to 42 million in the first quarter of 2008, while branded CDMA wireless phone sales reached 5.8 million units, up 200 percent from the year-earlier quarter.

Mobile Email & Mobile Instant Messaging Will Drive Mobile Messaging Growth

A report is indicating that global consumer spending on mobile messaging services, such as SMS, MMS, mobile email and mobile instant messaging will rise at a 6.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2008 and 2013 to reach $130 billion. Strategy Analytics says that the addition of 1 billion mobile phone users in developing cellular markets will stimulate continued SMS volume and revenue growth.

Cleantech may need to wait a bit longer for stimulus funds

Government-backed stimulus packages are expected to give a major boost to cleantech companies, supposedly starting in September. A total of $184.9 billion has been earmarked for green initiatives worldwide, and some 65.7 percent of that is going to energy verticals like solar and wind, says the New Energy Finance Group.

Quality data is must for effective mobile strategy

Though direct digital marketing encompasses a variety of different channels, mobile marketing is rightly garnering a great deal of attention, and not just from those predicting its eminent explosion in adoption.
No doubt, mobile marketing programs are becoming more robust and powerful, and going beyond one-off pilots and short-lived efforts.

Mobile Advocacy Coalition: Protecting SMS Marketing

Now, legitimate mobile marketing service providers are stepping up to protect their industry–and to protect the integrity of a communication platform with which consumers really do want to be reached.