Tuesday, June 28, 2005|
Cell Phones Face the Music. Napster has big plans for digital music on cell phones. Is this the end for the iPod? By Katie Dean. [Wired News] 11:50:28 PM  comment
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Rajesh Jain's Glimpses Of CommunicAsia. Business Standard.com: Rajesh Jain attended the CommunicAsia held in Singapore in mid June. The article is his impressions of the conference. He writes: They provided a fascinating glimpse of the region âo[base "] with different countries at different stages in the evolution of their communications and services infrastructure. The leaders are undoubtedly Japan and South Korea, while China and India offer the biggest opportunities. Taiwan and Singapore are racing ahead to deploy broadband, 3G and wireless LANs. Hong Kong has the best IP-TV service. An interesting fact: last year, nearly a million new mobile users were added âo[base "] every day. The world now has 1.8 billion mobile users. The three panel discussions identified the hot issues: content, 3G and VoIP. The biggest success stories in mobile value added services have been unexpected âo[base "] SMS, ringtones and, increasingly, ringback tones. But there are still plenty of opportunities in the content space to deliver useful services to consumers on their always-on, always-available, always-connected, personal devices and over broadband networks. [ContentSutra] 11:50:18 PM comment
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Mobile TV In India Soon?. Business Standard: The article says mobile TV (also called digital video broadcastingâo[base "]hand-held or DVB-H) may be launched in India soon. Subash Chandraâo[dot accent]s Zee group hopes to start trial runs of mobile TV before the end of this year. Says Jawahar Goel, vice chairman of the Zee group: âo[ogonek]We are evaluating the potential of mobile TV and broadcasters have already approached the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to include mobile TV services as part of the terrestrial broadcasting policy which it is working on. However, some broadcasters are sceptical that mobile TV will take off. Notes Kunal Das Gupta, CEO of Sony Entertainment Television in India: "The terrestrial spectrum needed for this service is monopolised by Doordarshan. So there is no way anyone can start DVB-H. The only way is if Doordarshan ties up with mobile operators to offer its channels." [ContentSutra] 11:49:05 PM comment
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Mobile TV In India Soon?. Business Standard: The article says mobile TV (also called digital video broadcastingâo[base "]hand-held or DVB-H) may be launched in India soon. Subash Chandraâo[dot accent]s Zee group hopes to start trial runs of mobile TV before the end of this year. Says Jawahar Goel, vice chairman of the Zee group: "We are evaluating the potential of mobile TV and broadcasters have already approached the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to include mobile TV services as part of the terrestrial broadcasting policy which it is working on." However, some broadcasters are sceptical that mobile TV will take off. Notes Kunal Das Gupta, CEO of Sony Entertainment Television in India: âo[ogonek]The terrestrial spectrum needed for this service is monopolised by Doordarshan. So there is no way anyone can start DVB-H. The only way is if Doordarshan ties up with mobile operators to offer its channels.âo? [ContentSutra] 11:48:01 PM comment
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Mobile TV In India Soon?. Business Standard: The article says mobile TV (also called digital video broadcasting hand-held or DVB-H) may be launched in India soon. Subash Chandra's Zee group hopes to start trial runs of mobile TV before the end of this year. Says Jawahar Goel, vice chairman of the Zee group: "We are evaluating the potential of mobile TV and broadcasters have already approached the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to include mobile TV services as part of the terrestrial broadcasting policy which it is working on." However, some broadcasters are sceptical that mobile TV will take off. Notes Kunal Das Gupta, CEO of Sony Entertainment Television in India: "The terrestrial spectrum needed for this service is monopolised by Doordarshan. So there is no way anyone can start DVB-H. The only way is if Doordarshan ties up with mobile operators to offer its channels." [ContentSutra] 11:47:34 PM comment
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Indian Handsets Market In 2004-05 Was $2 Billion. Exchange4Media.com: The Indian mobile handset market was worth Rs 8,805 crore ($2.09 billion) in '04-05. A lion's share of this - 84% - were GSM handsets at Rs 7,384 crore ($1.75 billion) with Nokia alone accounting for a whopping 62.3% marketshare. According to a report by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) quoting a Voice & Data report of June 2005, the share of GSM handsets was even higher than the GSM connections which stood at 75% for the same period. The report said CDMA handsets accounted for 16% of marketshare at Rs 1,421 crore ($338 million). However the story doesn't say if the numbers also include the grey market, as in India more than half of the phones are sold through illegal channels. Back to the story, in the of GSM space, Samsung was way behind Nokia with 11.3% marketshare followed by Motorola at 9.2% and Sony Ericsson at 4% while LG had a marketshare of 2%. Other brands such as Sagem, Alcatel, Ben Q, Bird, Siemens, Philips, Blackberry, Krome, Palm, Kejian cornered 10.3% marketshare in 2004-05, the COAI report claimed. In the CDMA handset universe, LG was the undisputed leader with a marketshare of 59.1% followed by Nokia at 17.6%, Samsung at 6.3 %, Motorola at 5.3%, Kyocera at 5.2% and others like Hyundai at 6.5%. Meanwhile another story in Business Standard says that a host of new phones unveiled at the recent CommuincAsia in Singapore will find their way to Indian markets very soon. [ContentSutra] 11:45:57 PM comment
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Useit.Com: Usability: Empiricism or Ideology? Usability's job is to research user behavior and find out what works. Usability should also defend users' rights and fight for simplicity. Both aspects have their place, and it's important to recognize the difference. [Tomalak's Realm] 11:45:38 PM comment
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Indian Telecom Regulator Recommends 100% FDI In FM Radio. Indiantelevision.com: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), today gave the green signal for 100 per cent foreign ownership in satellite radio services with no entry and licence fee for the time being. In the recommendations, Trai said that it would desirable to provide a licensing framework now itself so that there is no uncertainty in the future. The regulatory body also recommended that there shouldn't be any entry fee unless there was an excess demand for the available spectrum space in which case tenders may be invited on the lines recommended for FM radio. It also said adding the Government should not levy any annual licence fee as long as terrestrial repeaters were not permitted. [ContentSutra] 2:48:07 PM comment
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Nokia and Sun prep Java for handsets. At the Sun Microsystems JavaOne Developer Conference this week both Sun and Nokia laid out their plans to enhance the Java environment for the next generation of handsets. Code-named the Star Project, Sun appears to be focusing on consumer content with the announcement that it will work closely with NTT DoCoMo to define next-generation data services and content for consumers. NTT DoCoMo is Japan's largest wireless carrier, with 30 million subscribers generating $6 billion in revenue from data services, according to Alan Brenner, vice president for the Client Systems Group at Sun. In the meantime, Nokia, through its Forum Nokia division, announced Forum Nokia Pro Enterprise Zone and Forum Nokia Pro Network Zone. These two new groups are a small subset of the Forum Nokia development community, and selected members will be taken under Nokia's wing to help develop enterprise-level applications for cell phones. Nokia also announced that its Series 60 Platform handsets will be upgraded from its current CLDC (Connected Limited Device Configuration) to a more capable CDC (Connected Device Configuration) in preparation for improvements to Sun's MIDP (Mobile Information Device profile) Java profile for handsets. MIDP when combined with CLDC is the Java runtime environment for the current crop of handsets and PDAs, according to Sun's Developer Network definition. As handsets improve in memory and processing power, the need for a "limited" version of the CDC becomes unnecessary, according to J. David Rivas, CTO of the Client Systems Group at Sun. Sun's Brenner and Victor Brilon, senior manager of Java Market Development at Nokia, said there will be several major improvements to Java for handsets once both CDC and a more capable MIDP are deployed. These improvements include the capability of Java to run applications and the menu system simultaneously with managing voice functions such as hold and call forwarding. Other improvements that can be expected include improved 3D and graphics capabilities and integration with add-on smart cards, Rivas said. Brenner said the goal is to ramp up Java's mobile capabilities so that higher-level capabilities become part of Sun's JSRs, such as network management for mobile devices. "Our goal is to create a Java Platform for mobile devices," Brenner said. Both Nokia and Sun are focusing a great deal of attention on Java because they see Java as a technology that can run across multiple platforms. Sun wants to offer this technology to all wireless carriers and handset manufacturers. Nokia now licenses its Series 60 Platform to many handset manufacturers, including Samsung, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Sendo, and Lenova. Forum Nokia counts over 2 million registered developers and is the largest mobile development community in the world, according to Brad Brockhaug, senior director of business development and channels at Forum Nokia. Members of Forum Nokia Enterprise Zone will be given "exclusive" technical support and advanced looks at Nokia's product road map in order to develop more targeted applications for the enterprise on handsets, Brockhaug said. ADVERTISEMENT 2:47:49 PM comment
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Can Nokia Right Itself?.
Nokia was surprisingly and wonderfully candid in the interview:
"Its clear that we're not performing in the U.S. market in the way we expect to be, and more importantly, we’re not performing in a way that's consistent with where we are in other large markets around the world," said Tim Eckersley, senior VP of customer market operations and head of the Americas market for mobile device business at Nokia.
Good luck, Nokia, and as they say in Finland: Oho! Tota noin... Eihän se vaa ollu' sun ajokoira?
Can Nokia Right the Ship? [Laptop] [Gizmodo]2:45:20 PM comment
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Laptop Magazine, the #2 selling English-language tech magazine in the Helsinki airport, wrote a bit on the future of Nokia. While Nokia is selling well all over the world, their track record of years of extensive innovation coupled with one or two fantastic failures makes us cellphone geeks worry. We like Finland, we really do, and we don't want to see their fjords darkened by the possibility of problems in their biggest exports: fermented fish and cellphones.|
iPod screens go all-color. Apple switches to color screens for all its standard iPods and updates iTunes to let people more easily download podcasts. Photo: iPod adds color [CNET News.com] 2:45:01 PM comment
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BlueRun Ventures And Nokia Growth Partners To Commit More To India. Release:  BlueRun Ventures and Nokia Growth Partners, two venture capital firms supported by Nokia Corporation, demonstrated their commitment to the Indian market with the addition of two new investment professionals and a new investment. BlueRun Ventures is a global venture capital fund focused on early stage companies in the IT, mobile, and consumer electronics markets. Nokia Growth Partners' mid-to-late stage focus complements that of BlueRun Ventures.
As an early stage fund, BlueRun Ventures will invest mostly in Series A and B, with initial investment ranging from $2 to $8 million. Nokia is BlueRun Venture's largest Limited Partner. Nokia Growth Partners is a $100M global mid- to late-stage venture capital fund and focuses on investments in mobile technology companies from around the world that are already experiencing industry adoption by large companies such as Nokia. BlueRun Ventures established its office in New Delhi in 2004 when it brought on Sujit Banerjee as a Principal. The fund invested in Pune based Nevis Networks in May of 2004. Nokia Growth Partners recently announced an investment in Bangalore based Sasken in April. In addition, BlueRun Ventures' India office has significantly increased focus and activity with the addition of Vineet Buch as a Principal, and Vasudev Bhandarkar as a Venture Partner. The two will jointly work with Banerjee to manage BlueRun Ventures' Indian operations. [ContentSutra] 2:44:40 PM comment
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New iTunes hints at coming cell phone support. Latest release of jukebox software makes several references to long-anticipated iTunes-compatible phone, after earlier plans hit snags. [CNET News.com] 2:44:26 PM comment
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DoCoMo in global terminal deal. By Gail Nakada, 28 June 2005  DoCoMo's i-mode goes for the globe! Japan?'s leading cellco and its eight alliance partners in Europe, Taiwan and Australia agreed on their first joint procurement tie-up for i-mode handsets. Korea's LG Electronics will fill what promises to be a very large order for their camera-equipped, clamshell, L342i model with embedded antenna and Java capability. LG has made strong inroads into the European mobile marketplace. A report by IDC on Europe?'s mobile phone market showed LG with.. (WWJ subscribers log in to read full story; keywords include terminal partners, i-mode licensees, subscriber count.) [Wireless Watch Japan]2:42:36 PM comment
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India's Media Boom. International Herald Tribune: This is a story on India's media explosion especially on the television front. It says: "The changing economic backdrop has intensified this thirst for news, as people search for information about how their lives are to be changed by new policies and new trends. More important, it has generated the ad revenue to pay for the expensive process of gathering and transmitting news...A large-scale liberalization of the telecommunications sector in the early 1990s made it possible for companies to establish the necessary infrastructure, and digital developments and the falling price of satellite technology have accelerated the proliferation of channels." [ContentSutra] 1:10:35 PM comment
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4G Prospects in Developing Asia. [ PDF File] While we're still debating 3G in U.S., companies in Asia are pondering 4G...a PDF report from Lehman Brothers on the Asian efforts and trials in 4G, including some good details on India. This report describes in detail the various next generation 4G alternatives such as WiMAX, CDMA2000 EV-DO Release A, HSDPA/HSUPA, TD-CDMA and Flash-OFDM. Bunch of stuff about China and India, among others... [ContentSutra] 1:09:42 PM comment
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Reliance Infocomm Info Starts Live Facilities For TV Channels. The Economic Times: Reliance Infocomm said it has started offering live telecast facilities for TV channels in its Webworld outlet which would help news channels reduce spendings on outdoor broadcasting vans. Infocomm said the DENG (digital electronic news gathering) allows TV cameras to be connected to encoders at Reliance Webworlds and signals travel on Reliance Infocomm's terabit OFC (optical fibre cable) network to the TV studio, where the picture is received through decoders and uplinked. "The entire process happens in real-time," the statement said. [ContentSutra] 9:41:06 AM comment
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BSNL Targets Multimillion Dollar Revenues From Mobile Value Added Services. Agencyfaqs.com: With revenues from voice-based calls dipping, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, the India government-owned telecom company, is heavily banking on value-added services such as games, ring tones and data downloads to keep their cash registers ringing. BSNL said that it was eyeing close to Rs 500 crore ($119 million) from content-based value-added services this year compared to Rs 50 crore ($11.9 million) it earned last year. In an earlier post, we had reported that BSNL has tied up with content provider Mauj to offer film-based content and games based on the forthcoming movie Sarkar. A.K. Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL, said, "Downloads form a significant part of revenues and nothing connects with the common man as Bollywood. Film-based games and content are a rage and the game Sarkar is another step in that direction." [ContentSutra] 9:40:12 AM comment
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The Five Things I Learned In Business School. The title says it all. [del.icio.us/nivi] 9:39:57 AM comment
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Sanyo vs. Jr. Achievement. Start your own brand of consumer electronics. [del.icio.us/nivi] 9:39:20 AM comment
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Brian Roberts Comes to Sand Hill Road. Brian Roberts on the network DVR that records TV shows in the network rather than in the set-top box. [del.icio.us/nivi] 7:23:56 AM comment
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China: 3G licensing timetable may be delayed again. A setback in the field testing of Chinaâo[dot accent]s home-grown third-generation (3G) mobile-phone standard is casting doubt on whether the government will grant 3G service licenses on schedule. Obviously, the disappointing test results have damaged the Chinese government's confidence in moving forward on 3G technology implementation. Authorities are worried specifically about whether there will be a stable supply chain if only a few companies can provide reliable technical support. [Daily 3G News] 7:22:43 AM comment
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China: Mobile gaming market to reach 5.8 bln yuan in 2008. The mobile phone gaming market in China will reach 5.86 bln yuan in 2008, up from an expected 1.44 bln yuan this year, said Beijing IT research firm Analysys International Other industry experts said the introduction of third generation (3G) mobile technology in China will boost the growth of mobile online gaming, a newly emerging subsector of the mobile gaming industry [Daily 3G News] 6:36:44 AM comment
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New stats show progress of 3G, UMTS, EDGE and HSDPA. 3G America and GSA have released papers summarising the performance of UMTS, HSDPA and EDGE around the world. It shows for example WCDMA take-up is faster than GSM was at the same stage of its introduction and that the number of 3G/WCDMA networks delivering commercial services has now reached 74 in 34 countries worldwide. (Download these papers now: HSDPA Fact sheet, UMTS Worldwide and EDGE Fact sheet . [Daily 3G News] 6:33:45 AM comment
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Last update: 7/1/05; 2:09:22 PM .
