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There are many different opinions on how the mobile broadband market will develop. At Strand Consult they have described five strategies / scenarios, that we believe the mobile broadband market will experience. The five scenarios are:
1. The sale of basic mobile Internet - Increasing bandwidth, decreasing prices and fewer services.
2. Mobile Internet and services providers - Increasing bandwidth, decreasing prices and a number of operators launch their own services.
3. Quality mobile Internet and services providers - Increasing bandwidth, guaranteed QoS, stagnating prices and a wide selection of own services.
4. The semi-intelligent mobile Internet provider - Increasing bandwidth and a number of third-party services.
5. The intelligent mobile Internet provider - "Connectivity", QoS, own services, many third-party services and the possibility of integration to other products (fixed line telephony, fixed line Internet, mobile products and hotspots).
There is no doubt that we will experience a number of mobile broadband providers with their own networks that have various different strategies and that those strategies can change over time. Similarly the development can vary from market to market, ranging from a market where some mobile broadband providers with their own network become mobile Internet providers with the ambition of becoming a "dumb" bandwidth provider, to markets where providers have ambitions of becoming intelligent mobile Internet providers, that both offer their own services and a number of third-party services on top of their mobile broadband solution.
The sale of basic mobile Internet - These mobile broadband providers will be similar to discount mobile providers, as their goal is to offer a simple access product with a simple pricing structure. The end user price of their product will be a decisive competitive parameter for these providers and if the market is dominated by this type of provider, it can result in mobile broadband price decreases accelerating. The type of customer for these products will typically be price conscious customers that need Internet access on the go, or as an alternative to DSL.
Mobile Internet and services providers - These mobile broadband providers want to differentiate themselves by offering their own services. They can thereby avoid only being bitpipes. By having their own services they can lock-in their customers - if the services are network dependent - and thereby take advantage of any network effects in the services.
Quality mobile Internet and services providers - These mobile broadband providers are more focused on offering a wide selection of services – resulting in customers choosing them as their provider due to their services. An additional important competitive parameter will be to ensure customers QoS within their own network, whereby services like video conferencing and IP telephony will function better. These providers will additionally most likely ensure that they have an amply dimensioned backbone network, ensuring that customers at any time of day and regardless of the number of simultaneous users, will receive a quality product. Their typical customers will often be corporate customers.
The semi-intelligent mobile Internet provider - These mobile broadband providers will offer a wide selection of third-party services, especially more advanced network services. This will be a significant competitive parameter for these types of providers and for many of their customers, the services will be more important than the actual access product.
The intelligent mobile Internet provider - These mobile broadband providers will focus on offering advanced convergence services and on delivering triple- or quadruple-play. They will be far more than simple bitpipes and will focus on delivering all types of telecom products to their customers - thereby creating “total” customers. This strategy puts enormous demands on the providers, especially in connection with sales and marketing, but also gives very good possibilities for being technologically innovative and being "early adopters".
One could say that it is up to each individual provider to choose the path they will take. On the other hand, local market conditions can also influence how an individual market will develop in the short, medium and long term. Some providers will simply choose a discount strategy where they only focus on being a cheap and cost-effective bitpipe and where they perceive lower prices and higher bandwidth as their most important competitive parameter on the market.
Likewise you will see providers that believe that only trying to be a simple discount provider would be catastrophic in the long run when they look at the size of the investments they have already made - and are facing in the future - and therefore choose a more intelligent strategy with more services on top of the initial mobile broadband connection.
At Strand Consult we are convinced that most providers will focus on strategies C and D, as these two strategies are relatively easy to implement and both are a natural extension of the current VAS market strategies that many mobile operators already have, where third party content providers are a natural part of the services that customers are being offered.
November 2008
Strand Consult is an independent, privately owned Consultancy Company, which has its primary focus on the mobile sector. Their clients include all of the Scandinavian mobile operators, 120 other operators world wide and numerous International companies in the media sector. Through their reports, workshops and consulting, they help create and increase mobile business revenue streams and maximise the use of all the new possibilities that arise with the new technologies.
Poland - “IT market in Poland 2008. Development forecasts for 2008-2012”
In its report entitled “IT market in Poland 2008. Development forecasts for 2008-2012”, the research and consulting firm PMR estimates that in 2007 the IT market in Poland was worth PLN 24bn, up by 16.5% year on year. In the next two years a double-digit growth rate is expected to continue.
PMR has computed that the value of the Polish IT market (in PLN) rose by 16.5% to PLN 24bn in 2007. This growth rate was the highest for eight years and on a par with that of 2000.
The sharpest growth, of approx. 18% y-o-y, was posted by IT services. Still, about a half of the market’s value is attributable to hardware.
Mature IT markets are characterised by growing importance of services, against the decreasing role of hardware. The Polish market does not share this feature yet. Even though in 2007 the services segment outperformed the market and increased its share, the growth was only marginally. The main reason was that the hardware segment (despite the high base) again recorded a growth of several dozen percent, thus the previous year’s status quo was retained.
The continued relatively strong position of the hardware segment is primarily an effect of the boom on the consumer market, with very high sales of notebooks and LCD monitors. “Interestingly enough, contrary to the expectations expressed last year by most suppliers and analysts, the desktop segment did not slow down and recorded double-digit increase in volume”, adds Edyta Kosowska, PMR analyst and co-author of the report.
The marked increase in demand for IT solutions on the mass and corporate markets results mainly from the favourable macroeconomic situation, which translates into better standing of businesses and higher disposable incomes of consumers. The sound economic conditions are not fully leveraged by the state administration. Though showing certain signs of improvement, government authorities keep postponing the key IT projects and are rather far from bringing them to life.
Representatives of Poland’s largest IT companies agree that the biggest incentive for the development of the IT market may come from EU financial support to Polish companies. This view is shared by 52% of the 200 managers of the biggest IT firms operating in Poland, surveyed by PMR Research in June 2008. Every fifth respondent also pointed to improving economic situation in Poland and higher awareness of IT needs as prospective areas offering growth opportunities.
The number of respondents who believe that Euro 2012, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, creates development opportunities for the Polish IT sector dropped by 6 p.p. in comparison with the 2007 edition of the survey.
This year PMR Research asked about prospective growth opportunities offered by the championships. A half of the surveyed managers see Euro 2012 as an additional chance for growth, however almost every third respondent does not believe that one of the biggest sporting events in Europe will have any influence on their business.
Representatives of IT firms are optimistic about the growth of the IT market in Poland. 97% of respondents surveyed by PMR Research expect the market to expand in 2008, and the proportion of similar answers for 2009 is only 1 p.p. lower. The average annual growth rate in 2008-2009 is forecast to reach 14%.
Source: PMR Publications (July 2008)
Kirusa‚s unique next-generation messaging application blends Voice and SMS; enables Etisalat subscribers to add the power of voice to their SMS messages
Etisalat, the leading telecommunications carrier and Internet Service Provider in UAE, has chosen the Kirusa Voice SMS solution for offering the Voice SMS service to their subscribers in the UAE. With the launch of this service, Etisalat subscribers have the option of sending an SMS message in their own voice.
Etisalat's Voice SMS, launched in November 2007 before Eid festival so that mobile customers could send greetings, has been a success with over half a million Voice SMS messages having been sent within 5 days of Eid holidays. This phenomenal adoption of Voice SMS service by Etisalat UAE subscribers demonstrates its success in multilingual mobile markets.
The Kirusa Voice SMS service does not require any handset specifications or settings for using this service. To send a message, simply dial * (star) followed by the recipient’s phone number, and press the call button then record your message after the tone and disconnect or press any key to hear more options. The recipient gets an SMS message and can retrieve the message by dialling *0*. Old messages can be retrieved by dialling *1*.
Etisalat has a customer penetration of 150% per cent, a remarkable figure regionally and internationally. The availability of Voice SMS will help Etisalat to leverage the service to maintain its leadership position. The Kirusa Voice SMS platform enables Etisalat to cost effectively deploy additional revenue generating services that seamlessly combine voice with text, graphics, and video to deliver dramatically enhanced end user mobile experiences.
To deliver the Voice SMS solution to Etisalat, Kirusa has deployed its Voice SMS application and multimodal platform, integrated with HP OpenCall Media Platform, in the Etisalat network in Abu Dhabi. Kirusa has partnered with Emircom, an ICT solutions company based in Abu Dhabi, for the delivery and support of the solution.
Commenting on the announcement, Khalifa Al Shamsi, Vice President Marketing / Consumer & SMB, Etisalat said, "Etisalat has always been a pioneer in identifying new ways for its customer to reach out and experience the best services and technologies across the globe. Our focus has always been to create a great customer experience. This is why we announced the launch of the compelling Voice SMS service. We are sure our customers will find it easy to use and enjoy the benefits of voice communication without the sense of immediacy that tends to go with a voice call."
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Inderpal Singh Mumick, Founder and CEO, Kirusa said, "The Kirusa Voice SMS application has been very well received by mobile users in South Asia, and we are delighted that the leading carrier in Middle East has chosen to work with Kirusa to bring the benefits of Voice SMS messaging to people in UAE. Etisalat will also be able to benefit from our large installed base in South Asia, enabling the entire expatriate population to have cost effective communication with their friends and families back home.”
Kirusa is a leading developer of value added mobile services that provide the freedom of multimodality. Kirusa‚s solutions include the hugely successful KV.SMS˙, the world‚s most advanced „Voice SMS‰ solution, which allows mobile users to send and reply to SMS messages with voice, and works on all handsets and on all networks. The Voice SMS solution offers the industry‚s most intuitive user interface, with features such as Direct Listen˙ for direct access and reply to messages, Speed Codes˙ for quickly sending messages using codes, group messaging, mobile number portability, convergence, interconnect, and international Voice SMS.
Etisalat has been the telecommunications service provider in the United Arab Emirates since 1976. Since then, it has built up state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure and taken a leadership position of innovation and reliability among regional and international operators. Etisalat‚s mobile phone service penetration in the UAE has crossed 150 per cent of the population. With 6.3 million subscribers, Internet and broadband penetration in the UAE has reached 60 per cent, a significant achievement by Etisalat compared to regional average.
In addition to being the UAE‚s telecom provider, Etisalat has now expanded to manage and operate telecom companies in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Pakistan, Tanzania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Togo, Republic of Central Africa, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Afghanistan. With shares in Sudan‚s ŒSudatel‚, Qatar‚s Q-Tel and Thuraya, the satellite telephone service provider, Etisalat is a key regional player that lends its expertise and resources towards the betterment of information and communication technology.4-4-08
Private equity investment in Ukraine
SigmaBleyzer announced today that Providence Equity Partners, the world´s leading media and communications private equity firm, is investing over USD 200 million in Volia Cable. Volia Cable is the leading Ukrainian cable TV and Internet access provider and is controlled by UGF III, a SigmaBleyzer-managed private equity fund.
This transaction is the largest Western private equity investment in Ukraine, illustrating the interest of Western investors in Ukrainian companies. The transaction is expected to close in December of 2007.
"We are very pleased to partner with Providence, a leading private equity investor and one of the largest and most experienced owners of media and communications companies globally," said Michael Bleyzer, President and CEO of SigmaBleyzer. "This is a natural step forward for Volia Cable, SigmaBleyzer and Volia Cable´s other shareholders. SigmaBleyzer will continue to play an active role in the Ukrainian cable sector, and we look forward to Providence´s support as we continue to grow Volia Cable as the leading cable and broadband provider in Ukraine. It is also our belief that attracting the highest quality global investors like Providence will have a positive effect on the Ukrainian economy and investment climate and will further promote Ukraine as an important investment destination."
"Our company is dedicated to providing the highest quality products, supported by outstanding customer service", said Sergey Boyko, President of Volia Cable. "We believe that Providence, as one of the world´s leading investors in cable, will help us deliver even better products to our customers in Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine."
"This is our seventh significant investment in this sector in Europe and our second in Eastern Europe, which is experiencing increasing demand for sophisticated television and broadband services," said Jonathan M. Nelson, Providence Chief Executive Officer. "We continue to believe that quality cable and broadcasting companies like Volia are critical service providers with significant opportunities for growth and value creation."
"Volia is an important player in the communications and entertainment sector in Ukraine," said John Hahn, a Managing Director of Providence and head of the firm´s office in Europe. "We have extensive holdings in cable businesses across Western Europe and are excited about the opportunity to marry that expertise with the great business that SigmaBleyzer and the Volia management teams have built."
Goldman Sachs International and UBS Investment Bank acted as financial advisors to SigmaBleyzer. Lazard acted as financial advisors to Providence.
Providence Equity Partners is the leading global private equity firm specializing in equity investments in media, entertainment, communications and information companies around the world. The principals of Providence manage funds with approximately $21 billion in equity commitments and have invested in more than 100 companies operating in over 20 countries since the firm´s inception in 1989.
Volia Cable is the number one cable TV and Broadband Internet provider in Ukraine. Its network connects over 900,000 homes in Ukraine, serving over 700,000 RGUs in four cities within Ukraine: Kyiv, L´viv, Alchevsk, and Chernivtsy. Volia provides services such as analog cable TV, digital cable TV, high-speed cable Internet access, VoIP and data services. New services, such as VoD and PPV, are under development and will be implemented in the future.
Volia Cable was initially created through the consolidation of three separate companies acquired in 1999 and 2000. Since acquisition, Volia has integrated the activities of the original cable operators, allowing for significant cost savings by streamlining activities and eliminating redundant departments and equipment. Several separate cable networks in Kyiv were consolidated around a single digital head-end, which allows the company to manage all of its services and to distribute its television signal from one location to its subscribers. This approach significantly reduces the cost of providing services, and gives the company a considerable competitive advantage.
In addition, the company has completed a trunk network buildout, the construction of a fiber optic ring around Kyiv, upgrades of the narrowband portions of the network, and the construction of a modern call center with computerized customer service information.
Operating in the region for over a decade, SigmaBleyzer is one of the largest and most experienced private equity investors in Eastern Europe. With the strength of the company´s local infrastructure, western-style management and knowledge of local markets, SigmaBleyzer has created one of the best investment management companies in the region. SigmaBleyzer manages funds and special purpose investment vehicles with approximately $1 billion in commitments and has made investments in over 80 companies in Ukraine since 1994.
As a manager of a family of private equity funds currently investing in Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan, SigmaBleyzer utilizes a hybrid investment approach developed specifically for emerging markets and focused on simultaneous value creation at the micro or enterprise level and at the macro level. Because of this unique approach and strong on-the-ground presence in a region where many of its investors could not have invested directly, SigmaBleyzer brings one of the most attractive pipelines of investment opportunities found anywhere to its client base.
With offices in Kyiv and Kharkiv (Ukraine); Sofia (Bulgaria), Bucharest (Romania), Astana (Kazakhstan), and a back office in Houston, Texas, SigmaBleyzer has the infrastructure in its countries of operation to successfully manage portfolio companies to help them reach their full potential, while creating value for the investors, shareholders, employees and other stakeholders.
Source: SigmaBleyzer (3-12-07)
Propuestas en Brasil
Cabo Frío: paraíso a 200 km de Río • Niterói: playas, arquitectura y agenda cultural • El camino de Niemeyer: recorrido arquitectónico
Propuestas en Argentina
Ruta Nacional 40: Recorrido de la parte Norte • Recorrido del Centro (Cuyo) • Recorrido de la parte Sur (Patagonia)
Propuestas de turismo
en la Comunidad Valenciana
Ibi, Onil, Foia de Castalla • Belén de Tirisiti - Patrimonio cultural en Alcoi • Los Baños del Almirante (Valencia del s.XIV) • Mundo Naval en el museo Príncipe Felipe • Arte rupestre valenciano (Museo de la Valltorta)
