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  • BLOCKBUSTER OnDemand Coming Through TiVo


    Blockbuster is to be the latest online video-on-demand service to appear on TiVo DVRs.

    The pair announced today that they are working to make Blockbuster’s service available on all TiVo Series2 and Series3 DVRs (including the HD and HD XL models) in the second half of 2009.

    The deal means TiVo’s hardware will appear on the shelves of local video rental stores, while Blockbuster’s service will get exposure to millions of new users.

    It also means that TiVo adds Blockbuster to a list of available streaming video that already includes Netflix, CinemaNow and more.

    In November, Blockbuster launched a movie rental service via set-top boxes.

    It offered a STB made by 2Wire that plays downloaded movies.

    Jim Keyes, Blockbuster chairman and CEO, said working with TiVo enabled subscribers to access movies not only through his company’s OnDemand service but also from their stores and by-mail service as well.

    "Regardless of a film’s availability – through VOD or on DVD – we want to work with TiVo to provide their subscribers unprecedented access to movie content," he said.

    Tom Rogers, president and CEO of TiVo, said joining with Blockbuster made TiVo a "one-stop shop" for any content thru broadband or linear distribution straight to the TV.

  • Turkish Mobile Market: Opportunity Beckons With Summer Launch of 3G Network

    INTERVIEW: Isik Uman, general manager of leading Turkish service provider Retromedya, talks to smartphone-biz.news about the rapidly changing mobile market in Turkey.
    With 3G going live this summer, the nation’s 66 million mobile subscribers are expected to take full advantage of new services – making it an appealing prospect for operators and service providers.

    Turkish consumers love their mobiles. As one of the fastest growing mobile markets in recent years, wireless penetration currently sits at 92 per cent.

    That’s pretty impressive – especially as Turkey doesn’t have handset subsidies.

    People buy their mobile phones and then choose their operator.

    Isik Uman, general manager of leading Turkish service provider Retromedya, said increasingly that decision is being driven by the demand for richer content – something that has progressed as rapidly as improvements to handsets and mobile networks.

    Build-up To 3G

    The potential for content is going to get even more interesting this summer when Turkey’s 3G network kicks in.

    And there is no shortage of hardware ready to use it.

    Even without handset subsidies, Uman said there were around 3.5 million 3G phones already being used in Turkey.

    "That’s 3.5 million potential users for it," he said.

    While there are no official figures, an estimated 300,000 iPhones have been sold in Turkey since it launched last summer.

    On top of that sales of other high-end handsets from HTC and Nokia – which has a 60 per cent share of the mobile market in Turkey – are strong.

    All this makes the country one of the more attractive markets for handset manufacturers.

    That is likely to continue as 3G is rolled out – with all the opportunities that will bring.

    Competition Intensifies

    The development is expected to pit operators head-to-head, with 3G and a host of new services – including LBS – being used as the hook with which to lure customers.

    As a result – and despite the global economic situation – Turkey’s mobile operators are projecting Turkish Lira-based growth this year.

    The country’s three GSM operators – Turkcell (37m subscribers), Vodafone (17m subscribers) and Avea (12m subscribers) – earned between them an estimated 13 billion Turkish Liras (approx. USD $10 billion) in 2008.

    But as Turkey is a large country – and requires a lot of base stations to provide coverage – average revenue per user (ARPU) is between USD $11-14.

    This hasn’t affected competition among the operators, which is fierce – especially following the introduction of mobile number portability in Turkey last November.

    More than 1 million subscribers have changed operator since it became available.

    The ability for users to switch operator has also led to the adoption of new marketing strategies from the operators, including the introduction of a subsidy-like model to retain or lure valuable customers.

    "Before we had number portability, people like business professionals, company owners, doctors, lawyers and so on didn’t want to change their mobile numbers," said Uman. "It just wasn’t acceptable.

    "Now with number portability, we will see subsidised handsets being used as a means to lure lucrative customers."

    Uman said it was also likely that flat-rate data tariffs would become more common when 3G goes live.

    He said this would obviously benefit service providers such as Retromedya.

    "We are counting on this as it will make our services more attractive and easier to use," he said.

    Retromeyda already offers content to all three operators in the form of:

    • music services
    • video content – downloading on-demand video
    • mobile games
    • interactive voting
    • mobile community and chat

    As well as providing consumer services, Retromedya also offers B2B gateway services to third party players in the market.

    Uman said these were white label services to companies that want to provide mobile services in Turkey.

    "We believe this year will be very interesting for the Turkish market," he said.

    "Commercial services will be very important and offer a big opportunity, which we are trying to address."

    Uman said there had been a lot of interest in Retromedya at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

    He said this was a reflection on the potential revenue prospects Turkey’s mobile market offered service providers.

    "We provide the infrastructure for them so they can quickly introduce their services and operations," he said.

  • Boom in Mobile App Store Users Creates Opportunities for Marketers


    App stores are offering marketers and advertisers a new way to reach mobile audiences, according to In-Stat.

    The researchers forecast more than 100 million app store-compatible mobile phones from multiple manufacturers will be shipping within five years.

    Much of the credit for this emerging market trend is given to the iPhone.

    In-Stat says Apple’s debut of the iPhone Apps Store has provided a platform for branded applications.

    In-Stat analyst David Chamberlain said that with greater capabilities in both running native applications and viewing ‘real Internet’ websites, smartphones have increased usage and user expectations for mobile content.

    He said that along with the expanding handset base, users are downloading more applications.

    "Reach for marketing applications is growing rapidly and those applications can provide prolonged engagement with the user and keep the advertiser’s brand in focus," he said.

    Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

    • Smartphones having a strong app store orientation will reach 30 per cent of the global smartphone market by 2013, approaching nearly 100 million units.
    • Survey respondents show iPhone users are by far the most active apps store users, significantly outpacing users of Blackberry, Palm OS or Windows Mobile phones.
    • Application marketing, like all new advertising media, lacks consistent, accepted analytics many advertisers are accustomed to

  • Skuku Provides Cheap InFlight GSM Calls to Air Passengers


    Skuku has announced today that it has formed a partnership with the German company TriaGnoSys to provide the next generation of inflight GSM services for airline passengers.

    The new service allows travellers to avoid costly roaming charges while placing phone calls aboard commercial airlines.

    It takes advantage of existing technology, including in-seat screens, seat-back phones and Internet connectivity, and allows airlines to offer roaming-free voice and SMS functions to their passengers.

    Skuku’s technology will not require the installation of any onboard GSM equipment.

    Axel Jahn, managing director of TriaGnoSys, said the new service allows airlines, as well as business jet owners and operators, to exploit the technology they already have on their aircraft in order to provide an additional passenger service.

    "The installation process is a simple software upgrade, bypassing the need for the expensive and time-consuming fitting of hardware," he said.

    "In addition, Skuku’s technology can easily be integrated into current generation IP-enabled IFE systems."

    Skuku’s technology uses SIM card data in ground-based GSM servers to provide roaming-free services for voice and instant messaging.

    TriaGnoSys, experts in aeronautical communication, has developed the software to enable Skuku to be used on aircraft.

    Jahn said that from the success of current inflight GSM services, it is clear that passengers want access to SMSs and voice calls during flights.

    He added: "This is a highly efficient way of providing that service."

    To use the service, passengers insert their own SIM card into a SIM card reader.

    On aircraft with Internet connectivity, passengers can send and receive SMS messages using the IFE screen, while softphones can be used for voice calls.

    Seat-back phones can also be used to place and receive voice calls, in addition to Inmarsat and Iridium satellite phones.

    Colin Blou, VP of sales and marketing at Skuku, said that from the passengers’ perspective, using the Skuku/TriaGnoSys service was very similar to current inflight mobile phone services.

    "Passengers can continue to use their mobile number and contacts list, and they are billed through their normal bills at national rates, without having to pay costly roaming charges,"he said.

  • Business Mobile Use Revenue To Grow To $284 billion by 2014


    The increasing use of smartphones as the sole business phone will drive revenues from mobile enterprise users to USD $284 billion by 2014.

    Yet while the "unwired enterprise" is becoming a reality, hurdles remain in persuading significant numbers of businesses to "go mobile", according to Juniper Research.

    The report found that many enterprises are seeing the benefits of cost reductions and increased profitability won via efficiency and productivity improvements.

    It forecasts that greater use of mobile broadband will increase enterprise mobile devices by 56 per cent between 2008 And 2014.

    Companies such as GoHello – which offers an ALLmobile, virtual phone system – and OnRelay – with its Unified MBX solution that delivers complete IP PBX functionality to the mobile phone – are already offering viable alternatives to the deskphone.

    But the report also highlights specific barriers to adoption, including:

    • limited functionality resulting from the small size and form of devices
    • problems in adapting applications for mobiles while not compromising on usability
    • the thorny issue of ensuring device security

    The report’s author, Andrew Kitson, believes that device management and security are critical issues that businesses need to address when going mobile.

    He said that enterprises need to be assured of total control over the devices their employees use.

    "To do this, they need to limit the types and numbers of devices connecting to their networks, deactivate or restrict devices that are lost or stolen, minimising functionality and access, and employing user authentication, content encryption, and other security solutions as appropriate," he said.

    "There are upfront cost issues involved, but the greater cost lies in compromising on security features."

    Other findings include:

    • Enterprise-grade applications and services require advanced devices and rely on high-capacity networks: the proportion of devices connected to 3.5G/3.9G networks will rise from 13 per cent in 2008 to almost 80 per cent in 2014
    • Usage of wireless dongles is losing ground to usage of plug-in datacards and devices with embedded wireless modems and will peak in 2010/2011

  • BT Trials OnRelay's MBX Software


    The cellular Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) software provider OnRelay announced today that it has entered into a customer trial agreement with BT Global Services.

    This will allow BT to begin on-site trials of OnRelay’s MBX software with a number of UK-based and multinational customers as part of its Unified Communications offering.

    OnRelay MBX allows companies to replace some, or all, of their IP desk phones with mobile phones – and removes the need for PBX hardware.
    The software works over any public mobile network, anywhere in the world.

    Upon completion of these trials, it is expected that the OnRelay solution will join the successful BT Corporate Fusion portfolio.

    Malcolm Pilcher, head of voice CPE & FMC at BT Global Services, said the customer trials of OnRelay’s cellular FMC solution reflected BT’s ongoing commitment to addressing the demand for global fixed mobile convergence technologies.

    "We see this demand accelerating as our customers look to maximise their existing infrastructure, improve employee productivity and continue their drive to manage and control costs," he said.

    Ivar Plahte, OnRelay’s CEO, is confident that mobile PBX is the future – with smartphones increasingly replacing desktop phones to become the sole business phone.

    "BT’s evaluation further validates OnRelay’s focus on enabling enterprises to cost-effectively extend Unified Communications to mobile phones," he said.

    "2009 will be the year of cellular FMC."

  • eBay Bets on Skype's Entry Into SIP-based PBX To Boost Revenue


    Skype has launched Skype for SIP, a beta program that allows companies to make domestic and international VoIP calls from an office PBX rather than PC.

    The move comes the week after eBay announced that it expects Skype to more than double its revenue to over USD $1 billion by 2011 – with hopes high that the new business service will be a compelling proposition.

    Skype For SIP allows SIP PBX owners to make Skype calls to fixed phones and mobiles around the world, and to receive calls from Skype users directly into their PBX system.

    The service will also allow businesses to be contacted by Skype’s 405 million registered users through click-to-call from their Web sites.

    The calls will be received through their existing office system at no cost to the customer.

    At the same time, businesses can purchase online Skype numbers available in over 20 countries to receive calls from business contacts and customers who are using traditional fixed lines or mobile phones.

    Stefan Oberg, VP and general manager of Skype for Business, described the introduction of Skype for SIP as a significant move for Skype and for any communication intensive business around the world.

    "It effectively combines the obvious cost savings and reach of Skype with its large user base, with the call handling functionality, statistics and integration capabilities of traditional office PBX systems, providing great economical savings and increased productivity for the modern business," he said.

    The initial beta is available to a limited number of participants: SIP users, phone system administrators, developers and service partners are invited to apply.

    Applicants need to be businesses, have an installed SIP based IP-PBX system, as well as a level of technical competency to configure their own SIP-enabled PBX.

    The Skype for SIP beta program is open today to a limited number of participants; SIP users, phone system administrators, service partners, and developers can get in on the beta. Beta users will need to be businesses, have a SIP-based IP-PBX phone system, and in-house expertise to configure their SIP-enabled PBX.

    The SIP software will be available for free, but Skype plans to charge about 2.1 cents per minute for calls to landlines and cell phones. Calls from computers to phone systems using Skype will be free.

    Key Features of the Skype for SIP Beta include:

    • Receive and manage inbound calls from Skype users worldwide on SIP-enabled PBX systems; connecting the company Web site to the PBX system via click-to-call
    • Place calls with Skype to landlines and mobile phones worldwide from any connected SIP-enabled PBX; reducing costs with Skype’s low-cost global rates
    • Purchase Skype’s online numbers, to receive calls to the corporate PBX from landlines or mobile phones
    • Manage Skype calls using their existing hardware and system applications such as call routing, conferencing, phone menus and voicemail; no additional downloads or training are required

  • Back Office Software is "Bottleneck" Preventing Telecom Service Providers From Competing


    Telecom service providers are competing in saturated markets and many are experiencing flat or declining margins in the economic downturn.

    That’s the opinion of Jim Messer, CEO of Transverse, who said legacy back office software is often what keeps them from being agile in the marketplace.

    He was speaking after Transverse was named in the "Cool Vendors in Telecom Operations Management (TOM) 2009" report by Gartner.

    In the report Transverse is identified by Gartner as one of four TOM vendors worldwide who they consider to be at the cutting edge of telecom business support systems and operations support systems.

    The report features an analysis of the company and its Business Support Solutions (BSS) solution blee(p).

    It introduces a new way to deploy and manage back office functions and is aimed at helping service providers reduce the financial risks associated with rolling out new business models by aligning back office infrastructure with business goals.

    Messer said a technology refresh of legacy, back-office systems was long overdue for many service providers.

    He said Transverse’s state-of-the-art open source approach made it easier and more cost effective for service providers to take advantage of new business models.

    "We’re pleased that Gartner has identified Transverse as a Cool Vendor. We’re a company that can uniquely have an impact in addressing this industry-wide problem," he said.

  • Cisco Transforms Data Center With UCS


    Cisco has launched a mainstream data center computing platform – Unified Computing System (UCS) – that promises to seamlessly integrate processor, storage and network systems in a virtualised architecture.

    The move pits the networking equipment market leader against the world’s largest systems vendors, including HP, IBM, Dell, Fujitsu and others.

    UCS offers medium and large enterprises a single architecture that links all data centre resources together, so overcoming the "assembly-required" nature of distinct virtualisation environments.

    Prem Jain, senior vice president of Server Access and Virtualization Business Unit at Cisco, said UCS unites compute, network, storage access and virtualization resources in a single energy-efficient system that unleashes the power of virtualization.

    "By delivering and supporting Microsoft operating systems for the Unified Computing System, we’re offering a familiar Windows platform to help our customers integrate this revolutionary new architecture into existing data center environments so they can quickly realize the benefits of unified computing," he said.

    Virtualisation has transformed the structure of server and storage environments in data centres. It is now extending to network virtualisation.

    With UCS, Cisco is positioning itself so as to have a controlling role across all three levels of virtual technology.

    Starting in the second quarter of 2009, it plans to offer complete systems of up to 320 compute nodes housed in 40 chassis, with data flowing across 10 gigabit Ethernet.

    Critical to its challenge will be its ability to draw on the expertise of key partners. These include:

    • Its compute capabilities, UCS B-Series blades, will be based on Intel Nehalem processors
    • The follow-on generation will be from Intel Xeon.
    • VMware will supply the critical virtualisation software
    • BMC will enable "a single management environment for all data centre devices".
    • EMC and NetApp will be responsible for the storage system units
    • Emulex and Qlogic will input storage networking technology
    • Oracle will deliver middleware
    • Key systems software will come from Microsoft and Red Hat.
    •  

    John Chambers, Cisco’s CEO, said UCS could do a lot for Cisco’s bottom line.

    He said it gives Cisco access to about a quarter of the many billions spent inside the data center, up from less than 10 per cent presently.
    That’s the principal reason why Cisco is reinventing the basic building block of the data center.

  • LaCie Merges With Swiss Online-Storage Start-up Wuala


    LaCie has announced that it is to merge with Caleido, the Swiss creator of online storage service Wuala.

    The move signals the French external storage device manufacturer’s entry into the cloud storage service market.

    A statement from the newly merged enterprise said it plans to revolutionize the storage industry by building a unique and sustainable cloud storage service.

    With just 11 staff, Wuala has built up a sizeable user base, mostly in Europe, since its launch in August 2008.

    Its service include innovative online storage that allows its users to store, back up, access, and share files with one another from anywhere in the world.

    Users start with 1GB of storage but can get as much as they want, either by trading idle disk space or by buying additional storage.

    Dominik Grolimund, co-founder and CEO of Caleido AG, said the merger was a major leap forward for Wuala and would take it to the next level.
    He described LaCie as the perfect match for the start-up.

    "Together we will realize the vision we embarked on more than four years ago while researching the basics of Wuala at the ETH Zurich: to build a reliable and secure cloud storage by integrating millions of devices around the world," he said.

    Philippe Spruch, founder and CEO of LaCie, said it had a strong vision for where the future of storage is headed.

    He said the merger had allowed it to acquire a very innovative online storage solution that will transform the business from a leading hardware manufacturer to a comprehensive digital storage provider.

    "LaCie believes storage versatility will influence the industry, and we look forward to providing our customers with new, cutting-edge ways to store their valuable data through our upcoming product offerings," he said.