Category: Software

MUMBAI: At a meeting with the press today hosted by Communications & IT minister Dayanidhi Maran, Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) outlined how continued support of open technology standards would enable India to reach its goal of 500 million mobile phone subscribers by 2010.

TI Wireless Terminals Business Unit SVP Gilles Delfassy also announced that TI is increasing its wireless design presence in India with a new research and development (R&D) center in Chennai. TI‘s history in India began with a research and development center in Bangalore more than 20 years ago, states an official release.

“Mobile phone growth in India is nothing short of a phenomenon, and the wireless industry waits for India‘s next move because of the impact it will have on the future of mobile phones,” says Delfassy. “Today, there is a huge opportunity to connect the unconnected as the majority of India‘s population does not have access to communications services. TI has been committed to India for over 20 years, and I‘m pleased to say that we are escalating our existing wireless design presence in recognition of the importance of India to the global wireless market.”

Choosing efficient, cost-effective mobile technology will be critical to meet India‘s burgeoning wireless growth, as will be the ability to stay at the forefront of innovation. Two open technologies that offer great promise for India are GSM and DVB-H. “Open standards such as GSM and DVB-H technologies for mobile phones will provide the market with greater choice, better value and more opportunities for innovation. Based on our 17 years experience as a leader in the wireless industry, working to make our customers successful, we believe the best way to enable growth is through open standards,” Delfassy adds.

According to market research corporation iSuppli, GSM is the predominant technology in India. This year, the GSM growth rate in India is outpacing all other competing technologies. With a natural 3G migration path to GPRS/EDGE/UMTS, GSM offers an inherent advantage in driving this growth, points out the release.

“GSM has proven to be a great fit for India because it offers choice in terms of products and services available. GSM not only offers entry-level phones for those who have never owned a mobile phone, it also provides mid- range feature phones and smartphones for the growing middle class. GSM stimulates innovation and open competition and ensures that consumers have easy access to a broad choice of operators, seamless roaming and billing across networks and the most cost-efficient handsets on the market,” says Delfassy.

Delfassy noted that TI is committed to driving down handset costs with its “LoCosto” family of single-chip mobile phone solutions, which will accelerate wireless penetration in emerging high-volume markets like India. Low-cost handsets based on TI‘s “LoCosto” platform are expected on the market in India later this year.

Delfassy also addressed live broadcast TV on the mobile phone, a technology which is stirring interest in India, and the importance of open industry standards such as DVB-H to drive adoption of mobile DTV. DVB-H technology is an open industry standard that has become the predominant technology used to deploy mobile TV services around the world. More than 100 companies are developing or deploying services, components and devices based on DVB-H, and more than 300 million users have access to DVB-H.

“Like GSM technology, DVB-H has a competitive environment, which fosters lower costs and spurs innovation. It‘s no longer difficult to imagine watching a cricket game or a ‘Bollywood‘ movie anywhere, anytime, right on your mobile phone — that vision is now a reality,” he says.

Closing his remarks, Delfassy reiterated TI‘s commitment to India and continued support of open standards.

“TI has long believed India offers huge potential — as a market, as an innovator, and as a global provider of mobile phone technology and services. It is this belief that led us to build a development center in Bangalore over 20 years ago and to expand our presence with a new research and development center in Chennai. TI remains committed to providing products and services that open up the possibilities for mobile technology in India and that help operators and manufacturers here be successful. And we are determined to do all we can to help India realize its vision of 500 million mobile phone users within the next four years,” Delfassy concluded.

Providing views on the benefits of GSM technology, India‘s Cellular Operators Association drector general T.V. Ramachandran, said, “GSM continues to be the predominant driver of mobile growth, both internationally as well as in India. This standard is growing from strength to strength having recently crossed 2 billion subscribers worldwide. GSM‘s global predominance is due to its several advantages which include open standards, interoperability, economies of scale, seamless global roaming, widespread prepaid solutions, rich and versatile value-added services. This standard is committed to bringing the benefits of connectivity to the common man and also fulfilling their aspirations for feature rich services that are available on the GSM platform. The single-chip solution by Texas Instruments is another important innovation that will further improve the affordability of the service and drive access.”

TI is one of the leading manufacturers of wireless semiconductors, and provides a breadth of silicon and software and over 15 years of wireless systems expertise that spans handsets and base stations for all communications standards, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, A-GPS, mobile TV and Ultra Wideband.

MUMBAI: KyLinTV, which provides Chinese programming in North America, has signed on Woman TV via IPTV to give viewers a taste of the largest selection of Chinese entertainment in North America: 26 live broadcast channels and a vast video library that offers subscribers more than 20,000 hours of choice. Woman TV is the first channel in China catered specifically to women.

Woman TV was launched in March of 1999, and is the only broadcast channel in China completely devoted to women. With content that covers topics from education, occupation, fashion and family to stories about famous female figures, Woman TV has programs for all types of women. It serves as a platform to let the public know what women need, states an official release.

Prominent programs include a talk show program that tackles everyday issues that men and women face in their relationships, Formula-E is hosted by Li Jing and Dai Jun. Other shows are Pretty Women, a show devoted to the latest fashion styles and trends with up-to-date information from fashion experts, Stories of Women, an in-depth documentary program featuring stories on the lives of women who have persisted and fought to overcome hardships, coming out stronger on the other end.

KyLinTV subscribers will have direct access to the most popular broadcasts from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In addition, KyLinTV will broadcast US Chinese channels with programs produced exclusively for North American consumers.

Viewers can tune in to live broadcast channels on KyLinTV and watch the programs as they air. If they miss the program they wanted to watch, subscribers have the option of using the broadcast channel companion which preserves the lineup of news and entertainment programs for 24 hours, and is a feature that is unique to KyLinTV. In addition, KyLinTV subscribers can take advantage of the broadcast channel on demand, an exclusive library of the most popular programs from that channel.

MUMBAI: Mobile TV is being touted as one of the biggest trends in the world of technology and as the future service to subscribers by telecom operators. Kicking off on 11 October, the Mipcom‘s Mobile TV will see an exclusive keynote address given by Europe‘s integrated operator Orange CEO Sanjiv Ahuja, and will conclude with Mipcom‘s second annual Mobile TV screenings and awards.

Ahuja will discuss the content initiatives at Orange, a division of France Telecom. and will share his vision of the tremendous potential for mobile entertainment and explore the opportunities offered by mobile broadband in the always-on, anytime, any-place era. He will also outline the most recent initiatives taken by Orange through service and network convergence to provide a pocket-sized entertainment centre, informs an official release.

“Orange is evolving into a one-stop-shop for our customers‘ communication and entertainment needs. Television and TV content is central to our strategy,” says Ahuja. “I am delighted to have the opportunity of discussing the possibilities of converging technologies with Mipcom delegates. Everything we thought we knew about this industry is changing. With new ways to create, consume and pay for content, only players with open eyes and open minds can win.”

Ahuja joined Orange in April 2003 as COO, and was appointed CEO in March 2004. Prior to Orange, he was CEO of California-based technology company, Comstellar Technologies and was president of Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore). Previously, he spent fifteen years at IBM in various executive roles.

In addition to Ahuja‘s keynote and the Mobile Awards programme, this year‘s conference programme entitled Reshaping Media, will feature 30 sessions with over 100 speakers in addition to four other prestigious keynotes, from Disney Media Networks co-chair and president Disney-ABC Television Group Anne Sweeney, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. chairman and CEO Harry Sloan, NBC Universal president digital media and market development Beth Comstock and ESPN Inc. president and ABC Sports co-chairman George Bodenheimer.

An integral part of Mipcom 2006‘s mobile focus are the Mobile TV screenings and awards. Cutting-edge made-for-mobile content from around the globe will be showcased during the screenings and the prizes will be awarded in the evening of the same day.

Last year‘s programme attracted 220 entries, from 110 companies and 28 countries. For the second consecutive year, the contest will recognise and reward innovation and creativity in made-for-mobile formats.

Reed Midem director of television Paul Johnson comments, “Our markets continue to attract the best players in the mobile entertainment industry from all over the world. Our commitment is to help the creative industry move forward on this new medium for entertainment content. Last year‘s awards already generated great business opportunities for the companies who entered the competition. We expect a growing and thriving mobile content market, and therefore even more entries this year. And naturally, the Ahuja keynote reflects the importance the mobile industry places on content within their future strategy.”

The award categories continue to emphasize made for mobile film, TV and animation content and also recognize the growing importance of user generated content. The award categories are: Best original made-for-mobile film or video content; Best repurposed content from existing Film or TV property; Best made-for-mobile TV channel; Best format for interactive mobile TV and best mobile format for user-generated content. In addition to these five categories,there will also be The Jury‘s Grand Prize for Innovation, given to the most innovative company.

The deadline for entries for the Mobile Awards is 4 September. A pre-screening jury will nominate a selection of projects to be invited to Cannes for the Grand Jury judging on 9 October.

MUMBAI: With wireless over-the-air (OTA) music services offering mobile phone users a convenient way to buy music and providing an exciting new distribution channel to the music industry, an IDC survey has predicted that despite low adoption, the ‘US wireless music services will have over 50 million users and generate more than a billion dollars in revenue in 2010, just 5 years after appearing in late 2005‘

“Wireless music services are still in their infancy in the US, but are expected to quickly gain traction during the forecast period. By the end of this year, the number of US OTA customers will be approximately half that of online music service users, but may surpass them by the end of the forecast period,” says Consumer Markets: Audio programme manager Susan Kevorkian.

According to an IDC survey, a total of 22 per cent of respondents indicated that they would buy at least one track from their service provider within the first three months of availability, assuming they had an appropriate handset. Eight percent of respondents age 25 to 44 indicated they would buy four or more tracks. It’s this age group that IDC analysts believe could be the core base of wireless over-the-air service users, in particular those who may be new to digital music services.

In order for wireless music services to reach critical mass, a variety of music-enabled devices need to first find their way into the hands of wireless subscribers. This has not happened so far due in part to limited offerings from the handset vendors. However, the shift towards a greater variety of music-enabled mobile phones at various price points is already in motion. IDC expects music-enabled mobile phone shipments to reach nearly 60 per cent of all handsets shipped in the US by 2010.

“OTA mobile music storefronts are emerging as one of the most important new channels for fans to discover, purchase, and enjoy full-track music and related content. Key drivers for future growth include music-enabled handset penetration, deployment of broadband wireless networks, increased marketing efforts, bundling and cross-promotion of various music-related services, and driving flat-rate pricing schemes. IDC expects that OTA tracks at about $2.00 each will emerge as a sustainable price point as long as mobile storefronts are well-designed and offer a wide selection of music, and the music listening experience on the device is comparable to MP3 players,” says Wireless and Mobile Communications: Entertainment research manager Lewis Ward.

IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world‘s leading technology media, research, and events company.

MUMBAI: A day after the unfortunate failure of the GSLV-F02 launch rocket carrying the Insat-4C communication satellite, it is not just India‘s space establishment that has been forced to relook its plans.

For Kalanithi Maran‘s southern broadcast network Sun Group, the mishap could well mean that the launch of its direct-to-home (DTH) service sees a change of satellite operator. Sun TV had booked seven high-power Ku-band transponders, six for DTH and one for DSNG (digital satellite news gathering), of the total 12 carried by the Indian Space Research Organisation‘s Insat-4C.

The big question now is this: If Isro is not able to provide Ku-band transponder space for his DTH venture Sun Direct, will Maran opt for an alternative satellite like Malaysia‘s soon-to-be-launched Measat-3?

Maran already has a running relationship with Measat‘s parent company Astro, having stitched a deal last year for a $25 million joint venture to originate, aggregate and distribute television programming and channels for a global audience. Measat Broadcast Network Systems is a subsidiary of Astro company which has a 20-year exclusive licence for DTH transmission in Malaysia.

Measat has scheduled a September launch for the Measat-3 satellite. The satellite will be shot into space atop a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Measat-3 will have 24 Ku-band transponders and has been designed to provide capability for data services and DTH applications in Malaysia, Indonesia, India and China.

Maran, however, says he has got intimation from Isro that he will be provided with Ku-band transponders at the earliest. “Isro has assured us of providing alternate transponders to meet our DTH requirements. We have not made any request to Isro for taking space on Measat-3. We were, in any case, looking at a time frame between October-November,” the Sun Group promoter tells Indiantelevision.com.

Has Maran been told which satellite will provide him the Ku-band transponders? “We will know from Isro in three to four days,” he says.

For DTH providers who want to operate from foreign satellites, Isro will have to provide the approval and lease it out for them. Dish TV, for instance, is on NSS-6 with Isro‘s backing as required by regulatory norms.

For Isro‘s commercial arm Antrix Corporation, hiring of foreign transponder space for a short time could be a possibility. There is a precedence of this having happened in the past.

According to a report in Hindu Businessline, when Insat-2D failed, Isro bought transponder space on an Arabsat satellite. Isro has also provided temporary leases on Thaicom, GE-Americom, and even now on NSS, Businessline reported.

At the moment though, Isro has not received any fresh proposal from Maran‘s DTH company, Sun Direct TV, to lease out a satellite for them. Says Isro contract management and legal services director SB Iyer, “Sun has not asked us for a foreign satellite yet. The failure of Insat-4C is a brief setback which has put us behind 4-6 months. But we are recasting our programme by which we can accelerate the Ku-band capacity growth. We may be putting up larger satellites to boost the capacity.”

So will Sun get space on Insat-4B, which is meant for Doordarshan‘s DTH service like DD Direct Plus? “We haven‘t taken any decision yet. DD, which is on NSS-6, has a low requirement,” says Iyer. Sun has asked up to eight transponders for its DTH service.

Even if Sun gets Insat-4B, the launch of the satellite is expected to take place early next year. The commercial operations can, thus, commence only by the first quarter of next fiscal. “We have the flexibility to accommodate Sun. It is too early to comment on the steps we are going to take,” says Iyer.

Also Read:
Insat-4C satellite launch fails; Sun‘s DTH plans hit

MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms International has opened a state-of-the-art digital studio in Sharjah, UAE. The studio been launched with the purpose of telecasting locally-produced programmes in the region.

UNI has quoted Zee Telefilms International regional MD Yogesh Radhakrishnan as saying that, the system would complement the network‘s increasing emphasis on Arab viewership and indigenous content as exemplified by its Arab-oriented channel Zee Arabiya.

The six million dollar high-end studio and post-production facilities located at the ISO certified Airport Free Zone will serve several purposes, including support to the new, Arabic based and youth-focused channel Zee Arabiya, as per the report.

MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will ‘revisit‘ the consultation paper on IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) to examine the legal changes which might be required, Trai chairman Nripendra Misra said today.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Telecommunications (APT) and ICT Development Forum (ADF) in New Delhi, Misra told wire agency Press Trust of India (PTI) that Trai has sought the opinion of stakeholders on the legal changes which might be required, either in the Indian Telegraph Act or the Cable TV Act with respect to IPTV. This would in no way affect the scheduled rollout of IPTV, he said.

“Possibly the paper needs to be revisited regarding both access and content. We will be seeking the comments of cable associations, broadcasters, telecom service providers, ISP‘s apart from NGO‘s who are interested,” Misra said.

Earlier, addressing the Forum, Misra dubbed the Indian telecom sector as the “Poster Child” of development in India.

Misra‘s comments on IPTV are significant in the light of the fact that in the absence of consensus from broadcasting and telecom industry, Trai was set to withdraw a consultation paper on IPTV it had issued some time back.

Prior to this, Trai had proposed making changes to the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, plus the existing telecom licenses, so as to facilitate growth of IPTV services in the country.

Also Read:
Trai withdraws paper on IPTV

MUMBAI: TSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading provider and innovator of mobile phones, announced its launch of the SGH-i320, new Slim QWerty Smartphone, signaling the company’s drive to the smartphone market.

The Samsung i320 is a super-slim bar type handset, measuring just 11.5mm in depth and 95g in weight with an easy-to-use Qwerty keyboard. The keyboard has the same keyboard layout used in personal computers, enabling users to send emails and text messages far more conveniently; such a fun and simple methodology proved to be a huge success amongst consumers in the US and Europe.

The i320 operates with ‘Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Operating System’ to provide users with a familiar interface that is easy to navigate and use. It allows users to write and store texts, exchange emails in real-time, type memos and more.

Functions supported by this ultra-thin mobile are especially useful for users who want to chat, read, and send emails from their mobiles. The i320 features an imbedded instant messaging program and ‘mobile mail’ functions to enable users to send and receive photos, music and a variety of multi-media messages.

The phone has a 2.2 inches LCD screen with 1.3 mega-pixel resolution camera, along with multi-media entertainment functions such as Bluetooth and high-quality dual speakers.

Samsung says that the product is perfect for users who want to have all of the advanced features of a smartphone in a light and slim package for convenience and style.

Samsung’s Telecommunications Network Business president Kitae Lee said, “The trend and popularity of slim phones will be carried over to the smartphone market. Samsung will lead the trend of smartphones by combining its cutting-edge technology and sleek ultra-slim designs.”

The SGH-i320 will be launched in Europe this month. The following launches will take place throughout the rest of Europe and South East Asia shortly.

MUMBAI: Accenture and the Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a global survey of 302 technology and media firm executives. All of them are involved in or close to the IPTV business—network operators, equipment vendors, consumer electronics firms, broadcasters/studios and content providers.

Key Findings:

There is long-term optimism in IPTV: 34 per cent of the executives we surveyed believe IPTV will generate “significant revenue” by 2009 and another 57 per cent are at least “somewhat confident” that this will be the case.

But, few companies expect a substantial IPTV impact on their bottom line. Rather, most see the larger impact being on top-line growth. Network operators also hope IPTV will drive the take-up of broadband access connections and help reduce customer churn.

Content is critical to network operators‘ business model. They are currently acquiring it however they can, and the largest proportion of respondents say distribution without rights of ownership will be the primary means of sourcing IPTV content over the next year, according to an official release.

Video-on-demand is expected to be the chief money-maker among different IPTV services, both today and over the longer term. There is little consensus on other likely revenue sources. Respondents did not see advertising as a potential money-earner.
The chief hurdles to IPTV consumer adoption: a dearth of compelling content and lingering quality-of-service problems. Not a single respondent from this group is very confident that IPTV will spur significant revenue growth within a year of launch and no more than half are fairly or very confident of generating substantial revenue by 2009.

Despite respondents‘ pessimism that IPTV will spur growth in the near-term, major players are in various stages of testing IPTV. These include Verizon, AT&T, Telecom Italia, France Telecom and China Netcom, the release adds.

MUMBAI: The evolution in mobile games – involving subscription and downloads – is set to continue in the next five years, with a growth in global revenues from $3.1 bn in 2006 to approaching $17.6 bn by 2011, according to Juniper Research. A rise producing a cumulative revenue stream of nearly $57 bn over the next six years has been predicted.

According to Juniper, the Asia Pacific region has dominated the market since its inception, with Japanese and South Korean markets in the vanguard. Asia Pacific is forecast to contribute 38 per cent of cumulative revenues from 2006 to 2011, with Europe contributing 31 per cent, North America 22 per cent and the rest of the world 9 per cent.

The Juniper report reveals that Mobile Games have come of age – no longer the poor relation of console and PC games. Mobile Games provide a different family with their own characteristics – satisfying an increasing need courtesy of evolving technology.

The growth trend is set to continue, with the broader electronic games and entertainment industry acknowledging the rise in popularity of the mobile games industry according to its new status.

Whilst the leading edge games technology will focus on 3D and multiplayer games, the greatest growth will come from the casual game sector. Female games players will also grow as a proportion of the market with a more even balance of genders using mobile games in the future.

Juniper Research research director Bruce Gibson says, “I think the mobile games industry has at last found its identity, and it is a strong one. There is a real demand for mobile entertainment and games are at the very heart of it.

The casual games sector is going to be the market driver, even though it may not be at the leading edge of mobile games technology. Casual games make most use of the inherent advantages of the mobile platform. People want to fill ‘dead time’ with easy to use, but fun games. This is the same in just about every culture.”