ITV

Tag: telcos

  • India has biggest appetite for mobilecCommerce states SAP Study

    India has biggest appetite for mobilecCommerce states SAP Study

    BENGALURU:  Consumers in India are leading the demand for mobile commerce services, with 97 per cent of consumers asking for more mobile interactions with banks, telcos, retailers, utilities and other businesses. SAP AG recently announced the study findings for India which indicates an impressive traction of mobile commerce in the country with 80 per cent of the population making parallel usage of the mobile phones other than just calls and text messages.

    More than half of the consumers in India indulge in maximum mobile purchases for entertainment service like cinema, theatre shows, DVDs, sport games (53 per cent) followed by music downloads (48 per cent) says the study.

    The surging popularity of mobile commerce in the country also highlights the increase in the internet penetration with 63 per cent of consumers accessing the internet on their mobile at least once a day.  65 per cent of the users feel mobile is a convenient mode of transaction leading to a greater consumer adoption in this segment.

    The study found that India scores high in using mobile for banking transactions when compared to other countries in the world. As per the statistics, excluding voice messages, most of the mobile owners turn to their mobile phones for bill payments (78 per cent), bank transactions (72 per cent) and for setting up a new account (74 per cent).

    “The dynamic nature of business as well as the freedom to operate from different parts of the world and at odd times has created a need for mobile commerce becoming mainstreamed,” said SAP Platform & Technology Business at SAP  Head – Sales -Neeraj Athalye, “Our strategy and solutions – unwired by mobile apps and fueled by in-memory and advanced analytics – underscore our unique ability to enable companies from the boardroom to shop floors, to better anticipate, accelerate and differentiate their business.”

    Mobile Transactions in India

    The research shows how mobile based transactions have gained popularity in India and has become an integral part of the consumer’s life.

    *More than half of the consumers in India indulge in maximum mobile purchases for entertainment service like cinema, theatre shows, DVDs, sport games (53 per cent) followed by music downloads (48 per cent)

    *The other key purchases via mobile are clothes/footware/other attires (47 per cent) and books or e-books (40 per cent)

    While embracing the appetite for mobile purchase adoption, it is vital that organisations looking to develop products and services for India are able to balance the desire for ease and convenience with security requirements:

    *In the study, 57 per cent of users in the country believe that once they gain confidence in mobile security, they will increase their mobile payment activity

    *Providing services that are lower cost (24 per cent) and personalised (33 per cent) will encourage mobile owners to make more bank transfers through their mobile phones, in turn increasing the mobile based consumption in India

    *Consumers in India are driven to buy goods using their mobile phone by exclusive offers (33 per cent) and coupons (26 per cent).

    The research also reflects that ease of use is a core principle that will accelerate overall user adoption in the telecommunications industry

    *Free minutes, texts and Web use (26 per cent), personalized services (28 per cent) and lower cost services (26 per cent) will encourage consumers in India to use their mobile to check usage data for their mobile account.

    Research Methodology

    3,288 interviews were conducted with adults aged 18+ who own a mobile phone (basic or smartphone) in APAC (China n=1000, India n=1050, Japan n=651, Australia n=587).

    Respondents completed an online survey in March/April 2013. Research conducted by Loudhouse, an independent research agency based in London.

  • Vserv.mobi introduces AudiencePro for targeted advertising

    MUMBAI: Vserv.mobi, a global mobile advertising network, has launched AudiencePro, allowing advertisers to target their ads based on demographics, spending power, network usage, location, content relevance and device specific data.

    AudencePro will also allow advertisers to reach mobile subscribers with highly relevant ads, displayed on multiple inventory sources across the Vserv.mobi network, including 20,000+ Apps powered by its innovative AppWrapper technology, thus enabling targeted advertising at a massive scale. The platform will include support for all creative formats, including impactful rich media formats such as Full Screen Ads, Video and HTLM5 interactive ads.

    The company has signed up Airtel as its first Telco partner for this platform.

    Vserv.mobi CEO and co-founder Dippak Khurana said, “The AudiencePro is the World’s first platform that brings together the power of Mobile Ad Networks with credible user data from Telcos, to enable unprecedented levels of audience targeting for advertisers. After the revolutionary AppWrapper monetization platform, this is our second game changing technology that will unlock tremendous value across the entire mobile ecosystem. Given our understanding and presence across emerging markets, we are already working towards rolling out the AudiencePro platform with partners across the globe.”

    The new platform will enable advertisers to reach the right audience they want via premium ads across mobile sites, apps and games. The platform will also appeal to Vserv.mobi’s publishers and developers, who will experience higher levels of monetisation, due to the audience profile layer being enabled on their inventory, without any additional cost.

    It will also benefit Mobile Internet users, who will get relevant ads aligned with their consumption needs.

    Vserv.mobi VP – telecom Rohit Verma said, ”Telcos, especially in emerging markets, have been looking for Mobile Advertising opportunities in today’s ‘APP’ified world, and advertisers are always seeking richer audience profile insights, thus the AudiencePro platform provides a powerful solution to both these challenges, while delivering higher monetization to our publisher & developer partners. AudiencePro offers telcos a unique innovative approach to Mobile Advertising and help move forward the Mobile ecosystem.”

  • Broadband applications in the US put networked homes on a strong growth trajectory

    Broadband applications in the US put networked homes on a strong growth trajectory

    MUMBAI: As the networked home market in the US reaches the mass-market adoption stage, multimedia and entertainment-centric networking solutions are likely to drive the demand for home networking and become strong revenue generators.

    Moreover, increasing broadband penetration and expanding range of applications and services are ushering in new growth opportunities for all stakeholders in this nascent market.

    Research firm Frost and Sullivan finds that spurred by the increase in multiple PC households, falling hardware prices, increasing number of IP applications and rise in broadband adoption; the number of networked homes in North America is likely to increase from 22.5 million in 2005 to 63.8 million in 2012.

    Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Piyush Arora notes, “Entertainment-based home networks and emerging broadband services and applications such as IPTV and personal video recording are likely to be key contributors to future growth of home networking. The growth in network-enabled consumer electronic devices and the burgeoning online and offline digital content, will also fuel this trend.”

    Last year only five per cent of total networked homes had a multimedia network with at least one non-PC networked device such as a television, DVD player or set-top box. However, by 2012, multimedia networks are likely to post a stronger growth and increase their share to 25 per cent of total networked homes.

    The increasing penetration of broadband is also expanding the range of potential applications of home networks — from sharing broadband access between computers to streaming multimedia content between networked consumer electronic devices. Networked storage, home automation and home security are also likely to become strong contributors to home networking growth.

    Furthermore, networked homes will be ideal for service providers to deliver triple-play services and other service bundles to attract new customers. In fact, service providers are becoming an important component of the distribution channel for networking products and solutions.

    Last year, around 15 per cent of total home networking equipment revenues in North America came from the service provider channel. This share is likely to increase to 37 per cent by 2012 as service providers — including cable companies, telcos, and other broadband ISPs — increase their service bundling initiatives and start playing a more active role in offering home networking solutions.

    In the long term, it is essential for service providers, networking equipment vendors, and other stakeholders to forge more effective partnerships and develop networking solutions that provide a simpler set-up experience for consumers and reduce ongoing maintenance issues.

    “Given the complexity of setup, installation, and troubleshooting, developing a more lucid support management framework and new customer support tools are crucial for the widespread adoption of home networks,” concludes Arora.

  • IPTV to face tough climate: research firms

    IPTV to face tough climate: research firms

    MUMBAI: This is a piece of news that should put a word of caution on telecom firms like Reliance Infocomm and Bharti who are keen on IPTV. While the telcos are keen on leveraging the new media platform to augment revenues, two research reports indicate that they face severe challenges ahead.

    One report from research firm Gartner says IPTV services will struggle for years against the established pay-TV and free-to-air (FTA) platforms. Subscribers for television services over the internet, which hit 1.7 million last year, is expected to grow at a 58.8 percent aggregate rate until 2010, when the service is expected to attract 16.7 million subscribers.

    But despite this robust growth prediction, Gartner says IPTV will struggle over the next five years to become a mainstream revenue opportunity for carriers.

    The other report from Multimedia Research Group (MRG) states that uncertainties in large carriers in the US and Asia holds the forecasts for these regions down. Europe should be the strongest IPTV market through 2009, with Asia catching up by the end of the forecast period. IP TV set-top boxes will dominate the capital spending for IPTV services and account for two-thirds of spending.

    Europe is surging ahead with a large number of strong IPTV deployments that include France Telecom, Free, Neuf in France, Telefonica in Spain, FastWeb in Italy, and a number of strong competitive offerings in Scandinavia.

    Gartner meanwhile notes that while the short- to medium-term profits from IPTV will be modest at best, carriers cannot afford to delay the deployment of the IPTV platform. Those who delay too long will risk undermining their ability to be long-term key players in the consumer ‘infotainment’ communications business.

    There will be 3.3 million subscribers to IPTV services in Western Europe by the end of this year and 16.7 million within four years, according to the report.

    The UK currently has one of the smallest numbers of IPTV subscribers in Western Europe with only 75,000 subscribers predicted in 2006.

    Although this is set to increase fairly rapidly to reach 1.9 million by 2010 with the introduction of services such as BT Vision Gartner predicts that the UK will remain a weaker prospect for IPTV. This is mainly due to the existing pay TV landscape and dominance of Sky TV.

    In contrast Gartner predicts that by the end of 2006, almost half of Western Europe’s IPTV subscribers will be based in France – a total of 1.7 million generating revenues of €141m.

  • NDS, SES Americom team up to offer secure IPTV solutions for telcos

    NDS, SES Americom team up to offer secure IPTV solutions for telcos

    MUMBAI: Digital pay-TV technology solutions provider NDS has entered an agreement with SES Americom, a leading satellite operator and services provider in North America, to support their IP-Prime IPTV distribution solution with NDS Synamedia.

    Synamedia is a secure IP solution for two-way IPTV network operators. IP-Prime is a centralised, satellite-delivered IP television delivery system that permits telcos to bundle traditional standard and HD programming on a single line with their voice and internet services.

    The new offering enables telecommunications companies to offer secure, premium TV services to their customers. SES Americom will deliver up to 300 channels encoded into MPEG-4/H.264 via their IP-Prime platform, offering telcos a more efficient and robust transmission path.

    The Synamedia solution, integrated with NDS VideoGuard content protection and digital rights management, will offer SES Americom a secure platform for the delivery of multi-channel pay-TV and video on demand (VOD) services to customers using a broadband IP connection.

    Based on the proven NDS VideoGuard conditional access solution, NDS Synamedia protects content at all stages of delivery — from the broadband access point through the last mile to the IP consumer device, such as a set-top box or digital video recorder (DVR). Once content is received inside the home, VideoGuard protects the valuable digital content from piracy, whether it is stored locally or routed through a home network.

    The solution for SES Americom features VGS, a secure headend-based content protection solution from NDS. The hardware-based solution does not require a smart card in the consumer device. The decryption capability is embedded within the device’s standard video processor chip, which communicates securely with the NDS VGS network servers. NDS has worked closely with major chipset manufacturers to develop these secure video processors that can communicate with secure headend servers, providing strong content protection over two-way networks.

    The new technical approach used in the VGS content protection solution is stronger than software-based and hardware-assisted solutions, because the content is decrypted entirely within the secure processing blocks in the processor.

    Using NDS VGS technology, two-way networks provide a number of benefits, including safe network environment for authorisations, simplified upgrades to the system for enhanced functionality and security, and reduced set-top box costs. There is no security information stored in the set-top when it is switched off.

    SES Americom’s IP-Prime platform offers two delivery solutions; one path delivers the secure video content to the Telcos for their distribution to consumers. Alternately, the IP-Prime content can be passed through directly to subscriber homes via secured set-top boxes. The NDS solution is integrated into both IP-Prime options.

    “SES Americom has earned the trust of leading programmers in cable and broadcast, who are now entering the new world of IPTV aboard our reliable, secure distribution platforms. NDS is a recognized system security provider, enabling us to deliver a protected vital link in the long anticipated triple play for Telcos and markets beyond,” said SES Americom chief technology officer Alan Young.

    “Telecommunications companies have shown great interest in the delivery of television services to the home, and we are very happy to work with SES Americom to help bring the IP-Prime solution to telcos of all sizes. Security is of primary concern to protect their revenues and to enable them to deliver high value content. This integrated solution provides a turnkey approach for the telecommunications providers, bringing television services to their subscribers – quickly, easily, and securely,” said NDS Group vice president and NDS Americas general manager Dr Dov Rubin.

  • Telcos warned to stay out of the content business at London IPTV Forum

    Telcos warned to stay out of the content business at London IPTV Forum

    MUMBAI: Telecoms companies seeking to develop IPTV services are being warned to stay out of the content business and instead concentrate on being service providers.

    Speaking at the IPTV World Forum in London, consulting director at research/consulting firm Ovum Tom McKeever said the key to success was finding content partners who can offer the service provider some differentiation, adding that it would be a mistake to make the content themselves.

    “Telecoms companies are trusted by consumers to provide connectivity around the home. While content is king, content wants to be on every single platform so if you focussed your entire strategy on content then you might miss other pieces like provisioning and customer care, billing and being a trusted provider in the home. Telecoms companies have the tools for that today and it is where they have to focus their strategies.

    “Ultimately most content will be available on most platforms and it won’t be a critical differentiator,” said McKeever.

    These sentiments were echoed by BT Entertainment Division CEO Andrew Burke, who told the London audience: “You have to partner for content. We are not a content company but know what we do well, and that is providing a platform and billing and that is what we are going to major on.”

    Explaining why the UK incumbent decided to offer broadcast TV off-air, using the Freeview DTT bouquet, and concentrate on on-demand video via DSL, Burke said: “We decided we could not afford to broadcast over our broadband network.”

    Burke told delegates that content mobility will be a key goal of the BT offering, subject to the development of suitable Digital Rights Management solutions. He added, “”Content must go to multiple devices. You cannot say you can only watch something on television. This content must travel.”