Terence Eden’s Blog<p><strong>MDA Presentation</strong></p><p><a href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2009/06/mda-presentation/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">shkspr.mobi/blog/2009/06/mda-p</span><span class="invisible">resentation/</span></a></p><p></p><p>I was deeply honoured to be asked to present the keynote address at the Mobile Data Association's "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150420214436/https://www.composedcommunication.com/tag/monetising-mobile-internet/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Monetising The Mobile Internet in Tough Times</a>". I was a last minute stand-in for Henry Stevens of the <a href="http://www.gsmworld.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">GSMA</a>.</p><p>You can <del><a href="http://www.themda.org/download-zone-355.php" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">download the day's presentations directly</a></del>, but as slides only tell half the story, I've written a brief commentary to what I was presenting. Naturally a presentation or blog post cannot capture all the questions & and answers (nor my "<a href="http://amarkhawkins.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/the-mdas-monetising-the-mobile-internet-a-day-of-insights/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">inimitable style</a>") but I'll do my best.</p><p><strong>Overview of the Mobile Internet and its current usage</strong></p><p>We think that we are living in interesting times.</p><p><strong>All of this has happened before...</strong></p><p>Mobile data is blooming. We're at the start of a glorious adventure.</p><p>Literally anything we can conceive will come to pass. I want to show you a concept advert that we've been working on to explain why mobile data is so important.</p><p></p><p>As all of you know, Palm is preparing to release a phone which will revolutionise mobile data access.</p><p>I've got a very special treat for you ladies and gentlemen. May I present The Palm....</p><p>Treo 180. 16 MB of internal memory and a 33 MHz Dragonball CPU.</p><p></p><p>Touch screen. Handwriting recognition. Full access to emails. An application store with hundreds of thousands of free and premium application. The ability to play music and view your photos.</p><p>With GPRS, you'll be able to access the internet at a faster speed than your home connection. The Blazer web browser works with WAP,HTML and i-mode.</p><p><strong>...And All Of This Will Happen Again</strong></p><p>Mobile data is blooming. We're at the start of a glorious path. Literally anything we can conceive will come to pass.</p><p>I want to show you a concept advert that we've been working on to explain why mobile data is so important.</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmM2zKDu7yU" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmM2zKDu7yU</a></p><p>As all of you know, Palm is preparing to release a phone which will revolutionise mobile data access.</p><p>I've got a very special treat for you ladies and gentlemen. May I present The Palm....</p><p></p> <p></p><p class="">Palm Pre</p> <p>Pre.</p><p>Touch screen. Handwriting recognition. Full access to emails. An application store with hundreds of thousands of free and premium application. The ability to play music and view your photos.</p><p>With HSDPA, you'll be able to access the internet at a faster speed than your home connection.</p><p>I think you get the point. To understand where we are now, we need an appreciation of where we've come from and where we want to be.</p><p>I want to focus this morning on where we are right now.</p><p><strong>Vodafone Results</strong></p><p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100314120604/http://www.vodafone.com/annual_report09/exec_summary/perf_at_a_glance/index.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a></p><p></p> <p></p><p class="">Vodafone Data Report</p> <p>There has been an astonishing rise in data revenues. Data revenues are now where SMS was 3 years ago.Undoubtedly, high end phones are important - but of a far greater impact, in my personal opinion, is pricing is an issue. Moving to flat rate & bundles has increased data usage and revenues just as it did for text & voice.We still have the "Unlimited<em>" issue... Customers find it very hard to know what a MB is - or how much of one they've downloaded. Various companies have experimented with time based charging, session charging and even page charging. I think that "Unlimited</em>" may be the way forward - but only if us geeks get to know what the "Fair Use" policy is.</p><p><strong>Devices</strong></p><p></p> <p></p><p class="">Vodafone Device Date</p> <p>Personally, I find it disappointing that only 44% 3G. Having said that, good devices are useful but NOT essential.</p><p><strong>UK Usage</strong></p><p>The ONS has a wealth of data on UK Internet usage - here's a sample.</p><p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090521060157/http://www.statistics.gov.uk:80/pdfdir/intc0209.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a></p><p>Shockingly low, but growing.</p><p><strong>Lessons From Voice</strong></p><p>We've been on the cusp of a mobile data revolution for several years now. To understand what's driving it, we have to understand whatdrives people to use data.</p><p>So, slightly counter intuitively, let's look at voice.</p><p>Who here knows what the killer app for voice is?</p><p>The killer app for voice is......your mother!...pregnant wife!...Women in general.</p><p>Essentially - talking to people all the time is a great driver to use voice as much as possible.</p><p>In the same way, the killer app for mobile data is... fixed line data. Getting great services which people want to use with their fixed line is a key driver to getting people on to mobile data. It only takes a few missed emails, Facebook pokes, etc., to make people desperate for connectivity where ever they go.</p><p></p> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%22my%20mum%20is%20on%20twitter%22&src=typd" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><p></p><p class="">Is your mum on Twitter</p> <p>Once people have experienced web, IM and email, they want to continue using those services. Bus stop, train journeys, in the toilet.</p><p></p> <a href="https://www.wirelessandmobilenews.com/2009/05/uk-mobile-web-survey-search-on-toilet-table-in-bed.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><p></p><p class="">Woman using a mobile while on the loo</p> <p>30% browse the internet on the loo. Who knows what percentage wash their hands afterwards? Because 21% browse at the dinner table.</p><p>People want data so much, they'll take it everywhere with them.</p><p><strong>Popular Handsets</strong></p><p>The GX-10. This was the first Vodafone live handset. GPRS, 16 colour screen. Basic HTML browser. It's a dog. It's decrepid. It's old. Obsolete. It's still used by several thousand people every month.The Nokia 6300 - outsells everything in the UK. It's several times more popular than the iPhone.</p><p><strong>Eastern Europe</strong></p><p>Several parts of Eastern Europe have very little land-line infrastructure. This means that for many the first experience of the Internet is mobile. And it's a pretty good experience.</p><p><strong>Emerging Markets</strong></p><p>Vodafone India recently reported that it signs up 1,600,000 new customers every month. Other markets report similarly startling growth.</p><p>Vodafone Egypt also has caught the data bug</p><p></p><p>But many - not all, but many - of the handsets there are cheap. They are low-tier devices with low feature-sets. Generally GSM, small screens - not always colour.</p><p><strong>Opera</strong></p><p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090219180448/http://vodafone.com/start/media_relations/news/group_press_releases/2009/vodafone_announces.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vodafone recently signed a deal with Opera to place their mobile browser on low- and mid-priced mobile devices</a>.</p><p>In a trial with Vodafone Egypt there were 400,000 installs in a single month.</p><p></p> <p></p><p class="">Opera Mini Screenshots</p> <p>This is software which will eventually be installed by default on Very Low Cost ($25) handsets. This opens the Mobile Data market to a huge and previously neglected segment.</p><p>Now, no one is saying that the Opera software turns a cheap and nasty device into an iPhone - but that's not what it's there for. It's to connect the previously unconnected.</p><p><strong>So, Where Are We?</strong></p><p>There are currently <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090710011912/http://www.gsmworld.com/newsroom/market-data/market_data_summary.htm" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3,804,064,939 mobile phone connections in the world</a>. (Data supplied by GSMA Mobile Infolink on 22/09/08)</p><p>Go and visit the site - see how many 3G devices there are. See where the connections are located around the world. It may surprise you.</p><p><strong>We Have Been Here Before</strong></p><p>We like to think that the latest craze we've invented is somehow original. We couldn't be more wrong.</p><p></p> <p></p><p class="">Games consoles with downloadable games</p> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gameline" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Gameline</a> is a revolutionary new system. You plug your games console in to your telephone line and you can download as many new games as you want! (1983)</p><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XBAND" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">XBAND</a> is a revolutionary new system. You plug your games console in to your telephone line and you can download as many new games as you want!(1994)</p><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Xbox Live</a> is a revolutionary new system. You plug your games console in to your telephone line and you can download as many new games as you want! (2005)</p><p><strong>This Is The Year Of The Mobile Internet</strong></p><p>We need to break the cycle. We need to make sure that, this time, it works.</p><p>There is a Global Critical Mass of ~3,805,374,038 Global GSM and 3GSM Mobile Connections.</p><p>There are more internet phones than internet PC / Laptops</p><p>(<a href="http://www.gsmworld.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">GSMA</a>)</p><p>How do we do that? That's up to you.</p><p></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/tag/mmi09/" target="_blank">#MMI09</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/tag/data/" target="_blank">#data</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/tag/mda/" target="_blank">#MDA</a></p>