Thanks. First we have two points to clarify:
Reports are very political. They can't be hard-hitting and direct to the point. They are sold to operators, vendors and analysts. To content Greek and Trojans they have to make soften the blows so that their readership don't come on them by getting written -by some ghost writer journalist- conflicting views that undermine the credibility of the producer of the reports.
So we have to keep this in mind and read the reports with a grain of salt.
Vendors and pundits love to make this connection SMS to MMS so we need to clarify this connection here.
We must -I know you do- separate SMS from MMS. MMS evolves from SMS by borrowing from SMS paradigm. But it is a new platform.
Vendors and pundits do not make a connection between WAP and MMS. (for obvious reasons) but MMS is an extension of the WAP Gateway.
We here in this thread live with those things without problem.
By being the supplier of WAP gateways, wireless vendors have a technical advantage vis a vis new entrants in the MMS segment.
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Incumbent means companies that sold/sell SMS systems.
New Entrants means companies the invaded this segment selling MMS systems.
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INCUMBENTS:
ADC, COMVERSE, LOGICA, CMG, MOTOROLA,
NEW ENTRANTS:
MATERNA/SIEMENS, ALCATEL, UNISYS, WIRAL, TECNOMEN
(I guess Nokia is an incumbent too, but I haven't put on my notes.)
Ericsson MMS platform is the new version (V4.0) of Ericsson WAP gateway.
WAP 2.0 First Release of MMS had DoCoMo jointly with Ericsson promoting WAP based in TCP/IP. (SMS runs over SS7 a data channel)
73% of the Asia Pacific total had WAP Gateways by Sept. 2000.
NOK claims 50 operators use their WAP Gateways.
ERICY claims 70 operators.
Operators gave away WAP content for free to 'sweet' its subscribers for subs retention. Developers didn't make money and didn't put efforts to create content.
Revenue sharing agreements between operators and developers will be critical for the content of MMS. But it will kick start with the 'prosumer'; the guy who is -at the same time- producer and consumer of content.
So that you could access your e-mail over MMS. Or access a photo one keeps at a web page and such easy to start uses. |
