re: Data Enabled Handsets
Lakers,
<< If you look at it from a chip point of view, it doesn't make any difference of the two. >>
Agreed ...
... but the chip is just the starting point.
<< As for using the data in handset, the biggest issue is on the phone manufacture side ... how do they wanna use those capabilities >>
Right. The controlling software becomes critical, and that is driven by the services that a carrier or group of carriers intends to offer, and the availability of service enablers, and timeframe he/they intend to deploy the service enablers so that handset/network integration testing and IOT can be performed.
<< It's about the trade off of demand and supply, about how expensive the handset you wanna make. >>
... and most assuredly there is the demand and supply issue, and the related price performance issue.
Related to demand, which with a supply side technology push is a critical gating factor, carrier experience (or lack of same) with implementing or marketing packet-switched data has an impact, as do state of the standards (EMS, MMS, IM, WAP 2.0, Mobile Java, Digital Rights Management, security and authentication, m-services, etc.) and delivery, provisioning, and billing platforms.
Demand is NOT cultivated overnight.
<< Otherwise how do you explain the booming Korean's data handset market. >>
-> 1xRTT data transmission speed
-> "Always On" 1xRTT packet-switched data connection
-> Experience with packet-switched data since 1999 (IS95B)
-> Well cultivated market (WAP based data services)
-> Unique metrics of Korean market (see SKT presentation)
-- * Market consolidated from 5 to 3 players: Limited competition
-- * 61% penetration as of December 2001 (Forecasted 79% penetration in 2005)
-- * ARPU steadily growing
-- * Prepaid almost non-existent: 0.5% of total subscribers
-- * Relatively low 3G license fees : 25% level of European telcos
-- * Customers extremely receptive to new technology
-- * Technology leadership & extreme dedication to task
-> Limited Vendors simplifyiong IOT
-> Unusually high acceptance rate of WAP early on (compared to US/Europe)
-> Early introduction of meaningful data services
-> Color handsets
-> Color microbrowser (based on WAP 2.0)
-> Color content
-> Other "data oriented" functions in handset OS (SKT's GVM) & UI
-> Steadily increasing content (including color content)
-> Strong development communitty
-> Downloadable Java (or BREW) content and apps
-> Refined market segmentation and new service offerings (SKT's TING & UTO)
-> Integrated multi-interface Internet Portal Offering (SKT's NATE)
-> Handset Subsidies (workarounds to bypass ban)
Message 17299253
Rather obviously, this is not Korea (or Japan).
- Eric - |
