re: Showcasing Next Generation Mobile Applications in Monaco
Many of the applications on display – video streaming, mobile gaming, mobile payment and city-guides – were shown at the Grimaldi Forum waterfront exhibition centre in GPRS versions, using Siemens' SX45 smartphone and its ME45 GPRS phone. ... By setting up the applications to work across both GPRS and UMTS, we are able to make the seamless transition.
"As the industry moves forward, it is important that the user is not caught up in the technology. At Siemens we want the users to free their minds from the technology. We can offer the seamless mobile services that allow them to ignore the mobile network environment. The future of mobile applications will be about offering user-friendly technology. It will be about offering devices that lend themselves easily to the user, devices that are self-explanatory, with no need for a manual. There is no need for the customer to know the specifications of the technology. The customer just wants something he can use straight from the box. This is the thought behind the services. ... The rise in data services starts today with GPRS and then migrates into UMTS. But we need a simple migration".
>> Siemens 3G Goes For The Full Monte
Paul Tweeddale
Mobile News
August 2002
The jet-set haven of Monaco is famous for fast cars, fast boats, and even faster women. But it also has a more serious side of being a live 3G test bed for Siemens. Paul Tweeddale hangs out in Monte Carlo with Prince Albert to see how it's all working.
When handset manufacturer Siemens invited a selection of the world's media to Monaco to showcase its live UMTS network, it may have thought it was giving its guests an insight into which 3G mobile systems would be the ones that matter in years to come.
But after the Principality's heir Prince Albert made an impromptu visit to the demonstration, it ended up being more like what is likely to be in a matter of weeks. The Prince enjoyed his ride in the integrated UMTS-fitted Mercedes Benz so much that he inquired about acquiring two for himself. What royalty wants royalty tends to get.
His interest may illustrate the high-spend bracket that the forthcoming 3G applications will initially appeal to. But there are worse things than having a member of Europe's aristocracy give your product the royal seal of approval.
Having first premiered the potential of UMTS on The Isle of Man and Monaco at the end of 2001, Siemens insists that the success of 3G depends on more than just a reliable infrastructure – which is why it took great delight in demonstrating a number of its UMTS applications.
Applications on display included video streaming, music entertainment, city guides and, in particular, various in-car gadgets. Many of the applications – video streaming, mobile gaming, mobile payment and city-guides – were shown at the Grimaldi Forum waterfront exhibition centre in GPRS versions, using Siemens' SX45 smartphone and its ME45 GPRS phone.
Open Systems
This, as Siemens president of solutions Dr Volker Ziegler emphasised, allowed the company to show that the applications are fully migration-capable and able to run on both GPRS and UMTS.
"The mobile communication industry is and will be about open systems", says Ziegler. "The mobile comms industry is in a stage of transition and some analysts have described it a downturn. But it is also a time of great opportunity. This is the time to get active, a time to work together and a time to overcome the problems of interoperability.
"It is a time of interesting challenges for networks regarding the user experience and the aim of improving ARPU.
"A strength of Siemens is its ability to provide a complete end-to-end structure. This is what we are seeing in Monaco. We have the competence to provide the IT, the network and end-user equipment. By setting up the applications to work across both GPRS and UMTS, we are able to make the seamless transition.
"As the industry moves forward, it is important that the user is not caught up in the technology. At Siemens we want the users to free their minds from the technology. We can offer the seamless mobile services that allow them to ignore the mobile network environment. The future of mobile applications will be about offering user-friendly technology.
"It will be about offering devices that lend themselves easily to the user, devices that are self-explanatory, with no need for a manual.
"There is no need for the customer to know the specifications of the technology. The customer just wants something he can use straight from the box. This is the thought behind the services. "We all know about the fall in voice ARPU and the expected rise in data ARPU. This rise in data services starts today with GPRS and then migrates into UMTS. But we need a simple migration".
According to Ziegler, the task ahead for Siemens and the rest of the industry is to harmonise the services available on GSM, GPRS and UMTS and to integrate them with the network infrastructure and the terminal equipment into a ready-to-operate, unified service.
While all the applications were on display inside the waterfront exhibition centre, the highlights of the demonstration were the in-car UMTS applications that caught Prince Albert's eye.
First premiered in Berlin in June this year, the in-car applications were housed in a Mercedes Benz S-Class. The driver and front passenger view a touch-screen monitor built into the top of the dashboard. Though a surprisingly large screen, the system is small enough not to encroach too much on the driver's view.
Receiving contents at a transmission speed of 128Kb/s, the monitor allows on-board navigation via live map downloads that change as the car moves from one grid reference to another.
Utilising GPS signals, the system allows for tracking and zooming in and out, as well as route guidance and other calculations such as distance and time. The driver can call up a list of local points of interest, including restaurants, shops and cinemas, as well as the position of any "buddys" with similar services in their cars.
Fitted safety measures stop the driver carrying out complicated searches above 6km/h. Drivers can log into traffic jam cameras throughout the city and video-stream to check the status of the roads ahead.
Moving Office
Similar services are provided for back-seat passengers.
They can view the systems through two flip-up monitors that are fitted into the rear of the front seats. Passengers can also play an interactive football video game or surf the internet. Although current games consoles fitted in cars offer a similar service, UMTS allows the passengers to maintain contact with an opponent in a different car or at home. Live video and music downloads and video telephony also feature, making the car the first moving office.
The UMTS network went into service last December and is Europe's first fully operational 3G network. It was set up by Siemens in conjunction with NEC for Monaco Telecom and is serviced by seven base systems across the city.
"The great thing about Monaco is that it presented us with so many challenges because of the nature of the city. It has such a dense population, it has so many high buildings and such an unusual geographical lay-out that it gave us a great test", Ziegler says.
Siemens is understandably happy about the network and the services it was able to display. Ziegler also took the opportunity to call for improved partnerships in the industry.
Partnership
"The mobile landscape has changed. Two years ago it was all about enabling services, networks and devices. Now it is about content and applications. There is a massive need for partnerships. The most important decisions that businesses will make over the coming years are choosing the right partnerships. Partnerships that bring in the appropriate revenue and make things happen.
"Siemens will be one such partner. Our partnerships go beyond the traditional vendor/network model. The partnerships will be about getting growth, but profitable growth.
"People are starting to realise that there isn't going to a single killer application. It is going to be more about a bunch of applications. The applications that we're showing today are just some of the sort that we think will be successful. But more importantly they are showcasing the capabilities of UMTS. It is up to the service providers and the partners out there to fill the rest of the portfolio".
Helping to put the demonstrations and the work Siemens has been carrying out into a more business-oriented model is Gartner Group analyst Nick Jones.
According to Jones, the attitude of the networks will decide the fate of the industry: "The networks have put a lot of money into the industry and they need to start making money. But the only way that they can make money is to allow other partners to make money.
"The success of the mobile industry will not be decided by a killer application, but by a killer attitude. And this will only happen when the operators open up their business models. Europe is among the leaders of the world. The saturation of the European market means that penetration is almost complete.
"But the attitudes of the operators will be one of the biggest challenges for the industry for the next couple of years. The operators are the gatekeepers. You can't make money unless they let you. But they need a new business model – a new way to make money".
Jones says the problem is that operators cannot be fashionable due to their massive size. But content and service providers can. He says that the operators have to adopt the attitude of DoCoMo, which takes a 10 per cent cut of the profits of these small companies and allows them the use of its network.
"In Japan there are thousands of amazing applications that are flourishing because the network is sitting back and just taking 10 per cent. In Europe the operators are too concerned with taking the lion's share of the profit. The reason WAP was a failure was not because it was a poor system, but because there weren't any applications that people wanted to use".
Jones is confident that there will be the required demand to make 3G systems a success. Central to this is the concept of the "always-on" citizen.
"The problem with the internet is that it is too far away from the consumer. The internet is usually fixed in the office or in the home. With the new technology in mobile handsets we will see the always-on citizen. We'll see new ways of communicating with machines – security cameras, washing machines, ovens and other household appliances.
"The way to motivate people to use the services that 3G can offer is simple. How to motivate people hasn't changed in 10,000 years. It is still sex, fear, greed and entertainment. So if I am hungry my mobile should tell me where the next restaurant is, if I'm lonely it should tell where my friends are and if I'm bored it should entertain me. Entertainment is going to be huge".
Dealers
While the demonstrations and applications on show in Monaco were certainly impressive, how the services will affect the dealer is another matter
For instance, what changes will the independent dealer experience if the networks do start taking smaller percentages of the content providers' profit? What will happen to the dealer's commission? And how will the influx of new devices affect the dealer?
Answering these questions was Siemens mobile retail and distribution account director Robert Pryke:
"The technology and applications are working in a live environment", he said.
"It is now a case of moving forward to have this more widely available for the mass market. I think consumers will be really excited by what is going to be available and the dealer and distribution community will play an integral role in delivering and communicating this to end users. We recognise that dealers and distributors will need our support and we will ensure that they have all the necessary information and training they require".
Pryke says Siemens is setting up a field marketing team that will be able to demonstrate new products and technology to dealers and distributors.
"We will also use quick reference guides, frequently asked questions and develop an extranet to provide all the relevant information in an easy-to-use format", he said.
With regard to the network/content provider revenue-sharing system suggested by Jones, Pryke added:
"The model used in European countries is different to that of DoCoMo and there is no suggestion that this model will be adapted here. However, a key factor will be revenue-sharing and there are some important decisions to be made to ensure the right business model is adopted". <<
- Eric - |
