Verizon NFL Mobile, Sprint Navigator, and Vodafone’s MusicStation among popular mobile content services

Almost 50% of U.S. mobile phone users pay for mobile Internet access, and the popularity of mobile data services will continue to grow revenues for carriers. Percentages of paying consumers are even higher for smartphone owners: 95% pay for SMS, 92% pay for Internet access, 83% pay for mobile email, 63% pay for mobile navigation, and 43% pay for mobile video.

In Mobile Data: Analysis and Forecasts, Parks Associates analysts forecast mobile data services, including messaging, Internet, apps, entertainment services, and machine-to-machine (M2M), will generate $500 billion in global revenues for mobile carriers in 2015, up from $204 billion in 2010.

Popular mobile content services include Verizon NFL Mobile, Sprint Navigator, China Mobile’s mobile newspaper service, and Vodafone’s MusicStation service. Carriers will derive most data revenues from access services, and content services, including mobile music, videos, games, ringtones, apps, and navigation, will supplement mobile access data services.

Global mobile carriers are poised to take advantage of consumers’ strong appetite for communications, information, and entertainment content on their mobile devices, but they must adapt to maximize these revenues in this hypercompetitive market.

Carriers must compete with their traditional peers as well as content owners, developers, and distributors, who can circumvent a carrier's ecosystem to offer content or services through app stores or on the mobile Internet. The old walled garden is porous due to disruptive forces such as Apple’s integrated business model. To stay relevant and dominant, carriers must focus on making their networks the most attractive option for content delivery and distribution.

Wyplay extends connectivity software beyond NAS - Supports advanced TV services from Vodafone and SFR

It's good to see companies like Wyplay getting design wins in the digital television space. Broadband TV News reports that the company's software has been chosen to power Vodafone's new hybrid television service in Spain and Italy, and SFR in France has also chosen it for its new offering. Time was when networked "middleware" players such as Wyplay were relegated to a specific market, such as home NAS/media servers. Companies such as Rovi and PacketVideo (Twonky) have taken these solutions to the next level, integrating their capabilities with user interfaces and mobile devices, which allow users to more easily aggregate content in one guide and also extend media experiences beyond the home computer.

Now, pay-TV operators are seeing merit in deploying feature-rich video services that play on multiple screens and bring to the viewer a full range of content - terrestrial, on-demand, online video, etc. This is where Wyplay's software comes into play - as a way to present all of content choices in an integrated fashion.

"We want to bring a new user experience to our customers by facilitating access, exchange, and consumption of all media; TV, internet, mobile, PC, NAS,” said Pierre-Alain Allemand, general manager Networks SFR, in a statement. “We found Wyplay to be the ideal partner to collaborate with in this adventure.” More details on the set-top box are expected before the end of the year.

Vodafone Italy has deployed the Wyplay solution for its Vodafone TV Connect service, involving a hybrid set-top box bringing together a DVB-T tuner, internet access via dedicated widgets and access to locally stored content. The TV Connect widgets include Vodafone Calcio (football), the weather, horoscopes, information and more. The STB is available in retail under €200, with discounts available for Vodafone DSL customers.

New White Paper, "European Mobile Market: Beyond Price-based Strategies"

Parks Associates has released a new white paper, "European Mobile Market: Beyond Price-based Strategies."

This new white paper examines challenges for mobile carriers in Europe and strategies to sustain ARPU and expand their base of postpaid users.

• Regulations, Competition, and Churn

• Evolving Beyond Price-based Strategies

• Examples of New Strategies: Vodafone, Telefonica, T-Mobile, & Orange

• The Road Ahead - Evolution of Carrier Strategies

To download this white paper, complete this online form.

Other recent white papers include Google TV- Searching for Success and Consumer Attitudes and the Benefits of Smart Grid Technologies.

Vodafone Signs Up Azingo, LiMo Foundation Secures More Carrier Commitment

The world’s largest carrier Vodafone has awarded a contract to Azingo to develop mobile applications based on LiMo Foundation’s R1 reference stack. LiMo Foundation is an industry consortium formed in early 2007 with the mission to design and deliver an open Linux-based software platform for mobile handsets. Both Vodafone and Azingo are core members of the LiMo Foundation so the deal is not a surprise in any sense. But this could be the tip of an iceberg for what LiMo Foundation is planning to do in the next couple of years.

Last year when I first spoke to the consortium, it had about 40 member companies including Orange, NTT DoCoMo, SK Telecom, Telefonica, and Verizon Wireless and handset makers like Panasonic, Samsung, NEC, LG, and Motorola. It released its R1 platform as well as its SDK in 1H08. I haven’t received an update regarding its scheduled release for native, Web, and Java SDKs, but the consortium is preparing for its R2 platform release and appeared to have wowed additional operators like Swisscom and Telecom Italia. More encouragingly, the carriers have expressed commitment to specifying and releasing more handsets conforming to LiMo specs in the coming year. So far, a total of 33 handsets are LiMo-ompliant. I am sure that more will be on display at the Mobile World Congress this week.

LiMo’s Linux OS focuses on the middleware stack and tries to provide an open, low-cost, and consistent software development environment for mobile industry value chain players, down to chipset makers and up to various mobile application developers. It categorically separates itself from Google’s Android platform, even though the latter also uses Linux kernel and touts openness. Compared with the Google-leading Open Handset Alliance, LiMo is equally impressive for its list of members so it will be a good race between the two. Eventually, the handset sales will be the deciding factor for many of the operators and handset makers on both sides of the aisle.

Babelgum Mobile launches FREE TV services with Vodafone Customers

A free Web TV service, Babelgum Mobile combines the full-screen video quality of traditional television with the interactive and social networking capabilities of the Internet.

Immediately launching a 6 month trial, Babelgum Mobile, a new Internet Mobile TV service allows Vodafone UK contract customers with mobile internet bundles to enjoy a wide range of video clips including film, music, comedy, animation, nature, travel and sports FREE of charge.

This mobile application is available to download from Vodafone live!, initially for contract customers with data bundles for the popular Nokia N96, N95 and 6210.

Known for its innovative, original programming, Babelgum Mobile's customers can access content that’s clearly Webinspired with the accent on interactive entertainment. Clips are short, fun, and unconventional and include viral videos.

Integrated with social networks and streaming via Vodafone's 3G Network, Babelgum Mobile allows users to share videos, vote for favorites, and participate in competitions.

For more information, visit http://www.babelgum.com/ .