We recently had an internal discussion about consumption of online video content. It’s a bit of the yin/yang of OTT video.
If more online video (with better quality) is made available to me does that mean I will necessarily watch more of it? If I substitute broadcast/linear TV for VOD/OTT then this might be true, but likely not at 50% annual growth (which is implied by some recently published reports). There is a finite amount of time people spend watching video and just because something is cheaper or there is more of it does not mean consumption must go up in kind. One could compare this to pay TV channels – back in the day when we only had 30-40 channels did people watch significantly less TV compared to today when we have 100’s? Maybe a little bit, but there are certainly diminishing returns and at the end of the day most people still only watch a handful of core channels that fit their interests/needs, most is just extra.
The rise in media tablets presents an interesting wrinkle and while these devices might prove a disruptive force, in the end the “second screen” won’t replace the TV - video consumption will evolve, but not radically change. We will certainly use these personal devices to augment our social, productive, and entertainment lifestyles, but despite the cornucopia of applications and services these devices, along with the associated wealth of content, will not become the center of our lives.
So, ultimately, the balance comes between the Yin (pervasiveness of content) and Yang (lifestyle) – the edges may appear to move, but ultimately balance is maintained.
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In order to meet rising demand and requests for opinion, guidanceand data on non-payment applications and services, we have just published our new report looking at the potential for NFC tags. New products from tag and inlay manufacturers, such as Avery Dennison, Identive Group and UPM Raflatac, are now enabling this market to flourish and providing greater levels of competition, which is needed to help give service providers a choice. The standardisation by the NFC Forum for Types 1-4 has also helped moved things forward although this is focused on ISO 14443 and there remains work to be done with regards to ISO 15693 tag reading.
In brief, our findings were for a quickly accelerating market, albeit from a small starting point and with a slight blunting in the short term. The vast majority of shipments will focus around smart posters, information pick-up and marketing related services. More can be found about that here in our press release.
Whilst much has been made of NFC and contactless mobile payments, it is only in the past six months that the focus has broadened to look at the wider picture. I have said before that NFC can enable and enhance services and bring applications into the physical world, making them more interactive. The thought now occurs to me that this may well be what takes NFC mass market. That is to say, it will be these open, non-secure applications which will be the fastest growing area for NFC - not payments (which continues to labour under the burden of security, standards, certification and an evolving business model consisting of partners that would prefer to compete than cooperate).
The hurdle of widespread handset availability remains to be overcome, and this will still be driven by payments. However, in terms of usage, (some) consumers may remain wary of security and may hold back from using an NFC smartphone to make a payment. By comparison, the trust barrier to tapping to access a voucher, access a local mapor download a movie trailer is much smaller, and therefore level of use and acceptance is likely to be much higher. As such, I think that it can be said that open (non-secure) applications will be the ones to take NFC mass market.
From $40 to $400: Micromax’s Leap of Faith with the Superfone
Nov 30, 2011 12:00:00 AM / by Admin
Micromax Mobiles has launched its latest smartphone in India called the “Superfone”. As the name suggests, Micromax is trying to establish itself into a new orbit with its latest offering. Micromax A85 Superfone is powered with 1 GHz dual core NVIDIA Tegra2 processor and Android 2.2 OS, which can be upgraded to 2.3 (Gingerbread). In addition, Micromax brings a new feature to the plate, gesture control, which means you just have to wave your hand to command the phone. It can be used to answer/reject /silence incoming calls, or turn on the speaker during a call. It also allows users to scroll/navigate through emails, contacts, photo gallery and music playlists using hand gestures. The device has a 3.8” Gorilla glass capacitive touchscreen (480X800 pixels), 5 MP rear camera, VGA front camera and supports 3G and Wi-Fi both.
Other than Android 2.2 OS, the specifications undoubtedly are impressive, especially the innovative gesture control feature. But the big question remains, will the price sensitive Indian consumers shell out INR 18,990 ($360) to buy a smartphone from Micromax when they can get an iPhone3GS or the latest Blackberry Curve smartphones(9350 and 9380) for INR 20,990 ($400) and a number of devices from Samsung and Nokia within the same price range? Micromax is undoubtedly one of the most established local players and the most innovative of the lot. But it still carries the perception of a brand targeting the lower end of the market. An upward brand extension is always difficult, especially when the success factor of the brand has primarily been low-cost devices. It would be a tough battle ahead for Micromax to move out of its comfort zone and establish itself in the mid/high end segment competing directly with the established global players.
Libelium recently launched its vehicle traffic monitoring platform that enables system integrators to create a real-time system that monitors vehicular and pedestrian traffic in cities and buildings. This new system uses Bluetooth and ZigBee double radio features to link up vehicles and people by Bluetooth devices in a given street, footpath, or roadway. The sensor data is then transferred by a multi-hop ZigBee radio, via an internet gateway, to a server.
These types of traffic monitoring systems offer significant benefits. Reducing road congestion through real-time traffic warnings that will reduce journey times and wasteful emissions. Additionally, these systems could be introduced into other operations, such as, shopping centers, airports, and sports stadiums. The sensor data could be used to assess the suitability of emergency evacuation plans or identify "hot" pedestrian routes for marketing and advertising purposes.
Other companies, such as TraffiCast are also offering traffic monitoring systems for travel time and average road speed information via their BlueToad technology. Again, the systems use media access control (MAC) protocols to detect mobile devices in vehicles such as mobile phones, headsets, and music players via Bluetooth technologies. The sensors are able to detect devices up to 50 meters, which more than covers a six lane roadway.
Smart transportation has been a key agenda in some cities and countries for a while. In Japan, police are mandated by the government to provide traffic information and vehicle information and communication systems (VICS) have been in place since 1996. The traffic data is reported to the Japan Road Traffic Information Center (JARTIC), processed by Japan's VICS Center and broadcasted by radio beacons on expressways, infrared beacons on major city roads and highways, and FM multiplex transmitting via existing FM channels.
It is estimated the world traffic system market was worth almost $1.3 billion in 2011 and the market is projected to increase steadily over the next five years. ABI Research's latest reports on Smart Cities and Traffic Information Systems, provide addition detail.
Smart grid security technologies are growing. The technologies saw an estimated $590 million in spending in 2010; by 2016, that number is projected to surpass $2 billion. Smart grid security covers identity management and access controls, threat and theft defense, industrial control system security, smart grid cellular communications, security monitoring and management, physical safety and security, utility regulatory compliance, and smart grid security maintenance.
Security spending on transmission upgrades made up the largest portion of smart grid spending. It accounted for approximately 54% of the 2011 total and is predicted to remain the largest portion for the next five years. Additionally, significant security spending on substation and distribution automation is forecast over the next few years.
Out of all of the smart grid segments, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are projected to see the highest security growth rates, increasing from $6 million in 2011 to $150 million by 2016. The issues that EV charging stations have faced, such as data protection and tampering with the charging stations, are similar to the ones faced by smart meters. The most significant areas of development in the security arena will be EV authentication of vehicles and physical security features.
The last two to three years have seen an enormous focus on smart grid security. In addition to providing security protection against physical and cyber-attacks on the smart grid, utilities are spending significant money on closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance and security software. Additionally, a number of companies have developed security platforms that can easily be integrated with current systems to enable utilities and grid operators to detect and react to incidents in real time.
Is Trying to Find That “Killer App” Slowing NFC Enablement?
Nov 28, 2011 12:00:00 AM / by Admin
NFC technology is gaining momentum with new NFC applications being developed and demonstrated on a regular basis. Despite successful developments, NFC enablement remains limited. MNOs find themselves uncertain on what services to offer whilst trying to find that “killer app” rather than enabling NFC to see what applications and services prove market winners.
The much awaited Apple iPhone4S has finally arrived in India. Indian telecom operators Aircel and Bharti Airtel launched the iPhone 4S in India at midnight on Nov 24th 2011. Contrary to the phenomenon being observed in most of the countries, Apple is increasingly being criticized for the pricing of their iPhones in India. The retail prices at which iPhone 4S variants will be made available are substantially higher than the last generation iPhone 4. Both Aircel and Bharti Airtel have priced the 16 GB variant at INR 44,500 ($867), and the 32GB variant at INR 50,900 ($990). At its launch price of INR 44,500, the iPhone 4S (16GB) will indeed be costlier in India than any other market around the world. The maximum price differential will be around 30%, much to the disappointment of the Indian consumers.
Being a price-sensitive market, India has not been very welcoming to the iPhone unlike other markets, which is quite evident from the fact that Apple currently has less than 0.4% share of the Indian market. Moreover, competitors like Samsung, RIM and Nokia have been increasing their focus on India, so much so as to include India among the primary list of countries to launch their latest products. In terms of pricing also, they price their models at par with the rest of the world.
"India is one of the fastest-growing mobile markets in the world and for Samsung, it is among the top three mobile markets globally. We are working at further strengthening our presence here.” JS Shin, South-West Asia Head for Samsung said to “The Times of India”. Asked about Apple and its growing profile in the market, he said Samsung is not worried about the expansion by the US technology giant here. "We have a wider product portfolio here, we have a R&D center to provide localized solutions and we are manufacturing phones here. We are closer to the market."
So why possibly would Applenotwant to do this? Are they not keen on the second largest growing market in the world?
No clear answer is forthcoming from Apple. One of the key reasons could be the fact that Apple relies on in-direct sales channels for the Indian market and therefore does not have a direct say in final retail price. Other factors include taxes, import duties and exchange rate to name a few. Not to forget the carrier subsidy, a major component in bringing down handset prices.
More is needed to be done by Apple to overhaul its distribution and sales strategy for India if it ever hopes to increase its market-share in India.
The Energy@Home project has moved one step closer to being brought to market. According toa representativeof Telecom Italia, the platform is scheduled to undergo field testing in 100 homesover the coming months. The Italiantelecoms giant is working with two appliance manufacturers, Electrolux and Indesit Company, as well as Italy’s largest power company, Enel S.p.A. to develop the residential energy management solution which is reportedly a blend of four Zigbee standards – ZigBee Home Automation, ZigBee Smart Energy, ZigBee Telecom Services and ZigBee Gateway.
The platform will provide homeowners with information on their energy consumption and consists of the following devices that together, will create an interoperable Home Area Network (HAN):
Telecom Italia briefly flirted with the home automation market back in 2009 when it partnered with BTicino to provide a solution in new houses. The agreement revealed that customers would be able to remotely control lighting, security and comfort of the home environment helping to optimize energy consumption.
Early this month, Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore has announced new guidelines for pay TV contracts. The guideline basically protects pay TV subscribers from being charged with excessive early termination fees.
The guidelines include:
1. Maximum length of pay TV contract is limited to two years
2. Early termination charges must be detailed on sale or renewal of a contract
According to the new guidelines, maximum pay TV subscription contract length should not exceed two years. Consumers who terminate the contract before the stipulated period should pay early termination charges based on for the remaining length of the contract.
At present, in Singapore, most of pay TV contract do not exceed 2 years. The new guideline of MDA make customers more aware of early termination charges before they get the contract. It actually allows consumers to be able to get better choice of service and switch between operators.
A recent cybercrime report published by Norton for the 2011, brings some very disturbing figures about the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to light.
- Two UAE residents are cybercrime victims every minute
- 76% of UAE residents are victims of cybercrime
- UAE residents spent on average 16 days trying to resolve cybercrime attacks
- About $611.3 million has been lost to cybercrimes, $209.7 million in actual cost, with the remainder equalling the cost of recovery over the 12 months the study was conducted.
- 56% of the UAE's population uses mobile internet. Of that number, 20% were victims of cybercrime.
- Mobile security threats in the UAE are reported to be growing at an alarming rate.
Adoption of the mobile internet shows no signs of slowing down, so increasing numbers of mobile users are in danger of having their systems hacked. They also face the danger of having hackers steal their personal information (user IDs and passwords, for example). Worst of all, with the popularity of mobile banking increasing daily, mobile internet users risk having hackers steal their hard-earned cash. These threats are especially high on open source platforms such as Android.
Factorsthat contributed to the rise in cybercrime in the UAE include social media, unemployment, ease of attaining tools to conduct attacks, lack of awareness.
Although the current situation may seem bad, but it does create huge opportunities for operators to harvest on using applications and cloud services.