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Contents Samsung Ultra II Line May Be the Makings of a Platform| Analyst: Avi Greengart | Mobile Devices | Announcement Summary
February 12, 2007 – Samsung introduced the Ultra Edition II and Ultra Special device line-ups at 3GSM 2007. The Ultra Edition II range consists of two sliders, the 10.9 (U600) and the 12.1 (U700), a 9.6 (U300) clamshell, and a bar, the 5.9 (U100). All the devices offer 3MP cameras, multimedia capabilities, and common user experience elements and they will be available in Europe in Q1 2007. The Ultra Special F700 has a QWERTY keypad, 5MP camera, and 7.2 Mbps HSDPA. The F520 boasts a dual-slider design, while the F510 also supports DVB-H standard with a rotating LCD screen and 2MP camera. Both are slated for Q3 2007. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on Samsung’s Ultra II line of unbelievably thin handsets, because they quietly represent the first time Samsung has attempted a platform strategy with an emphasis on a consistent user experience (sort of a feature phone version of Nokia’s Nseries). They are also extremely thin: really, really thin. However, we are taking a slightly negative position on the much-discussed Ultra Smart F700, whose announcement Samsung appears to have rushed for 3GSM as a competitive response to Apple’s iPhone and LG’s PRADA phone. The specifications list is impressive, but Samsung had just a pair of hardware mockups under Lucite at its booth and did not even have a slideware mockup of the user interface to show at the press conference (an artist’s Flash animation suggested a user interface similar to that on some of Samsung’s digital cameras). • Vendor Importance: High to Samsung, because the company’s strategy is dependant on maintaining share at the high end of the market. Samsung has copied Motorola’s designs only to get caught in a price war that has ravaged margins; so, finding more room at the top – where it will have to compete with Nokia’s Nseries and Sony Ericsson’s Walkman, Cyber-shot, and Bravia devices – is critical. • Market Impact: Moderate to high on the consumer handset market, because Samsung had already gotten the form factor game down, but the vendor had struggled with inconsistent user interfaces and an emphasis on technology for technology’s sake. We did not get enough time with the devices to know if they are great or even usable, but the emphasis on creating a common platform should help Samsung’s margins and it could be a huge boon to consumers if Samsung gets the details right. Orange Launches Super SIM – Signature Software for the Mass Market| Analyst: Emma Mohr-McClune | Wireless Services - Europe | Announcement Summary
February 12, 2007 – Orange announced the UK launch of Super SIM and SNAPin software. The Super SIM is a 28-MB flash memory SIM card produced by Sagem, which will turn a generic phone into a customized Signature device with Orange network settings, applications and features, including the Orange Homescreen, Orange Packet Video and pre-installed Orange-branded wallpaper and themes. The Super SIM and HTC S310 Windows mobile smartphone retail in the UK for GBP 129.99 (including device), on a prepaid basis. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Neutral on Orange UK’s launch of Super SIM, because although this ‘pimp my device’-style self-installing software play offers Orange plenty of potential for highly segmented marketing, unanswered questions regarding standardization of this new SIM form factor give the entire project an uncertain future. • Vendor Importance: Moderate to Orange, because Super SIM could potentially give the mobile operator a substantially faster and lower-cost route to Signature customization of consumer devices – with all this implies in terms of value-added interface, support and churn control. In the short term, this initiative gives Orange UK a first-mover market advantage. • Market Impact: Moderate on the European consumer services market, as uptake for Orange UK’s Super SIM device will be the test dummy for similar initiatives with software-embedded multimedia SIMs. Super SIM highlights a broader trend that sees European mobile operators start to position applications, premium content and multimedia outside the walled garden mobile portal and onto the ‘device desktop.’ Tropos’ Rattles Dual-Radio SABRE| Analyst: Peter Jarich | Wireless Infrastructure | Announcement Summary
February 15, 2007 – Tropos Networks announced its Spectrum and Application Based Routing Engine software – SABRE. SABRE provides rule-based traffic segmentation across the two radios in Tropos’ 5320 mesh nodes, supporting different traffic (fault tolerance, traffic priorities) over different bands. Available in mid-2007, customers with Tropos kit will be offered software updates at no cost. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on Tropos’ new Spectrum and Application Based Routing Engine software (SABRE). True to the company’s marketing strategy, SABRE leverages software to differentiate Tropos’ mesh nodes with traffic delivery and network architecture flexibilities while porting over to existing deployments. Lack of shipping products or customer proof points – along with similar claims in the past – limits the value. • Vendor Importance: High to Tropos because the company continues to lag the competition in terms of radio support. While other WiFi mesh vendors leverage four or more radios, Tropos continues to top out at two; it must use software features to differentiate itself and make up this deficiency. • Market Impact: Low on the wireless infrastructure market, because new mesh routing flexibility could improve Tropos’ competitive position. Ultimately, however, claims of new spectrum support and dynamic routing across radios were made when the dual-radio 5320 was launched last year. IPWireless Benefits from TDtv in UK| Analyst: Peter Jarich | Wireless Infrastructure | Announcement Summary
February 12, 2007 – Vodadone, Telefonica, Orange and 3UK announce the results of their TDtv mobile TV trials in the UK. Leveraging IPWireless’ MBMS-based video technology, 12 sites were used to test performance and deployment traits of the technology. Key findings include: 11 to 14 channels delivered in 5 MHz of spectrum, consistent mobile performance, high reliability and improved cell coverage over WCDMA. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on IPWireless’ (IPW) TDtv trials with Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica and 3UK in the UK. As always, trials do not promise commercial momentum and TDtv suffers from a limited ecosystem (i.e., device or infrastructure availability beyond IPW). Still, operator interest – combined with positive trial results – bodes well for the technology. • Vendor Importance: High to IPWireless, because TDtv represents a key strategic initiative for the vendor. Again, trials are now the same as commercial deployments. Yet, with WiMAX momentum on the rise, TDtv is likely IPWireless’ best shot at success and trials boost its credibility. • Market Impact: Moderate on the wireless infrastructure market, because Competitors (DVB-H, FLO etc.) have a lead in terms of momentum and ecosystem (device, content, network and middleware) partners. But, TDtv maintains an advantage due to the availability of TDD spectrum and any endorsements make it that much more credible. LG Shines at 3GSM| Analyst: Avi Greengart | Mobile Devices | Client Access | Announcement Summary
February 12, 2007 – LG Electronics introduced two new premium handsets - the Shine Phone and PRADA Phone by LG - and announced its ambitious business plan for the European market during its press conference at 3GSM. The PRADA Phone features an advanced touch interface and 2 MP camera. It will be available in Europe at the end of February. The Shine is a full metal bodied slider with magic mirror screen and an MP autofocus camera. The Shine is available now in Europe, with U.S. availability later in the year. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on the Shine and LG Prada phone because the Shine will stand out at retail, and the Prada phone will get a lot of press as an iPhone competitor. Since the primary goal of the Prada phone for LG has to be about improving its global brand image, this should be seen as an unqualified success, even if Prada is true to its word and does not allow a Prada Phone II. However, like the Chocolate, the Shine’s usability is compromised, and both Samsung and Motorola are launching fashion phones with improved user interfaces. The Prada phone UI is quite nice, but Prada is an absolutely bizarre partner for a handset vendor, as it is more concerned about retaining its unique brand attributes than creating a sustainable premium handset business. • Vendor Importance: High to LG’s global business because the Shine is key to LG’s ambitions of nearly doubling its GSM handset sales in 2007 (its predicted CDMA sales growth is almost flat). The Prada phone is more about helping lift LG’s brand, as revenue is shared with Prada and sales are going to be somewhat limited by Prada’s insistence on protecting its brand by eschewing the normal product development lifecycle. • Market Impact: High on the consumer handset market mostly because of the Prada phone’s business model. The Shine is part of a larger trend of focusing on CMF (Colors, Materials, and Finishes). The Prada phone is unique, as most other fashion houses are content with simply branding a vendor’s product, creating some overpriced accessories for its retail channel, and getting paid for it. Prada provided some user interface input into the phone, but more importantly, Prada is dictating the overall business model: distribution, pricing, and future product development plans (or lack thereof). The phone is likely to be successful – as Nokia has proven with the 8800, you can sell a million of nearly any well designed, high priced, exclusive phone – leading others to try and copy the business model as well. Alcatel-Lucent Brings Managed Mobile TV to European Operators| Analyst: John Marcus | Telecom Infrastructure Services | Announcement Summary
February 13, 2007 – Alcatel-Lucent announced the extension of its Managed Mobile Interactive TV Service solution to Europe, following its recent introduction in the Asia Pacific market. This solution will allow service and content providers, as well as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) and broadcasters, to address consumer demand for Interactive Mobile TV services. The solution is hosted, maintained and operated by Alcatel-Lucent for service provider customers. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Positive on Alcatel-Lucent’s rollout of its Managed Mobile Interactive TV Service in Europe, because it follows just two months after what could be described as a controlled market introduction limited to the Asia-Pacific region in December 2006. The solution is now ready for deployment by operators in mature markets, where service providers are looking for interactive video-based content to attract and retain customers. The new service delivers mobile interactive television over unicast and 3G networks today, and evolving to multi-cast (MBMS), WiMax, and broadcast networks (DVB-H, DVB-SH), in the future. • Vendor Importance: Low to Alcatel-Lucent and its Global Services organization, because the move is not unexpected (although it may have occurred a little sooner than expected). The company already claims that it has enabled TV, video and music services for more than 115 fixed and mobile service providers around the world, although it is not clear how many of these are actually managed or hosted by Alcatel-Lucent. The hosted solution is based on an open environment for content aggregation, delivering traditional mobile TV service in Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) format and offers an integrated TV experience supported by the rich media application running on subscriber handsets. • Market Impact: Low to moderate on the managed services segment of the telecom infrastructure services market, which includes hosted application services delivered to service providers. Ericsson announced a hosted mobile content service together with new partner Turner Broadcasting last week, but that was more about a specific content alliance. Alcatel-Lucent’s service enables users to watch TV channels with high quality resolution and use other features such as an electronic program guide, zap channels rapidly, and order content associated with a TV program. Alcatel-Lucent has not yet announced a specific customer for the service either in Asia or Europe. Nokia Finds Entry Point into Video with YouTube and Reuters| Analyst: Emma Mohr-McClune | Wireless Services - Europe | Client Access | Announcement Summary
February 12, 2007 – Nokia announced a new mobile Internet video experience which enables enhanced Internet video consumption by bringing YouTube videos into the hands of Nokia NSeries multimedia computer owners. YouTube videos are accessible with Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map through the new YouTube mobile site to be launched shortly. Also, YouTube video RSS feeds can now be consumed through the new Nokia Video Center application. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Neutral on Nokia’s new NSeries push into pre-installed video, including deals with YouTube and Reuters for an out-of-the box videoclip-on-demand experience on the N95. Although the innovations are impressive, the Nokia Video Center – and all it implies – risks damaging relations with both its key carrier channel and end-users. • Vendor Importance: Moderate to Nokia, as this initiative is isolated to just two devices for now, with a very clear target sector group. The Nokia Video Center, Nokia Web Browser, and MiniMap will strengthen Nokia’s value-added multimedia strategy, however – particularly in the face of Apple’s iPhone. • Market Impact: High on the mobile consumer market, and particularly mobile operators looking to develop new multimedia services with Internet-based videoclip giants such as YouTube. Ironically, it now appears that Nokia will get its own, carrier-agnostic YouTube Mobile experience to market first. HP Launches Voice-First Smartphone, Begging the Question, “Why?”| Analyst: Avi Greengart | Mobile Devices | Announcement Summary
February 12, 2007 - HP introduced the first in HP’s new smartphone lineup, the HP iPAQ Voice Messenger, a quadband/EDGE/WiFi phone with voice control for hands-free operation. The Voice Messenger features VoIP, “push” email, Windows Mobile 6 and class-leading battery life (up to six hours talk time). By integrating the HP iPAQ Voice Messenger with office phone systems, businesses can eliminate the need for desk phones and reduce IT management costs. It will be available this spring in the U.S. direct from HP. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Negative on HP’s new iPAQ Voice Messenger, a voice-first phone from a company barely known for making handsets at all. HP’s enterprise mobility-centric device strategy (offer enterprise IT managers an end-to-end solution set, including services, manageability and devices) makes sense, but all the pieces aren’t in place to make it work just yet. The voice-first phone offers a unique value proposition (basically, a Nokia E50 running Windows Mobile 6 with Voice Command), but not a competitive one. At some point, users are going to have to pick this over a BlackBerry, Treo, Eseries, Q, BlackJack or HTC device – IT managers today do not widely distribute 12 button smartphones – and it’s hard to imagine the Voice Messenger winning too many of those decisions. The Voice Messenger’s aesthetics can be charitably called “aggressively plain.” • Vendor Importance: Moderate to low on HP’s enterprise mobility strategy, because HP is busy assembling the middleware, software and services it needs to sell enterprises single number/campus VoIP solutions, Bitfone-based device management and outsourced mobile corporate software development projects, at which time being able to offer handsets may make sense as part of a larger sale. In the meantime, HP can simply resell Windows Mobile devices from competitors and make money on the software it has available or sources from third parties and the services it offers to design, install and manage them. • Market Impact: Very low on smartphones, because HP is attempting to sell a device direct to enterprise buyers when, generally speaking, enterprise buyers today do not buy this class of device for their employees. Consumers cannot buy the Voice Messenger even if they want to because it isn’t offered in retail channels. However, over the long term, devices like the Voice Messenger could be used to replace desktop PBX phones. Private Mobile Networks Gets EDGE on Low Power GSM for Campus| Analyst: Mayur Sahni | Enterprise Mobility - Europe | Client Access | Announcement Summary
February 13, 2007 – Private Mobile Networks Ltd (PMN), launched a GPRS –EDGE solution targeted to allow customers to control cost of data services and Internet connectivity by enabling users to access LAN infrastructure from a standard GSM enabled handset or data device over the private mobile network. Over and above cost-control for data access, PMN’s proposition the business customer is strongly centered around security benefits over a private company network. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on PMN’s incorporating EDGE for data access on its low-power GSM solution for private mobile networks in a campus environment, because this is a strong move by the vendor to make its proposition compelling to the enterprise customer. Over and above lowering cost of voice communication, PMN is now focused on providing secure data access on the campus environment. In addition, PMN is able to integrate the campus LAN environment and leverage existing infrastructure to offer data services on its PMX solution. The EDGE solution adds another feather in PMN’s cap, which has an existing portfolio of pico cells, BTS, PBX and PMN SIM cards. • Vendor Importance: High to PMN, because not only is it the first service provider to essentially use the award of license from Ofcom in May 2006; it is leading the low-power GSM space by building EDGE capabilities into its campus solution. PMN is slowly but surely picking up market traction by not only offering campus solutions to the enterprise customer but has found attractive opportunities in the areas of defense, oil and gas, as well as shipping. • Market Impact: Moderate on the fixed-mobile convergence market, because though this a first of its type in the UK market (voice and data access on low-power GSM) and the new service technically challenges the norm of dual-mode WiFi and GSM deployments; there is still the gap of having a strong mobile operator partnership. It will be difficult for PMN alone to influence the market and needs a operator/carrier partnership to back its case in the European market. T-Mobile Trumpets Web’n’Walk, But It’s the Same Old Tune| Analyst: Emma Mohr-McClune | Wireless Services - Europe | Client Access | Announcement Summary
February 13, 2007 – T-Mobile’s Web’n’Walk service attracted 1.1 million users across eight European markets by the end of 2006. Customer numbers almost doubled in H2 2006, from around 620,000 to 1.14 million. The operator has recently relaunched the Web’n’Walk home page, enhancing its Google search chief attraction with an edited list of top mobile websites and premium content. Around 60% of T-Mobile Group terminal devices currently incorporate a Web’n’Walk browser.
Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly negative on T-Mobile’s 3GSM Web’n’Walk statement, as this fails to point up a single concrete service development or capability enhancement for 2007. Although T-Mobile was the first European mobile operator to shift its mobile content strategy outside the walled garden portal, competitors are now moving ahead of the curve in terms of contact management, PC-integrated messaging, advertising and Web 2.0 partnerships. • Vendor Importance: Moderate to T-Mobile, a mobile operator which has almost entirely given up its mobile content portal ambitions in order to promote a ‘wider Internet’ Google search and browse proposition. Despite this early innovation, T-Mobile is in danger of allowing Web’n’Walk to become a one-trick horse, with Google running the show. • Market Impact: Moderate on the European consumer market, as T-Mobile’s apparent inability to demonstrate Web’n’Walk service evolution is in stark contrast to competitors’ own mobile data 3GSM announcements, in particular competitors’ plans for PC-integrated mobile messaging (Vodafone and Orange), Web 2.0 application plans (Vodafone) and contact management (O2). T-Mobile’s inability to explain how it intends to take Web’n’Walk to the next level opens up an opportunity for competitive exploitation. Italtel and BEA Systems partner to Accelerate IT and Telecom Convergence| Analyst: Joe McGarvey | Carrier IP Telephony | Client Access | Announcement Summary
February 13, 2007 – Italtel and BEA Systems announced a technology and business partnership to speed the process of convergence between voice and Web services and fixed and mobile networks. Italtel has achieved certification of its platform with BEA WebLogic Sip Server as part of the 3GPP standard for IMS networks, and is leveraging BEA WebLogic Communications Platform products, as its preferred IMS service layer platform. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Positive on Italtel and BEA Systems’ partnering to integrate Italtel’s IMS portfolio with BEA’s WebLogic SIP Server and other WebLogic Communications Platform products, as the pairing will increase the customer base for each company. Integration with the WebLogic SIP Server also provides the Italtel IMS portfolio with access to service layer and Web services capabilities the platform currently lacks. • Vendor Importance: High to Italtel, as the collaboration with BEA fills a significant hole in the network equipment provider’s overall IMS product portfolio and roadmap. By integrating its IMS components and applications with the BEA platform, Italtel is able to increase the attractiveness of its platform to potential customers by supplying a Service Delivery Platform (SDP) that will help carriers increase the breadth of their service offerings and accelerate the delivery and decommissioning of those services. • Market Impact: Low to moderate on network equipment makers in the IMS and softswitch markets, as nearly all of Italtel’s competitors have struck similar arrangements with one or more providers of telecom middleware and SDPs. BEA, for example, has already struck interoperability deals with Huawei, NEC, BroadSoft and others. Seeker Wireless Squeezes Home Zones| Analyst: Michael Ransom | Wireless Services - Europe | Client Access | Announcement Summary
February 14, 2007 – Seeker Wireless announces operator trials of its SeekerZone solution. Seeker is able to reduce the size of home zones by up to 45 times compared to existing Cell-ID based home zone systems. Seeker’s technology solution is based on the SIM card and works with existing mobile handsets. SeekerZone has an accuracy rating of around 50 meters for built up urban areas and under 500 meters for rural areas. Created expressly to support FMS strategies, SeekerZone allows operators to incentivise subscribers to continue using their mobile phones instead of a fixed line by setting innovative tariffs for nominated locations. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on Seeker Wireless’ SeekerZone deployments, since home zone technology is of enormous interest to mobile operators as they contemplate their competitive strategies for FMS. With dual-mode GSM / WiFi solutions already in evidence and increased interest in multi-play solutions, mobile operators need to develop their own unique ‘mobility’ advantage, by utilising their existing deployed handset base in a narrow zone concept. • Vendor Importance: High to Seeker Wireless, since the company’s solution offers mobile operators a much smaller definition of the home zone, thus allowing them to better target consumers with additional ‘at home’ services to counter rivals’ convergence strategies. As an additional benefit the solution also potentially saves operators some network CapEx in scaling home zone solutions since most of the zone status processing is devolved to the handset. Additionally the smaller zones will allow operators to deploy this solution in other areas to create location-specific services or promotions. • Market Impact: High on the consumer wireless services market, since home zones have become a key competitive weapon for mobile operators against other dual mode GSM / WiFi solutions such as BT Fusion and Orange Unik. Utilising an existing GSM handset gives existing mobile operators a key advantage over rivals FMC offers in which a dual-mode handset upgrade is required. Whilst sales to date of dual mode solutions have been disappointing, the advent of city-wide WiFi from BT in the UK steps up the pressure on GSM only solutions, hence SeekerZone offers operators a new competitive weapon to counter this threat. ZTE Partners with Apertio for HLR| Analyst: Ken Rehbehn | Wireless Infrastructure | Announcement Summary
February 13, 2007 - ZTE and Apertio announced that ZTE selected the Apertio One-NDS (Network Directory Server) to become ZTE’s standard subscriber database - creating a flexible, resilient and scalable platform to underpin the equipment provider’s new generation Home Location Register (HLR). Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on ZTE’s selection of Apertio One-NDS for its new generation HLR, because the move breaks from a strong tradition of in-house development. Tapping into innovation outside of ZTE reflects a maturation of the company’s product evolution, recognizing that it is not essential to build everything itself. Yet the company has only just begun to leverage infrastructure partnerships of significance and the learning curve may mean disruption to operators that experiment with the initial results. • Vendor Importance: High to ZTE because the move supplies a telecom-oriented data storage architecture that claims deterministic under three millisecond transaction time for essential HLR data requests. Apertio has built a growing reputation as a go-to vendor of choice to solve this problem: Orange UK, Siemens Networks and Motorola all endorse its approach. ZTE can tap this growing reputation with operators to its advantage. • Market Impact: Low on the GSM/UMTS market, because ZTE’s portfolio addition improves an underlying utility: the realtime HLR database. Sales are not made or broken based on an HLR; the company’s offer is improved but the ultimate test of its solution remains in the attributes of its radio access portfolio. Vodafone Moves PC-Mobile IM Plans Forward, with Microsoft and Yahoo| Analyst: Emma Mohr-McClune | Wireless Services - Europe | Client Access | Announcement Summary
February 13, 2007 – Vodafone releases two separate announcements regarding co-branded, mobile-PC integrated IM services, together with Microsoft and Yahoo. Both services, when launched, will allow PC-based customers to check the availability status of mobile users, and enjoy IM transaction across both mobile and PC environments, with charges aggregated on the mobile bill. The service based on the Windows Live Messenger Platform will be launched in selected European markets this year, and will be available on a wide range of consumer handsets, including the Windows Mobile Platform. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on Vodafone’s two announcements promising a mobile-PC mirrored, co-branded IM client experiences with Yahoo and Microsoft. The Vodafone Group is slowly moving its Mobile Plus strategy forward into the messaging domain, opening up a new world of opportunities for mobile data value-add and alignment with its increasingly Web-centric Vodafone live! proposition. • Vendor Importance: Moderate to Vodafone, as these announcements speak of progress in a long journey in which Vodafone seeks to extend its brand, credibility and service proposition to mobile users in a PC world. The real proof in this pudding will be in the eating, however. • Market Impact: Moderate on the European consumer market, as most competitors are feeling their way along a similar learning curve, with the same end-goal in sight. Vodafone will have to work to establish service differentiation with the likes of Orange, O2 and others with similar PC-mobile messaging integration goals. Samsung and ZTE Team on Femtocell R&D| Analyst: Peter Jarich | Wireless Infrastructure | Announcement Summary
February 12, 2007 – ZTE and Samsung announced an agreement to jointly work on WCDMA-based femtocells. Beyond the combined R&D efforts, no details were available on product delivery, planned sales efforts, product manufacturing or core network integration solutions. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Neutral on the ZTE-Samsung joint WCDMA femtocell R&D agreement. Femtocells are an undeniably hot market. ZTE and Samsung, in turn, claim unique femtocell advantages (inexpensive R&D and device manufacturing scale). A late to market, NodeB “plan” providing no shipment details provides a weak foundation for success. • Vendor Importance: Moderate to high to ZTE, because the company has not been particularly successful in the WCDMA space. Femtocell products could help grow the company’s position and serve as an entry point for additional kit sales with Samsung lending its solution added credibility. • Market Impact: Low to Moderate on the wireless infrastructure market, because with a winning device business, Samsung has the ability to produce femtocells and the know-how on distributing them. Yet, an ill-defined R&D partnership suggests a program that’s just now getting off the ground and may not deliver competitive product for a while. Alcatel-Lucent (Not So Subtly) Points to Customer Confidence| Analyst: Peter Jarich | Wireless Infrastructure | Announcement Summary
February 13, 2007 – Alcatel-Lucent announced a string of customer engagements including: China Telecom (NGN); Iberbanda (WiMAX); mobilkom austria (GSM/EDGE, HSPA); MTNL (GSM/EDGE); Telefonica (IMS); T-Mobile (optical aggregation / transport) and VimpelCom (GSM/EDGE). Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Very positive on Alcatel-Lucent’s (ALU) extensive string of customer award announcements. Fresh off portfolio consolidation messaging with customers, the wins point to customer confidence in ALU’s plans and capabilities on all fronts: GSM, WCDMA, WiMAX, IMS, transport, core networking. • Vendor Importance: Very high to Alcatel-Lucent, because the deals essentially represent the new company’s initial market momentum. Yes, wins have been announced since ALU’s day one. However, following the communication of joint portfolio plans, the deals send important signals: ALU maintains a broad product portfolio, current customers are happy, and potential customers should be too. • Market Impact: Low on the wireless infrastructure market, because deals may suggest that ALU’s customers are happy and that it has the capabilities to deliver diverse technologies and products. Yet, the company’s portfolio breadth was well known and it’s equally clear that major wins will have been negotiated long before recent portfolio messaging. BT Rolls Out Phase One of Wireless City Project Ahead of Time| Analyst: Mayur Sahni | Enterprise Mobility - Europe | Announcement Summary
February 13, 2007 - BT has completed the roll out of its Wireless City project ahead of time with the service now available in 12 city networks across UK. The new wireless deployments include Sheffield, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Bristol, and Glasgow, joining Birmingham, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff and Westminster. With this BT will be able to effectively leverage on its FMC service for consumers, businesses and government organizations making its proposition more compelling for the local UK market. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Positive on BT’s rolling out its Wireless City project ahead of time, because not only does this demonstrate BT’s strong commitment towards delivering city-wide solutions, but is a strong statement of its execution capabilities. In addition, with the wireless network now available across 12 cities in UK, BT has the opportunity to market its BT Fusion FMC service effectively across market tiers and make its business offering in the UK market more compelling than ever. • Vendor Importance: High to BT, because with this move not only is BT able to establish a strong competitive advantage across the UK market, but it also gives BT a strong platform on which it can offer services across its portfolio for prosumers, SMEs, large businesses and government institutions alike. • Market Impact: High on the UK fixed-mobile convergence market as well as the data connectivity solutions market in the short term and very high in the long-term because BT is competitively ahead of its competition when it comes to fixed-mobile convergence. In addition, with city-wide WiFi deployments, there is a strong case for Wi-Fi giving 3G mobile services competition in the UK market.
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