NeoMedia Technologies, Inc (NEOM)

[ss9173]

DD Don't be afraid of the big bad Net
24 May 2006 | 04:49

http://www.telecoms.com/itmgcontent/tcoms/mem06/news/articles/20017353765.html


The advance of internet applications into the mobile space may be a threat but it also presents major opportunities for operators who should not fear the likes of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft according to Steve Van Zanen, VP market development for messaging at LogicaCMG.

Playing down the impact disruption from instant messaging systems which have flourished on the internet, Van Zanen conceded the threat "is major" but not insurmountable. The key, he argues is the relationship mobile operators have with their customers.

"You (operators) have a billing relationship with their own customers. You know the community they talk to their age and so on... In other words you have more information on that individual than say a Google. That can then be translated into revenue."

The problem however is that "operators are not capitalising on that knowledge, they are not even ensuring that their users know how to use their phones. If that's the case, how will they know what services are available."

As more and more internet based applications make there way onto the mobile space, Van Zanen sees the challenge for operators lying not in competitive applications but rather in understanding precisely what a consumer wants and providing it with a minimum of fuss.

"Consumers are interested in ubiquitous access and personalisation through mixing and matching. They are interested in services that are aggregated for them. Who is better placed to know and provide exactly that? Google? Yahoo. No, it's the Vodafone's and T-Mobiles who have that knowledge."




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