Review
Monday, July 28, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wi-Fi Hotspots Stay Hot in 2008
Wi-Fi hotspots are continuing their torrid growth in 2008. According to ABI Research’s WI-FI Hotspots Forecasts, by the end of this year global hotspots will grow by 40% over 2007. The greatest growth and the largest number of hotspots continue to be found in Europe. While the UK has long led in European Wi-Fi hotspots, there is also marked growth in France, Germany, and Russia.
Most remarkable about the hotspot market, says vice president and research director Stan Schatt, are the dynamics of a fast-changing business model. “Starbucks’ decision to go to a virtually free Wi-Fi hotspot model is having a profound impact. Hotspot owners are beginning to see Wi-Fi as a cost of doing business and an operational expense, rather than as a profit center.” Schatt expects major retailers to move towards a free service model in phases. “The first phase is likely to be a free or almost free service for good customers, those who have signed up for loyalty cards.”
One reason hotspot owners are willing to move towards such a business model, according to Schatt, is the realization that, “Charging for service is counter-productive in the long run because the real money will be in value-add content downloads.” In the near future hotspots are likely to encourage users to pay to download the latest music and TV shows. Airport clubs are likely to offer hotspot users the chance to download movies for their upcoming trips. Starbucks has already begun selling music CDs in its stores. The next logical step will be to move to selling music downloads.
The proliferation of devices that support Wi-Fi also makes charging for such services more complex for hotspot owners. If a person is on a 3G connection on a dual-band phone and then moves into a Wi-Fi hotspot, how does the Wi-Fi billing take place? How many separate accounts must a customer who has both a dual-band phone and a Wi-Fi enabled laptop have in order to use a Wi-Fi network? Garnering money for downloads is a much more straightforward matter.
Wi-Fi Hotspot Forecasts provides users with historical market data for Wi-Fi hotspots, and forecasts yearly market data. This includes the number of Wi-Fi hotspots by region and by venue type, the number of hotspot access points shipped for, as well as subscribers and revenue data.
Source : www.3g.co.uk
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
iPhone 3G Now On Sale
Apple's highly anticipated iPhone 3G went on sale from 8.02am on Friday 11 July in O2, Apple and Carphone Warehouse retail stores. To ensure fairness, O2 will sell the device on a strictly first come, first served basis to both new and upgrading customers in all retail outlets.
Demand for the revolutionary device is already at unprecedented levels, far in excess of the original iPhone. “We’ve never seen any mobile device create the excitement and demand of the iPhone 3G,” said Ronan Dunne, CEO of O2 in the UK. “We want to ensure that everyone who wants an iPhone 3G can get one so we’ll be working with Apple to continually replenish our supplies throughout the summer.”
This morning customers who had pre-registered their interest in iPhone 3G were given the opportunity to purchase via O2’s online shop (http://shop.o2.co.uk) a limited stock of devices which had been set aside. The response was so great that the online store completely sold out of iPhone 3Gs within just a few hours. Though O2 had invested several million pounds to increase the order capacity of the site (with order processing capacity increased by over 250 times its normal rate), at times the site still couldn’t process the sheer weight of demand.
Details of when new supplies of iPhone 3Gs will be available via the O2 online shop will be updated regularly via the website.
Business customers can from today also start placing orders for iPhone 3G through O2 business channels. Delivery timings will be communicated when an order is placed.
iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is significantly faster than the first generation iPhone. The device has built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, iPhone 2.0 software (which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync) and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK. These can be accessed via iTunes.
The 8GB iPhone 3G will be available for free to customers opting for the £45 or £75 tariffs and £99 on the £30 and £35 per month tariffs. The 16GB model will cost £159 on the £30 and £35 tariffs, £59 on the £45 tariff and it will be free on the £75 tariff. All customers will continue to receive unlimited UK data browsing over O2’s mobile network and unlimited access to over 9,000 Wi-Fi hotspots through both The Cloud and BT Openzone***.
Existing iPhone customers can upgrade early to the iPhone 3G through O2 channels by re-signing a new 18 month contract, taking advantage of the same great offer as new customers. They will then be able to give their existing 2G iPhone to a friend, family member or colleague who can transfer onto an iPhone tariff if they are an existing O2 Pay Monthly or business customer, stick in their existing O2 SIM and buy the appropriate Bolt Ons for unlimited data, or buy an iPhone Pay & Go SIM card from 11 July offering unlimited data and unlimited Wi-Fi access to The Cloud and BT Openzone hotspots for £10 per month. Full information is available on o2.co.uk/iPhone.
The iPhone 3G will launch on O2 Pay and Go (Prepay) in time for the Christmas shopping period, with pricing details to be confirmed closer to launch.
Source : www.3g.co.ukMonday, July 14, 2008
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