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What's Inside
Letter from ED
In my last letter I told you I was off to attend the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, organized by the GSM Association – the global trade association of the world's GSM operators.
This is a BIG event. How big? Imagine for a second a Facebook-like community of 60,000 people – all dressed in dark suits – moving from the virtual world of the internet into the real world of business. Imagine them flying in from all four corners of our planet and meeting for almost a week to look at and discuss new mobile technologies, leading edge innovation, mobile infotainment, LBS, the future of mobile internet, LTE, the state of mobile marketing, and the "too-many-already" operating systems.
More than 1200 exhibitors, 8 large halls with multiple floors made up the Exhibitor Village, covering the space from Placa d'Espanya to the National Palace. 30,000 private meetings took place over the four days.
This "one-stop-shop" is an eye opener for anybody attending. It is intense, relevant and gives you a unique sense of the size of our industry, which is global and VERY, VERY BIG.
Although I couldn't justify a Gold Pass for €3,799 to attend all the events for three days and the exhibition for four days, a complimentary pass from our member-company Sierra Wireless allowed me to see many exhibits and meet all the organizations I wanted to meet.
On Monday, February 11 - I met with Jari Tammisto (CEO/President of MobileMonday, Helsinki Finland) and Ismo Rantala from MobileMonday Finland at the MobileMonday Peer Awards to promote MobileMonday Vancouver and discuss resuming our official status within the successful global network. Jari was happy to hear about our recent initiatives, our "grass roots" approach and our results. So now we are an official chapter of MobileMonday.
The rest of the event I spent meeting with people, promoting BC, identifying potential opportunities or simply looking at the technologies of tomorrow. Something else I wanted to accomplish was to meet with countries or regional wireless clusters that are important to our members for technology partnerships, distribution or innovation purposes.
I met with companies from the UK and Scotland delegation (i.e. Antix, Bluenowhere, Chargebox, and 3G Dating Agency) and discussed business and technology development opportunities. Not only there is a cultural affinity between Canada and BC, and the UK and Scotland but we can also learn from each other when it comes to fostering innovation and creating profitable centers of excellence in our respective clusters.
I also met with representatives of the ICT Department of The Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute. Why? Because Israel is one of the best places in the world in mobile software development and LBS in particular. Corin Rotary, ICT's Business Development Manager, gave me an overview of Israel’s 2008 Telecom Industry Solutions Map. Together we identified companies in the areas of Access, Services Enablers/Platform/IMS, Handset, and Content Management (i.e. WiNetworks, MailVision, SpeedBit, OriginGPS) that our BC wireless cluster can do business with.
Thanks to Cliff Singleton, Trade Commissioner with our Canadian Consulate in Germany, I was introduced to The German State North Rhine-Westphalia ("NRW – The mobile power of Germany") which had a great presence at the congress. I met with Dr. Bettina Horster (in charge of mobile) and Harald Summa (in charge of web and new media). In essence NRW is very similar to BC and they are open to do business with us.
The common goal of the above parties was to put those clusters on the international mobile business map. All of the countries/regions had good stands and I think that if we (as a regional wireless cluster) decide to make an impact at the Mobile World Congress in 2009 we need to work with our wireless members and with our colleagues from New Media BC and go there as a team that is capable of competing at a world level.
On a much lighter note, I managed to wangle an invitation at the door of a very exclusive party for the "Open Handset Alliance," organized by Google at Barcelona's Museum of Contemporary Art. I stumbled on the party by accident, and Rich Miner, Group Manager Mobile Platforms for Google, kindly invited me to join them. It was a party for less than 100 guests (out of the 60,000 people attending the congress), so I felt very privileged, indeed.
Overall, the Mobile World Congress puts things in a global perspective for our BC wireless cluster, or even the entire Canadian wireless industry for that matter. RIM and Sierra Wireless are our two "largest" wireless stars, but they are small compared with world stars like Nokia, LG, Vodafone, Ericsson and others.
In the end, it was good to participate but to make the experience truly rewarding, you need to plan well in advance. If we want companies like WebTech Wireless, Vecima Networks, or airG to make an impact and for BC to be "The mobile power of Canada," then we have lots of work to do and we need to start like...yesterday.
Please let me know your thoughts at michael@winbc.org
Thank you,
- Michael Bidu, Executive Director, WINBC
Urgent Reminder: Renew your WINBC membership
The year has gone by so quickly, it's hard to believe that in the past 12 months, WINBC has:
- conducted two Service Provider Investment Forum (SPIF) events (the only two held outside Silicon Valley)
- put on a major 3-day summit conference (the Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit)
- held a North America-wide Wireless Innovation Contest
- undertaken our biennial wireless industry survey
- revived MoMoVan and brought it back into the international fold
- held two Face_Time meetings, one with Nokia in the spring, another with Microsoft in the fall.
And don't forget all the behind the scenes work that goes into making sure our wireless cluster maintains a strong profile in the media and with government and other organizations.
Why mention all this? Because WINBC is great value for money. So when you receive your membership invoices in the mail next week, we hope you will renew promptly!
Better still, don't wait. Go online and renew your membership now: http://www.winbc.org/Membership/
MoMoVan Alert: Monday, March 3rd!
Register now for the "Money for local wireless
and new media companies" event Monday, March 3rd!
This is going to be a very important MoMoVan if your company is seeking financing to grow your business and expand into international markets. We're also going to review the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona – which had some important messages for our local wireless cluster.
The March 3rd MoMoVan will be held in the beautiful offices of Fasken Martineau, at Fasken Martineau's offices are in downtown Vancouver, at 2900 - 550 Burrard Street. The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. and finishes at 8:30.
 For more information and to register
Key Message from the GSMA Mobile World Congress: Scale Up!
Less than three weeks after finishing up our Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit we headed off to Barcelona for the world’s largest wireless industry event: the GSMA Mobile World Congress. With nearly 60,000 delegates and more than 1,400 exhibitors, the Congress is mind boggling.
It is clear evidence that the wireless industry is unimaginably huge, sophisticated and competitive. And it has a clear message for our own, somewhat protected, local wireless cluster: Scale up! Prepare yourself for world markets if you really want to grow.
What follows are just a few of the highlights, stories and comments from the Mobile World Congress
Services, not bits...
Vodaphone CEO Arun Sarin gave the opening keynote address at the Congress, calling for simple, common wireless standards aimed at improving the customer experience with user-friendly handset interfaces. The goal is making mobile Internet use a way of life, not an auxiliary service.
"We must concentrate on not becoming a bit pipe but being a provider of services as well," Sarin told delegates.
The future is video...
John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems echoed Sarin's remarks, noting that "... users within emerging nations could lead this revolution in mobile Internet usage and skip a generation. The mobile future is about video, not voice, and the ability of companies to recognize a transition and wholeheartedly take advantage of the opportunity."
It's also about speed...
New technologies will be supported by much higher speed connections and the adoption of MIMO technology. Ericsson expects data speeds to reach 28 Mb/s in 2008 and 42 Mb/s in 2009, with downlink speeds of 5.8 Mb/s and 12 Mb/s, respectively.
Danger! Landlines!
Other keynote speakers agreed on the importance of innovation to keep the mobile industry moving forward, but noted that what innovation means depends on where you fit in the mobile ecosystem.
Tom Wheeler, Partner at Core Capital, noted that wireless carriers are "terrified that the same thing will happen to them as happened to their fixed brethren.... There is a change taking place, moving from carrier-based services to consumer applications."
But Rikko Sakaguchi, Head of Portfolio and Propositions for Sony Ericsson said the fate of carriers will be decided, not just by innovative technologies, but also by their vision and their ability to create good customer experiences: "Customer experience is at the heart of everything we do. [Our goal is to create] emotive euphoria."
The need for advertising standards...
"Operators are investing significant resources to address the needs and priorities of the media community, such as the development of mobile advertising standards, a common currency for mobile, the delivery of standardized metrics, and the measurement and validation of the reach and opportunity that the mobile channel presents."
- Statement issued by five of the GSMA’s largest operator members – Vodafone Group, Telefonica O2 Europe, T-Mobile International, FT-Orange Group and 3 – who have formed a working group aimed at defining common metrics and measurement processes for mobile advertising.
Shifting the mobile marketing paradigm...
According to Brian Fetherstonhaugh, Chairman and CEO of Ogilvyone Worldwide: “Marketing has moved on from the well-established 4Ps – product, place, price and promotion, to 4Es – experience, everyplace, exchange and evangelism.” Or has he summarizes them: companies need to experience their customer’s journey and under stand the profit points; marketing should be everywhere – not just TV or print; the exchange should calculate the value of permission, and evangelism means having the energy to carry the message into the channel.
Well, sure, but keep in mind he spells his name "Fetherstonhaugh", but probably pronounces it "Fanshaw".
Meanwhile, Vodaphone's head of mobile advertising, Richard Saggers, says: "We believe there are four key factors for mobile advertising to be successful: relevance, perceived consumer benefit, engaging interaction and not being intrusive."
Yahoo sees $$Multi-billion future in mobile advertising...
"We launched Yahoo!'s Mobile Ad Network... to enable publishers across 19 countries to increase the discovery, distribution and monetization of their content on mobile phones. eMarketer predicts that the value of the global mobile advertising market will rise to US$16.2 billion in 2011, up from US$1.5 billion in 2006."
- Gary Roshak, VP Mobile Advertisiers and Publishers, Yahoo!
Is this what Darwin meant by evolution?...
Alcatel-Lucent and NEC are teaming up in a new joint venture to develop LTE (Long Term Evolution). LTE refers to the next generation of mobile wireless broadband technology – offering enhanced performance and capacity over 3G wireless. Significantly, it will enable wireless broadband services to be sold at affordable prices.
Patricia Russo, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent, says: "This strategic collaboration with NEC is driven by scale, time to market and product excellence objectives, and it will put us in a strong position to ride the next wave of transformation in the wireless industry."
LTE trials are already underway. NEC is working with NTT DoCoMo; Alcatel-Lucent with Verizon.
That's life... that's work...
The desire for people to achieve work-life balance will inevitably have an effect on the way they use technolgy, according to Roy Bedlow, VP of Palm EMEA.
There is an increasing blurring of the boundaries between work and leisure. A Palm-sponsored international survey found that "mobile users were as likely to use their mobile device in business environments as they were for recreational use."
Bedlow says this 'life-blending' trend is prompting users to "demand the kind of functionality that enables them to more effectivelky manage social and work commitments simultaneously and on one single device."
Indeed, some people already regard their multi-function mobile phones as more important than their laptop, MP3 player, or digital camera.
Canada @ Mobile World Congress 2008
The government of Canada organized a Canadian Pavilion at the congress. Agencies like Export Development Canada (EDC) and Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) supported or sponsored such events as "Connect with Canada" breakfast or Canada-Africa Forum.
Seventeen exhibitors participated in the Canadian Pavilion, including the province of Ontario and BC. Tranzeo and Vecima Networks from BC showed their technologies to the world.
Nineteen independent exhibitors from Canada participated in the trade show. Those attending included Blueslice Networks, Call Genie, Intrinsyc Software International, Redknee, RIM, Sierra Wireless, and Voice on the Go. Fourteen visiting companies registered on the Canada @ MWC 2008 guide including several WINBC members: Brand2hand Media, Handi Mobility, Rx Networks, Wavefront and WIP Connector. Also, Brad Lowe from Nokia Vancouver and the principals from airG and EQO Communications were spotted at the show.
Upcoming Wireless Events
March 7 - BCTIA Technology Impact Awards
Deadline for submissions to Technology Impact Awards, sponsored by the BCTIA. For more information, visit www.bctia.org/awards
April 1–3 - CTIA Wireless 2008 in Las Vegas
Billed as "the Most Important Global Technology Event of the Year!" Expect more than 1,100 exhibitors and over 40,000 delegates from 125 countries all working toward the common goal of revolutionizing wireless. For more information, visit www.ctiawireless.com
International Trade Canada invites Canadian companies to join them in the Canadian Pavilion at CTIA Wireless 2008. For more information, contact: Charlene Wheatley; Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, (613) 944-8823; charlene.wheatley@international.gc.ca
April 13–17 – International ICT Expo, Hong Kong
The Government of Canada, in partnership with The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), invites Canadian companies to participate in the International ICT Expo (http://ictexpo.com) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Companies will have the opportunity to exhibit in the Canadian National Pavilion, and/or join the programme of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Partnering Mission. Click here to download a PDF application form.
May 19–24 – BC-Canada Technolgy Week in Beijing
This is the place to be if you want to create or solidify business connections in China. The BC-Canada Pavilion will remain open through the 2008 Olympics and is expected to host over 500,000 visitors. For information on how to register please contact michael@winbc.org
Wavefront presents the first NAVTEQ workshop
wavefront presents the first NAVTEQ workshop for the Pacific NW developer community.
NAVTEQ is more than just maps! Learn how you and your team can harness NAVTEQ's vast mapping and geo-information datasets to explore new application development opportunities.
Local application developers considering incorporating LBS or digital mapping into their platforms are invited to the first NAVTEQ workshop, hosted by wavefront at the 2010 Commerce Centre, Suite 1600 - 800 Robson Street.
Date: March 11, 8 - 11am
Place: 2010 Commerce Centre, Vancouver, BC
The event is free and includes a light breakfast - but space is limited and registration is required. Visit http://www.wavefrontac.com/events.php for more information.
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