State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan

The success of Apple’s iPhone has spurred a series of touch-screen smart-phones from its competitors from around the world. We recently covered HTC Touch Pro HD and this HTC phone is getting great reviews from Europe and Asia. In this post I will cover two new touch smart-phones: Nokia Xpress 5800 and Blackberry Storm.

Nokia Xpress 5800, unveiled in early October, is its long-awaited touch-screen phone which heavily focuses on music services. Even though Nokia does not mention iPhone but everyone knows that it is the first handset from Nokia to challenge iPhone. Packed with cool features, it should be a big hit.

Research in Motion Ltd. is rolling out its first touch-screen phone in response to iPhone. It is named the BlackBerry Storm. Details are still coming out and it is said to work on “broadband networks on both sides of the Atlantic” and be exclusive to Verizon Wireless in the U.S. and to Vodafone Group PLC throughout Europe.

These phones just came out and I have not tested them personally. However there is plenty of media coverage and user-generated reviews and content on the web. Here’s a summary of some of the useful and relevant observations (sources at the end). Starting with Storm.

The Storm has a 3.25-inch screen — just under the iPhone’s 3.5 inches — and a durable design that makes it about 16% heavier than the iPhone. It will run on relatively quick third-generation broadband networks in the U.S. and overseas — a first for Verizon. But it doesn’t have Wi-Fi Internet access, which RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said would drain battery life unnecessarily. Like the iPhone, it doesn’t have a physical keyboard, but rather touch-sensitive software that can emulate either a full PC-style keyboard or a triple-tap cellphone setup. It is expected in stores before the end of the year.

One distinguishing feature of Apple’s iPhone not possessed by the new BlackBerry or other smart phones: the ability of a user to zoom in and out by putting two fingers on the screen at the same time and spreading them or pinching them closer together. Apple has filed for a patent covering “multi-touch” technology in phones.

On Nokia’s Xpress 5800.

Finland-based Nokia has waited more than a year to respond with its answer to the iPhone, the 5800 XpressMusic smart phone. The device’s hardware and services — pitched to have mass-market appeal — include eight gigabytes of memory, a 3.2-inch screen and access to Nokia’s Ovi Internet-service portal.

The 5800 will cost around $400 when released in the fourth quarter, which includes the key holiday shopping season. This is competitive when compared with the rpice of an unlocked eight-gigabyte iPhone.

The Nokia phone’s touch screen won’t work exactly the same way as the iPhone’s, which allows users to zoom in and out using two fingers in a pinching or spreading motion. Nokia’s interface allows for only one touch point at a time.

Read reviews from other sites:
Engadget Mobile: Blackberry Storm and Nokia 5800
Mobile Crunch:  Storm,  Nokia 5800
WSJ: Here and Here

Thanks to Jehan Ara for sharing this great news.

Meet brilliant young Jahanzeb Sherwani, the first developer from Pakistan whose application has been accepted into Apple’s iPhone App store!

Jahanzeb is going to talk at an event at The Second Floor (T2F) on October 11th at 7pm. He will talk about Jaadu - an application which allows you to connect to your PC through iPhone using VNC. A bit about his background:

Jahanzeb is a final year PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University and is working on speech interfaces for emerging markets in South Asia. He believes speech interfaces can be a revolutionary medium of interaction for a massive cell-phone consumer base that has, for the most part, not been able to tap into the digital revolution.

Please read the full post at In The Line Of Wire and while you are there, check out some other positive posts about Pakistan and the resolve of its people against all odds.

G1 was introduced officially in the US today and it made headlines everywhere. Some cool features are shown below. It will be available through T-Mobile next month. For $179 (and 2-year contract) it is a sweet deal. As I said before this year has been great for smart phone consumers with more choices than ever. Blackberry touch phone is next in line. A more hands-on review of G1 will come soon.

ZTE has been expanding its core business - wireless and networking products such as CDMA platforms and WiMax equipment - in US and Latin America. Now ZTE USA (based in telecom corridor, Dallas) has started offering smart phones in America and launched a flip phone C88, as shown here. There is a 3G phone launched in Europe as well. They are targeting the medium to low-end smart phone market, depending on the region and demand. I think its only a matter of time before they will introduce more models in many foreign markets.

According to Information Week, “the ZTE C88 isn’t a ground-breaking device, but it gives mobile users some freedom and a simpler alternative to expensive computer-like phones. The phone is sold through MetroPCS, a wireless carrier based in Dallas, which offers monthly plans as low as $30 and doesn’t require customers to sign contracts.” Cellular news notes that ZTE has used Trolltech application platform for its other linux based smart phones.

More from MoCoNews:

In the battle of mobile phone operating systems, Windows Mobile and Linux score another. ZTE, the sixth largest handset manufacturer in the world, is starting to inch its way up to higher-end handsets, after making a mark in lower-end operator-branded phones. And, so far, it’s anticipated that it will focus its vast resources on producing Windows Mobile and Linux phones, according to research firm Ovum (via DigiTimes).

The company is on a growth spurt, having only shipped 15 million units in 2006, jumping to 50 million units this year. However, when it comes to 3G, so far its focus outside of China has been on making USB modems for laptops, which it expects to sell more than six million by the end of the year. For future growth, it is looking at high-end 3G handsets that can be sold around the world. ZTE will begin shipping Windows-Mobile-powered devices with Vodafone  next year and there are signs of other such deals, Ovum reports. ZTE also has confirmed that it will support Linux, although it’s unclear which variant. ZTE said it’s not interested in Symbian because even though it is moving towards open-source, it’s still predominantly used by Nokia.

Via: MoCoNews, Cellular-News, Information Week

This is getting really interesting; a new rumored device from HTC has now been surfaced out of no-where code-named HTC TOUCH HD. It looks like HTC is now going full device touch screen with the amazing screen size of 4 inches & astounding resolution of WVGA (800X480).

The HTC Touch HD is all poised to be the ultimate device in the much hyped TOUCH phone segment with all the making of the real I-Phone killer. The phone is rumored to be based on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional & will be running HTC Touch Flo 3D (just like Touch Diamond).

Below is some known specification highlights of HTC TOUCH HD, meanwhile the Touch HD is said to be due in Christmas means we can expect its announcement really soon. Read on for specifications.

Read more »

This post is second in a series about iphone and Pakistan. The 3G version of iPhone was introduced this year in July. Despite the high price and software issues, popularity of iPhone has been growing everywhere including Pakistan. To date about 75 countries have been announced for this international launch but Pakistan is still not the official list. But given the talent Pakistanis have in reverse engineering and adapting gadgets to their need, who needs an official provider?

I believe that iPhone has all that it takes to be one of the most popular phones in Pakistan: its stylish, feature-rich and a status symbol. In a short while iPhone has become the phone of choice for the tech celebrities of Pakistan. It is also quite popular with Pakistanis abroad as well. Actually iPhone is one of the most requested gift item from Pakistan!

I have been testing the 3G iPhone for a few months and I love it, despite a few issues. I couldn’t help comparing it with Blackberry pearl and other regular phones. But a simple comparison is not possible because iphone packs so much more than the so-called smart phones. Now it does not mean that it is beyond criticism - the 3G iPhone has had its share of software bugs and network issues, many of which have been fixed recently.

First and foremost - iPhone is an eye candy. Browsing the web on iPhone is a treat and has made mobile web enjoyable. The visual elements, its ability to render images and graphics is superior than any other device. I find myself browsing the web quite a lot with the iPhone. Fans of iPod will love it too as it packs the popular audio features and capabilities in one sleek gadget. If you are all about email, many consider Blackberry to be much better but the new push capabilities of iPhone are quite appealing. The touch interface is intuitive and easy. If you make quite a lot of calls then beware - the touch key pad may or may not be your thing. Personally, I prefer the physical keyboard, at least when using the phone while driving.

The GPS and google map works quite well. There are many interesting new applications available which utilize GPS, such as iPray with Qibla Finder. This brings another interesting point: the very profitable Apple Store business model, which has resulted in huge number of interesting applications (some are free) available for download. Both the developers and Apple benefit from this approach.

Here are some suggestions. In case you have the new 3G iPhone, get the latest software fixes released by Apple (2.1 was released on Sep 12) which improves battery life and call quality and fixed many bugs.

If you have the original iPhone, no worries - it is good enough for for most purposes. If you want to take the phone from US/EU to Pakistan, you are better off with the non-3G edition as 3G is non-existent in Pakistan. For US residents note that depending on your location, you may be on EDGE as 3G coverage is still limited and ATT network is mediocre. The email (push, support for exchange) of the new iPhone allows it to be easily adopted by professionals and companies.

Regardless of the bugs and complaints from die-hard Nokia and Blackberry fans, the iPhone is selling very well and it has some impressive and attractive features. Apple has shaken up the mobile monopolies of carriers and handset makers. It even forced Nokia to open up its platform and Google is under pressure to come up with a better product and platform. Competitors like Samsung, LG and HTC are working hard to come up with their versions of “touch” phones and this should mean more choices for consumers.

For a list of local retailers and information about iPhone, see this post from TechLahore. Images are from Apple web site.

The days gone by when PDA’s (read Win Mo Mobile phones) were only meant for geeks & Techies, since than PDA’s have come to an age of unattractive looking communication devices to a fashion/ professional accessory. As the data consumption by local consumer is increasing (following the footsteps of their global counterparts) along with all kind of new data services being introduced by Telco’s. This scenario has now led to a sudden surge in demand for handheld devices to fulfill customer’s both (professional & style) requirement in a single mobile device.

Currently the local smart phone market entails 3 major players (OS/ platform plus devices). The Nokia smart phones (primarily its e-series with Symbian OS), RIM with its BlackBerry devices/ services & the Microsoft Windows Mobile enable devices (aka PDA’s) approx 80% of which manufactured by High Tech Corporation - HTC).

Why Windows Mobile?

For Individual Consumers:

1.     Great potential in business phone category with thousands of professionals are looking for the solution of their  professional requirements,

2.     Growing acceptance of Windows mobile as the foremost OS in business category,

3.     Plenty of choices (in the shape of different device manufactures) available in Windows Mobile, with different design choices (from a sleek stylish looking device to a professional looking full auto sliding keyboard built device) 

4.     A sudden surge in young executives segment in Pakistan, who want to fulfill both of their professional & style requirement through a single mobile device.

5.     Win MO offers loads of customization for each individual needs, cyber world is abundant with apps from Games to Touch navigation (finger swapping navigation) soft wares.

For Corporate:

1.     Growing trust on Windows Mobile by IT/IS departments of leading organizations.

2.     Windows Mobile offers High security & control  for organizations unmatched by other hand-held  devices,

3.     Data facilities from cellular operators are improving, which is now encouraging corporate organizations to modernize their business processes through utilizing these facilities.

4.     Advance level of connectivity now required by companies from their employees,

5.     Growing trend of Office automation through Hand held devices,

6.     MNC’s are being instructed by their foreign offices to switch onto Windows Mobile.

How to Promote Windows Mobile?

1.     Awareness: (through targeted, coherent & interactive communication)

2.     Reach: (through communication & sales channel)

3.     Experience: (connect Windows Mobile attributes with consumers hence enhancing brand image & build customer relationship)

4.     Value Proposition: (provide the rationale (tangible and intangible benefits) for making consumers choose Win Mo products over competition)

Communication Activities to Focus:

1.     ATL: ATL will help in awareness & hype of Win Mo devices. In addition, these media also give strength to Windows Mobile brand (esp. TV & Print in Pakistan)

2.     OOH: (Billboards only)

3.     BTL: BTL needs to be more aggressive through road shows & high-end in-store branding,

4.     Trade Marketing: Sales promotion, premiums, Win Mo device demonstration at select potential Malls & outlets,

5.     Corporate Marketing: Training workshop, Corporate giveaways, PR events, Win Mo enable units for corporate demonstration.

Conclusion:

1.     Windows Mobile has the required product portfolio & potential to make it big in Pakistan,

2.     If Windows Mobile or Win Mo devices adopt targeted & focused approach towards 2 most vital segments than the objective of higher number of Win Mo user in Pakistan can easily be achieved,

3.     The value of each segment (Individual & Corporate) is very important in taking Windows Mobile devices towards leadership position in high-end category,

4.     The upcoming products including HTC Diamond, Samsung Omnia, HTC Touch Pro & Sony Ericsson Xperia X-1have the potential to achieve greater success for Windows mobile in Pakistan.

Editor’s Note: Please join me in welcoming Shariq Syed. This post was originally published at Shariq’s blog: Artistry Of Branding.

Handset market has played the most pivotal role in the overall growth of Pakistan’s telecom industry. For me the handset market has played a kind of un-sung hero role in-comparison with the local Telco’s who have taken much of the limelight in the phenomenal growth of Pakistan’s telecom industry during these 6 years.The 1st H of 2008 was a difficult period for telecom industry in general with plenty of political uncertainty, negative economic indicators, ever rising inflation & unfavorable budget policies played their role in restraining the growth pattern of previous years.

The hardest hit area in this declining growth pattern has been the handset market of Pakistan. Till Dec, 2007, the growth of handset market was excellent with around 1 Million handsets were being sold on monthly basis. However in July, 2008 the figures came down to 600 K units per month (depicting 40% decline in volume during 6 months). While the picture looks grim, i am pretty sure that volume will start to pick once the clouds of uncertainty settles (positive indicators including decline in inflation & Pak rupee getting strong against $).

Handset Market - Current Scenario

Pakistan’s handset market is primarily a low-end market with majority of volume comes from low-end mobile phones. Another important aspect is that our handset market is extremely price sensitive just like any other handset market of a developing country.

To comprehend the local market dynamics, below is the price segmentation analysis along with the market share each price segment comprised upon.

Read more »

Push email is the strong selling point for BlackBerry but there are plenty of other free BlackBerry applications which are quite useful, given the unlimited data plan which comes with BlackBerry.There are three major platforms to watch out for: BlackBerry, iPhone and Android. The interesting trend is that BlackBerry is coming up with applications for iPhone and Google has some great features for BlackBerry and iPhone users.  Just this week Google announced major enhancements for search on BlackBerry.

I came across this video from CNet with the accompanying article in CIO magazine which features 6 free applications for BlackBerry: Viigo mobile RSS reader, Beyond411 local search, Travel companion WorldMate Live, Google Maps (now with voice search on Pearl), Facebook for BlackBerry and TwitterBerry. Some of these are for the US such as 411 local search. I am quite sure its only a matter of time that such hyper local services will start appearing everywhere. Of course everyone has their own favorites and I would love to hear about which apps are popular with BlackBerry users in Pakistan.

Here’s a nice summary view of how people are using iPhone today. (source: Morgan Stanley Tech Research)

On a related note, adoption by businesses is a major goal for Apple. See this Computerworld article on whether iPhone will be able to win over the resistance by enterprise and their IT support groups?

Companies need to obtain digital certificates for homegrown applications from Apple, then transmit the applications to Macs and PCs running iTunes. Individual iPhones have to be connected via a cable to an iTunes-equipped desktop computer in order to synchronize with the software and get access to the applications.

The direct-connect synchronization plan left IT managers such as Vivek Kundra, chief technology officer for the District of Columbia, looking for more options from Apple.

Kundra is beta-testing about 15 first-generation iPhones along with the iPhone 2.0 software that Apple announced earlier this year. The $199 price tag for the entry-level iPhone 3G will make the device “a lot more palatable for the enterprise,” he said.

Read more »

Nokia has an answer to the recent threats from Google and Apple: transform Symbian to an open-source app platform. This is a major development for the developers of mobile applications. One thing is clear: the upcoming battle is mainly about the apps, not about handsets (or the mobile network operators) . From both technology and business perspective, application development teams have an important decision to make: Which platform is their first priority: iPhone, Windows, Android or Symbian? Whoever can convince the best developers to write the killer apps on their platform is likely to be the dominant player. The game just got more interesting!

See this post from GigaOm on this development and the comparison below from TechCrunch (would be nice to have blackberry there).

A very good article from Businessweek on Nokia’s move.

Nokia announced a plan on June 24 2008 to buy the 52.1% of shares it doesn’t already own in London-based Symbian, the leading maker of operating system software for advanced mobile phones. In an industry-shifting move, Nokia will create an open-source foundation that will give away the resulting software for free to other handset makers.

Until now, Symbian has been owned by a consortium of rivals including Nokia, Sony (SNE), Ericsson (ERIC), Panasonic (MC), Siemens (SI), and Samsung. The company was set up a decade ago to develop an independent software platform for smartphones. And indeed, Symbian software is now used in more than half of all such devices, relegating rivals such as Microsoft’s pint-size Windows Mobile to a thin slice of the market.

But in the past year, the complexion of the industry has shifted as a new crop of rivals, most using open-source Linux software, have barged in. Nokia and the newcomers are now locked in a high-stakes battle whose outcome could shape the future of mobile communication—and by extension, of the Internet, as a growing number of consumers around the world access the Web from handheld devices (BusinessWeek.com, 2/12/08).

The new Symbian Foundation will be steered by a board of 10 members: five from phone manufacturers Nokia, LG Electronics, Motorola (MOT), Samsung, and Sony Ericsson, and five from network operators and chipmakers AT&T (T), NTT DoCoMo (DCM), Vodafone (VOD), STMicroelectronics (STM), and Texas Instruments (TXN). The goal? “To be the most widely used platform in the world,” said Nigel Clifford, Symbian’s chief executive, during a London press conference on June 24.

Moving into Mass Market

But there’s more to it than that. In an era of emerging wireless applications, a platform is merely the jumping-off point. The real focus in the industry is shifting from what’s inside the phone to the snazzy online stuff a handset can access over the air—from mobile music and photo sharing to GPS and location-based services. That’s why Nokia is racing to deliver all manner of such offerings through a combination of in-house development and aggressive acquisitions. On June 23, for instance, it bought Berlin-based Plazes, which offers mobile social networking.

Read more »

On the way to work today I heard a report from NPR about email overload. I wanted to share the story with all and ask you:

• do you consider your email volume to be excessive?
• do you use any special tools (other than filters) to manage email?

In my case I have multiple email accounts (work, web-based, ISP, blog, others). With hundreds of emails coming each day it is a challenge to sift out the useful and relevant messages from trivia, promotions and spam. At work, I find the back and forth short messages to be most annoying, esp when there is a large distribution list in CC. For personal emails, the forwarded chain letters, powerpoint slide shows and hoaxes are a nuisance - and many times they come from your family and friends. On the other hand its a pain when a useful mail ends up in spam.

IM and presence indicators (such as those in outlook or yahoo) are useful to cut down on some email load. SMS is another option but its cost could be a factor in some places. Blackberry comes to the rescue but it is not a common tool. A co-worker uses outlook client with yahoo filters as a catch-all. Main reason — yahoo spam filters works so well. Here’s a new development from Yahoo:

Yahoo, one of the biggest providers of Web-based mail, is trying to rethink its e-mail as a social network, according to John Kremer, vice president of Yahoo Mail. The idea is that since most of us e-mail only a handful of people regularly, e-mail systems should display those messages at the top of the inbox.

Most recently the so-called social networks are adding to the junk mail because people who you have never even heard want to be your friend. One person I know refuses to sign up for LinkedIn because he is afraid that people will get offended if he refuses their connection request!

The NPR story has an interesting anecdote about how “auto-fill” created a multi-million dollar problem for a fortune 100 company. I have myself been in the situation where outlook auto-filled the wrong email (yahoo instead of work) and I got in trouble later.

I believe that the good old phone call is still a great way to get things done. May be as a follow-up to that email you just sent or as a heads up that an important message is on its way soon!