State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan

In the last few days, Google has come up with useful improvements to the mobile search, location and maps applications. Here’s a summary of these for the location-based application enthusiasts. The first one is that the size of the blue circle varies and indicates the relative accuracy with which the application pinpoints your location. These are the kinds of iterative and incremental improvements that keep Google a few steps ahead of its competitors. Follow links to official google mobile blog.

My Location: smaller is better!

Your location estimate will be centered closer to your true location, and we have also improved the calculation of just how good our estimate is. When we originally launched the “blue circle” on Google Maps for mobile, the circle usually stayed the same size no matter if you were in downtown Manhattan or rural Iowa. Now, the next time you’re using Google Maps in downtown Manhattan, expect to see a much smaller circle that’s also far more accurate.

Here’s the basis for this improvement.

Mobile operators typically need a lot more cell towers in populous areas to service all the users. This means each individual tower provides a much smaller coverage footprint. On the other hand, in a very sparsely populated area, towers provide much larger coverage footprints. We’ve developed algorithms to try and figure out what the right circle size should be.

Street View and walking directions come to Google Maps for mobile

Now mobile phone app gets the same street-level imagery available on desktop. You can now read business reviews, so you’ll know if it’s actually worth driving across town to that store. And once you decide where to go, you can get there on foot using the same walking directions (beta) we recently launched on desktop.

There’s one more. Mobile Search with my location but it isonly available only for US & UK for now.

Very slick concept from Mozilla labs. I am sure this will get even better with time.
Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

Dashwire 2.0 is out and offers a full suite of mobile phone and web sync features. I tested it with a friend of mine who has windows mobile phone tested their service today and we found it interesting and useful but not without issues and limitations. As I have written in the past, with all the gadgets at work and home, getting your life in sync is a major problem. There are a bunch of solutions out there (Zyb, Shozu etc) but not a clear winner - yet. Apple obviously saw this gap and is offering a subscription service - MobileMe which should be a big hit.

Features, availability and reliability - all play important role in driving usage and adoption. Network and data plan availability is of course importnat too. See a description from Dashwire site and this review from Engadget. Also check out their blog, especially the post on connected services.

Your phone content — contacts, text messages, calls, photos, videos, Internet favorites, speed dials, ringtone, and wallpaper — is seamlessly uploaded from your phone and safely stored online in your Dashwire account.

With Dashwire, you can…

• Send and receive text messages from your computer without picking up your phone
• Automatically upload photos and videos captured on the go to easily organize and share with your friends
• Add an address book contact on your computer and have it instantly appear on your phone
• Easily set Internet favorites, ringtones, wallpapers, and speed dials – in seconds from your computer

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!

Simeon Simeonov analyses Nokia’s acquisition of Navteq:

Mapping is the killer mobile app. Whether you have location-based services (LBS) or not, the chances are that you are using mobile mapping software on your smartphone and starting to take it for granted that it will just be there for you when you need it. So it is no surprise that there has been some interesting M&A activity in this space.

Navteq and TeleAtlas are the top providers of street-level information, which is the key to enabling mapping and navigation applications. These are businesses where the barriers to entry are quite high–getting the initial set of street-level data requires a ton of data crunching & surveying. From that perspective, the two companies’ core value proposition is well-protected.

With the two big street mapping players now part of larger and even slower-moving companies, there may be an opportunity to disrupt this market in the next five years. The key question is one of bootstrap costs to get to a critical mass of good-enough data. I expect the solution will include three aspects:

• User-generated content. See OpenStreetMap, for example.
• New Location Mashing Technologies (LMTs–I’m inventing a new term here because I don’t know what to call these). I see these coming in two forms: (1) from the world of unstructured information to the world of latitudes and longitudes, e.g., MetaCarta, and (2) between more traditional geolocation databases, which some in notoriously many different formats.
• Business models that use Navteq and TeleAtlas data (perhaps via their consumer rendition of Google Maps, etc.) as a crutch to fall back to when the data isn’t good enough.

Green & White, a blog about technology, start-ups and hiring in Pakistan is  stepping up its efforts to support entrepreneurs in Pakistan. This is a blog on which I contribute as well. The timing for G&W 2.0 is great because we see a number of interesting changes in the technical landscape, both globally and in Pakistan. Essentially the Pakistani society is moving away from the traditional modes and professionals are willing to take more chances.

Blogs and online discussions have a unique place for the various stakeholders (entrepreneurs, investors, media, students, businesses). There are only a handful of folks who are active in this area and Green & White has taken a lead at providing interesting analysis and information for many technology and growth areas. My advice: It takes a lot of time to cause change so build and expand networks, provide information and insights which helps others and … keep going.

In case you are wondering about the coffee cup up there, it represents “coffee sessions” with Osama Hashmi, the managing editor of G&W!

Here’s a sampling of some recent interesting stories from G&W:

• TiE Launches Khudee
• Telenor Launches Comics on D Juice
• Flexible storage business and other implications of the e-crimes bill 2007
• Orgoo - All-in-one Communicaiton Kit

There are a lot of new voice services around these days. Some promise international calls with no extra charge than using your mobile minutes, others take your voice calls and convert them to text. Financial Times recently did a good review of the various services to bridge the gap between voice communications, text messaging and mobile web.  In Pakistan we have a few similar services such as voice 2 text. Some (edited) excerpts from the FT article are presented below:

JAXTR
Jaxtr, which is free, is designed to link your fixed or mobile phone to the web, so you can hear from callers worldwide while keeping your number private. You need to sign up for a free Jaxtr account.

To call your friends with Jaxtr, you click on their Jaxtr link using a PC and enter your phone number. Jaxtr connects the call by dialling their number and calling you back on the number you entered. If they do not have an account, you can invite them to sign up.

Calling Jaxtr numbers is free from any long distance or international toll charges if Jaxtr supports local numbers in your area - currently it has numbers in the major metropolitan areas of 51 countries (including Pakistan). Each account comes with unlimited voice and text messages, and the service allows you to forward up to 100 minutes of incoming calls to your phone a month, depending on your country and the kind of phone.

GRANDCENTRAL
Although its application is not limited to mobile phones, GrandCentral, a start-up recently acquired by Google, is worth taking a look at though the service is currently only available as a beta or trial service by invitation.

GrandCentral lets users consolidate all their phone numbers, including home, office and mobile numbers, into one new number provided by the service. New voicemail messages on any of the old lines are forwarded to your GrandCentral number and kept as audio files and consolidated into a single online mailbox.

Read more »

Guest Post By Rakesh Gopchandani - originally published at his blog - Paths.

The International Telecom conference at ITCN-ASIA 2007 was held on Aug 9-11 at Karachi Expo center. Over the years, ITCN (Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan) has become known for industry gatherings in which high profile technological announcements are made. Last year at the ITCN conference, Telenor announced its EDGE service. This year at ITCN, it was Wateen which announced WiMax’s commercial deployment.

The first session was mostly filled with keynote addresses from big-hats of Nortel, Wateen, PTCL and Motorola along with a little opening ceremony by the City Nazim right in the middle of the session. The speakers were talking about how big the Telecommunication infrastructure has grown in the country and how desperately we need the killer applications to ride on this new wave of data-com infrastructure. When inquired on what that killer application might be, the speakers pointed towards Video-on-demand and Internet-applications as the biggest contender. I particularly liked the session on Hyper-connectivity and the place for 4G wireless networks in it by Nortel, their managing director explained how future devices that can be connected and need to be connected will be connected. Also, the exchange of sentences between the two Qureshis from Wateen and PTCL (now to-be fierce competitors for their common market in OFAN and Broadband links) was interesting.

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Korea is at the forefront of mobile technology adoption and the industry pays special attention to the trends there. One example: Korean mobile carrier SK telecom is introducing google search (with advertisements) on its wireless web portal. I came across a multi-part series of interesting posts written by Kim Min-seok about future trends of mobile technologies and markets at Korea Herald, here and here. In this post I’ll present some excerpts from the sixth and seventh articles which analyze the “broad changes that Web 2.0 is bringing about in the business world.” I’d recommend reading the full articles but for those in a hurry, here are the key thoughts:

1.Mobile phone makers would like to integrate content into their own platforms instead of allowing others to control content.
2. Customers will select a service provider that has a platform which is convenient to use and enables access to diverse content and channels.
3. Hyper-customization will decide the winner.

Here are excerpts from the article (emphasis is mine):

The current consensus is that mobile terminal makers stand to gain the most from the fact that customers must first connect their devices when using content and services.

Up to now, the core elements of success of the mobile phone have been the hardware characteristics of the equipment itself, such as price, function, quality and outside design. But in Mobile 2.0, it is a means of accessing the mobile Web, not just a means of talking by telephone. This implies that design of the mobile platform embedded in the terminal is going to be important - it must enable user interfaces, UCC production and full browsing.

Due to the sharing of open operating systems and equipment middleware platforms in order to reduce costs, the possibility of functional differentiation will decrease in terms of quality and general functions. Therefore, if convenience is maximized by innovating the small screen and input device, which are regarded as the maximum constraints, terminal makers will exert a tremendous influence on the mobile service market.

Mobile phone makers, led by global No. 1 player Nokia, are trying to integrate content into their own platforms. Their strategy is to move into the content portion of the mobile value chain with convergence of digital equipment. Nokia is utilizing its powerful brand and domination to become a mobile media platform operator that provides related media content including advertisements, images and games.

In order to strengthen the competitiveness of its platform, Nokia has introduced mobile advertising platforms such as Nokia Ad Service and Nokia Advertising Connector, and developed a game platform, N-Gage.

Apple offered a service that can be used in linkage with iPhone after purchasing all the content such as TV programs and movies from iTunes using Mac. That is, media content including music, broadcasting and movies and terminal lines such as mobile phone, PC and TV are provided simultaneously. This allows us to get a glimpse into Apple’s strategy that customers can enjoy everything within the platform called Apple by providing them with total service ranging from software to hardware.

In the Mobile 2.0 age, the platform that gives value to the customer when he purchases a terminal will become one of the core purchase elements. In Korea and Japan, mobile operators such as LG Telecom and DoCoMo are considered one purchase category, and terminal makers such as LG Electronics and Sony Ericsson as another purchase category. In Europe, where the GSM system is used, terminals and mobile operators are also different purchase categories.

But in the future when terminal makers, internet portals and mobile operators all provide mobile services, the criteria for purchase will become different. The platform will become an important element, overtaking the design of the terminal or the charging system of the mobile operator. Mobile platform services offered by internet portals such as Google and Yahoo! will also compete with mobile operators and terminal makers.

Customers will select a service provider that has a platform which is convenient to use and enables access to diverse content. So they will evaluate the platforms of mobile operators, terminal makers and internet portals before they choose one they like. This is because the “prosumer” (producer-like consumer) can use open sources to create new services by combining the existing technologies. The most convenient platform, and one with the most differentiation, will therefore be the most popular.

Read more »

Getting a branded communication network for your “social network” is one of the new trends. It is made possible by operators who do not own the infrastructure or spectrum but resell the services with packaged content and branding. The technical name for operators of such networks is Mobile Virtual Network Operators or MVNOs. Such resellers (Virgin Mobile, Disney) have been around for a while but the social networking boom has made this idea popular. Recently the entry of larger players such as Helio and Sonopia have also helped to generate additional media attention. In its own words Sonopia “democratize mobile services by making it possible for anyone to have their own network. “

For more information about MVNOs see this link which has a good summary of the business model and the operational issues. Also see Wikipedia which lists the different classifications of MVNOs. As you can see the MVNO idea is mostly about marketing and sales. As another example one such company called Saki sells it services as:

Saki is a new way share and access exclusive content such as photos, videos, music, movies, news, weather, sports, E-mail, IM and more - all in one place! Use Saki to manage your social network, find old friends, map favorite locations, create party invitations, express your opinions..

Here’s an interesting writeup about Sonopia’s service from a site called Springwise which relies on users to spot and captures ideas from around the world.

Organizations that have already set up a Sonopia MVNO include the National Wildlife Fund, the American Medical Student Association and the Long Island Ducks (minor-league baseball). Someone also started a San Francisco Foodies group and the LonelyGirl15 Fan Club.

The obvious challenge when setting up your own MVNO is to create a strong enough hook to convince customers to switch from a major carrier to your service. Which could be exclusive content sent only to members/customers. Non-profit networks are helped by the feel-good factor of knowing that profits are being donated to the cause of one’s choice, as is the case with the National Wildlife Fund: “Help preserve our wildlife today… one call at a time.”

What kind of groups in Pakistan are likely to use this service? I can see some large organizations which would like to have control over the content. I hope political parties don’t use this as a propaganda tool.

I admit upfront that this is only loosely related to telecommunication or Pakistan - but I decided its worth sharing with readers as many of us may not have thought about technology (r)evolution in this way. Even if you are a know-it-all tech guru, its an interesting clip. By the way the creator of this video was highlighted as 2007 Rave Award winner by Wired magazine, which wrote:

How do you sum up the power and potential of Web 2.0 in a 271-second video? By moving really, really fast. When Michael Wesch, who teaches cultural anthropology at Kansas State University, made “Web 2.0… The Machine Is Us/ing Us,” he’d been working for months on an academic paper that would explain new Web tools. As he struggled to define concepts like hypertext, tagging, mashups, and wikis, he had an epiphany: He was working in the wrong medium. He needed to use the tools of Web 2.0 to explain Web 2.0. Anthropology — humans studying the experience of being human — is a recursive discipline, and Wesch’s is a recursive video, cutting quickly between screenshots that show him bookmarking Web sites with del.icio.us, creating a blog with Blogger, and posting pictures on Flickr.

Enoy the clip.