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3G's Success Hinges On Girls, Gambling And Games
3G's Success Hinges On Girls, Gambling And Games
By Steve Gold, Newsbytes
LONDON, ENGLAND,
14 Dec 2001, 7:54 AM CST
Wireless Java specialist Elata says third-generation (3G) wireless services won't take off until the networks start coming up with killer applications for users.
And those killer applications, Elata CTO Bruce Jackson says, almost certainly won't come from the business marketplace, but will be seen first in the teenage leisure arena.
"One of the carriers I've spoken to about these applications says that 3G will come down to girls, gambling and games," he told Newsbytes.
"There's every indication that online gaming, especially amongst teenagers, is where the money really lies. We've seen Java-driven handsets from Siemens and Ericsson already this year, but next year there will be swath of Java-driven mobiles," he said.
One of the most interesting trends that is likely to occur from the rollout of Java-driven handsets will be that services available over 2.5G - high-speed Internet-enabled GSM mobiles - won't be that much different from 3G services when they eventually arrive, argues Jackson.
He also predicts that cellular carriers will have to change the way they charge mobile phone users for interactive services, even to the extent of allowing a free download of the application software to the mobile phone.
"Users will then be charged on the basis of content, rather than their usage of the network resources," he said, pointing to the content-based charging approach of NTT DoCoMo in Japan.
Jackson said that newly merged mobile hardware vendor Sony- Ericsson is investing heavily in multimedia messaging services (MMS), which is the successor to short messaging system (SMS) texting technology.
"MMS isn't that much different to SMS in the eyes of the consumer. It allows all manner of file attachments to be sent along with the basic text message," he said, adding that using mobile phones to send pictures and video clips between subscribers may soon offer a good rate of return for the cellular industry.
Despite these impending changes to the way in which mobile phones are used, Jackson says that very few operators are yet talking openly about their subscriber management and delivery systems, let alone using them.
That situation, he said, must change, to avoid disappointing users.
Elata's Web site is at http://www.elata.com .
By Steve Gold, Newsbytes
LONDON, ENGLAND,
14 Dec 2001, 7:54 AM CST
Wireless Java specialist Elata says third-generation (3G) wireless services won't take off until the networks start coming up with killer applications for users.
And those killer applications, Elata CTO Bruce Jackson says, almost certainly won't come from the business marketplace, but will be seen first in the teenage leisure arena.
"One of the carriers I've spoken to about these applications says that 3G will come down to girls, gambling and games," he told Newsbytes.
"There's every indication that online gaming, especially amongst teenagers, is where the money really lies. We've seen Java-driven handsets from Siemens and Ericsson already this year, but next year there will be swath of Java-driven mobiles," he said.
One of the most interesting trends that is likely to occur from the rollout of Java-driven handsets will be that services available over 2.5G - high-speed Internet-enabled GSM mobiles - won't be that much different from 3G services when they eventually arrive, argues Jackson.
He also predicts that cellular carriers will have to change the way they charge mobile phone users for interactive services, even to the extent of allowing a free download of the application software to the mobile phone.
"Users will then be charged on the basis of content, rather than their usage of the network resources," he said, pointing to the content-based charging approach of NTT DoCoMo in Japan.
Jackson said that newly merged mobile hardware vendor Sony- Ericsson is investing heavily in multimedia messaging services (MMS), which is the successor to short messaging system (SMS) texting technology.
"MMS isn't that much different to SMS in the eyes of the consumer. It allows all manner of file attachments to be sent along with the basic text message," he said, adding that using mobile phones to send pictures and video clips between subscribers may soon offer a good rate of return for the cellular industry.
Despite these impending changes to the way in which mobile phones are used, Jackson says that very few operators are yet talking openly about their subscriber management and delivery systems, let alone using them.
That situation, he said, must change, to avoid disappointing users.
Elata's Web site is at http://www.elata.com .