Tiny Steps

Significant Challenge

Where Are We Today?

Advertising on Mobile Terminals

Future Mobile Terminals

Future Mobile Usage

What's Happening Now?

Conclusion

Advertisers' Web Sites

Adsections Home

With future revenue for network operators expected to be increasingly derived from data, the network operators ñ such as Vodafone, New Orange and Deutsche Telekom ñ want to control the wireless Internet access to the mobile phone. Vodafone partnered with France-based Vivendi to develop Vizzavi, Carphone Warehouse with AOL to develop Mviva, while US operator Sprint is working closely with Yahoo! to develop wireless content and services for their wireless Internet portal homepage. Network operators are attempting to maintain control over the services the customer will access in the future by developing their own, and partnering for, services. As future revenues derived from mobile devices depend increasingly on data, network operators are worried they will become little more than a bit pipe through which service and content providers send their data. The wireless homepage generally includes a list of text links to either third-party branded content sites such as Yahoo!, CNN or iobox, or network operator branded content such as entertainment and information services. Systems should be flexible enough to enable the consumer to select from a menu that could include thousands of choices.

The lure of low-cost networks and healthy additional revenue streams is whetting the appetites of existing and new operators, international broadcasters and IT providers alike. The high price of recent auctions for 3G (third generation) licenses across Europe only highlighted the belief among network operators about the long-term advantages 3G will bring to their business. 3G is not just third generation mobile telephony, it is first generation convergence. The proliferation of new products and content that will be available over 3G networks means that telephone operators will become more like digital supermarkets.