WirelessMultimedia@Ovum

The challenges ahead

Wireless operator voice revenues are under attack. Discount MVNOs offering cheaper voice tariffs, coupled with the emergence of voice over IP, is having a negative impact on voice revenues. Data revenues are increasing - but slowly. 3G networks are now better established and the wireless industry is in the early stages of rolling out new multimedia services enhanced by audio and video technologies. Mobile music and mobile TV present important new opportunities but also a number of new challenges.

Wireless messaging remains core to data services but is now evolving more rapidly away from basic texting and moving towards next-generation messaging. The 3G market is reaching critical mass in some geographical markets, which will give operators the opportunity to promote video telephony.

Looking ahead, there are already a number of uncertainties that the wireless industry will need to interpret. What impact will user-generated content have on the business, will peer-to-peer become a reality over cellular networks, how will the large Internet portals and search engines impact the business, and are there real opportunities to build new revenue streams from off-portal content and advertising?

Understanding the opportunities and threats of these disruptors and building strategies to ensure that you embrace the opportunities that they present is critical.

How can Ovum help you?

We are recognised as the leading authority on the European market for the ICT sector, and our employees provide personable, accessible and independent advice. We have a collaborative approach when working with our clients, and utilise the breadth and depth of our analysts' expertise to ensure that we provide you with easily understood information and advice.

We minimise the risks for our clients, while identifying and helping you to comprehend and exploit:

• market opportunities for growth
• market developments that impact your bottom line
• key player performance and competitor intelligence.

WirelessMultimedia@Ovum is part of Ovum's portfolio of services, which combines a unique blend of research deliverables with access to our highly experienced analysts. Our WirelessMultimedia service is designed to provide operators, device vendors, software suppliers, and content and media providers with comprehensive analysis to determine competitive and product positioning, and organisational strategies.

Our coverage includes the following areas

Ovum's advisory services are available online and deliver continuous research and analysis that enables you to base your strategic decisions on the most up-to-date information and advice. Our analysis covers companies, technologies and markets, and is provided in a variety of formats: from short, hard-hitting opinion pieces to extensive, in-depth reports.

Key areas that WirelessMultimedia@Ovum will help you understand...

• Value chain positioning: identifying the opportunities as well as the challenges involved in moving up or along the value chain
• Identifying winning applications, examining best practice and evaluating the revenues and impact on the bottom line
• Assessing both on-portal and off-portal strategies
• Identifying the potential and the risks of new revenue streams, such as mobile advertising
• Analysing the business case and cost analysis for new services and technologies
• Analysing the key enablers for wireless multimedia services; for instance, payments and mobile broadcasting capabilities
• Understanding device issues as well as device rollout for multimedia services
• Sizing the total wireless applications market
• Understanding convergence issues for digital content - the online world meets the mobile world

Services to meet your immediate needs

Customised advice via Analyst Interaction

Analyst Interaction is an integral part of WirelessMultimedia@Ovum and comes in a variety of formats - from questions or discussions with our specialist analysts via telephone and email to workshops, briefings and strategy sessions. Analyst Interaction provides you with customised research and advice as and when you need it, which can help you to understand complex issues and validate your plans for sustainable growth.

How have clients used Analyst Interaction?

We carried out an interactive mobile TV workshop based around PowerPoint presentations and analysis on developments in mobile TV over 3G and the transition to mobile broadcast solutions.

We provided forecasts and analysis on developments in the wireless content market, including future outlook and development scenarios, for a leading Internet portal player.

We mapped the video-capable portable device market for a mobile operator. This enquiry consisted of providing a segmentation of the portable devices that can play video or TV such as portable media players, portable DVD players, etc.

A US vendor of client and server-side software for service providers requested us to present to their executive board on convergence between mobile telecoms and other industries, and the market opportunities that might create for them.