Steve Ballmer Unveils New Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile and Windows Live for Mobile Search, Showcases New TV Service for Smartphones at 3GSM.
Telecommunications and computer heavyweights did their best to push 3GSM mobile technology at a forum in Barcelona, highlighting mobile Internet search engines and "unlimited" TV.
Unveiling a new TV service for mobile phones and a new unified communications solution for mobile devices, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer introduced several innovative solutions and strategies that will generate more revenue opportunities for mobile operators and provide compelling benefits for subscribers.
Ballmer was just one of the big players who took the stand to show off applications for cell phones equipped with Windows Mobile software.
As part of his keynote speech at 3GSM World Congress 2006, Ballmer announced the upcoming availability of Microsoft’s Office Communicator Mobile, which provides workers with the advantages of enterprise-grade, real- time collaboration capabilities for their mobile solutions. He also showed off a new live TV service introduced by Virgin Mobile and BT Movio powered by Microsoft for Windows Mobile-based Smartphones, and the new sync center for mobile devices in Windows Vista, the new Windows operating system debuting later this year.
Visitors to the industry’s premier global gathering crowded round as Ballmer presented the merits of "Office Communicator Mobile", an application set to be widely available by the summer.
Mainly of interest to the business world, the OCM is a tool to communicate with who you want, how you want — be it via e-mail, MSN Messenger, or voice over internet protocol, a technology that allows telephone calls using a cheap broadband net connection.
Ballmer also shared the first public demonstration of how Windows Live, the recently introduced set of personal Internet services and software, will extend from the PC and Internet to mobile devices, and highlighted how leading mobile operators are using other innovative mobile services to attract new customers and build subscriber loyalty. He also presented a version designed for the public — "Windows Live for Mobile" — generally similar to the business version, with one application that allows for the possibility of consulting a search engine.
We are about to kick-start a new growth engine for the mobile industry, Ballmer said. To grow, the wireless industry needs to provide end-to-end solutions and innovative services. We are creating great new tools to do just that.
Tests launched in France, Finland, Germany, Britain and Italy will soon conclude and the first to launch commercially will doubtless be themselves, the Italians, predicted Peter MacAvock, executive director of Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), a consortium of 270 telephony; television and information firms backing the technology.
DVB technology, which has been used in digital television for a decade via the DVB-T (Terrestrial) format, leapt to telephones in 2002 in the form of DVB-H (Handheld), and operators who have invested billions in the venture insist it will soon take off.
As a sign of things to come, around 30 stands hailing the technology’s capabilities were on hand in Barcelona, including some that offered live images from the Winter Olympics in Turin to draw visitors’ attention.
French telecoms equipment maker Alcatel meanwhile said it intended to bolster its presence this year in emerging markets — a top priority for operators who see massive potential growth — while also targeting efforts to put live television into mobile phones.
The company’s mobile sector director general, Marc Rouanne, said TV on your handset would prove to be a killer application and generate healthy revenue streams over the next few years.
Offering a word of caution however was Gerard Pousset, marketing director with DIBcom, a French firm specializing in chips to receive TV broadcasts.
Once there is a large number of a user, the network risks getting saturated, Pousset said. To adapt television broadcasting to mobile telephony we had two problems: “battery duration and the fact you cannot install too large an antenna," he said.
Interactivity and dozens of channels are expected to be attractions to wean consumers onto the new technology.
Microsoft Growth in Wireless Industry Built on Partner Approach
As part of the address, Ballmer highlighted the growth of Microsoft in the wireless industry over the past three years. The company has progressed from working with only one mobile operator in one country with one device-maker to 102 mobile operators in 55 countries with 47 device-makers overall today.
Our focus on providing new solutions for subscribers offers the greatest opportunities for our partners, Ballmer said. From the back end to the front end, Microsoft has the assets and expertise to unify mobile communication in ways that are compelling for customers and differentiated and profitable for mobile operators, developers and device-makers.
DVB-H testing began last year in various European countries and "allowed us to know how much users would be willing to pay for the service," said MacAvock.
The answer was between eight and ten euros (10 to 13 dollars) per month, a boost to operators, broadcasters and even sports federations given the prospect of extra revenues as many consumers would likely use the technology to keep up with the latest sports news.
Testing also showed, to the surprise of many, how often people would use the mobile at home as an extra TV screen when someone else was watching another channel.
Virgin Mobile First to Deliver Live Mobile TV with BT Movio and Microsoft Technology
Mobile TV marks the beginning of a new epoch for our industry and the Virgin Mobile tellyphone is something I know consumers are really excited about, said Sir Richard, founder of the Virgin Group of companies. "Everyone watches TV these days, and being able to watch your favorite programs on your mobile while on the go, will soon be as natural as watching TV in your living room today."
Virgin Mobile will offer the broadcast service on a limited exclusive basis to its customers later this year. Virgin Mobile customers that subscribe to the service will have access to a wide range of digital TV content and more than 350 digital radio stations broadcast 24 hours a day.
Meanwhile, Vodafone and Google announced that they would collaborate on an adapted version of the celebrated web browser for mobile services on Vodafone Live.
Motorola said it would make more phones able to play songs in Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio format, having generally promoted units compatible with Apple’s iTunes software.
Making Services the Future: Windows Live for Mobile
With an eye to the future, Ballmer unveiled plans to enable Windows Live services for any device so people can take advantage of next-generation search and communications capabilities, including instant messaging and e-mail via the Web from virtually any mobile device.
With Windows Live services, Microsoft will help mobile operators realize new differentiation and monetization options through best-in-class mobile consumer services. The new Windows Live for Mobile model also provides developers and mobile operators with the ability to differentiate, innovate and bring solutions to market faster based on its open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
Microsoft also announced earlier the global commitments by Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange and Cingular Wireless to provide free upgrades to the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) for all their Windows Mobile 5.0 customers, enabling Direct Push functionality and providing enhanced device management and security for messaging applications.
Customers in several markets around the world can try the betas of mobile versions of Windows Live Mail, Messenger, Search and MSN(R) Spaces by signing up at ideas.live.com or by going to http://mobile.live.com on their mobile browser. Windows Live Mail and Search betas for mobile are now available in key markets such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. Also, Windows Live Local Search beta is now available in the United States and will go live in the in the U.K. soon.
Communicator Mobile is expected to be available for download for Live Communication Server customers within 60 days. More information is available from Microsoft account representatives or online at http://www.microsoft.com/rtc.